Victoria & Commercial, Leeds: New owners of historic Yorkshire pub plot return to days of Victorian grandeur

Now, five years after it closed, neglected and weary, the Grade ll-listed historic pub is has been brought back to grandeur once more.

The legendary Victoria & Commercial reopens with new operators Kirkstall Brewery, and by the team behind the famous Whitelock’s and White Cloth Hall.

Owners say it has been a painstaking revival, peeling back the musty old carpets to reveal mosaic floors below, carved wooden panelling and tiny roses in the beams.

Whitelock's director Ed Mason said the pub closed its doors in the first Covid lockdown.

“Even then, the heyday that many people remember was perhaps 20 years ago, rather than five,” he said.

“It was quite tired, unloved. This pub, now, is having a renaissance.

“People do still love pubs, we are social creatures,” he added. “And this is a pub with a storied history.

“It's really positive that we can bring it back to Leeds.

“We have restored its rightful place in the heart of the city's cultural and civic life.”

The pub was built in 1865, at a time when the neighbouring Leeds Town Hall was first opening and served as the city's assizes.

It was formally called the Victoria Family and Commercial Hotel, a name still emblazoned above the door, opening with 28 bedrooms and services such as a billiards room.

“In more recent decades, certainly being so close to the town and civic hall, and to the old Yorkshire Evening Post offices, it had a reputation as a place where politicians would meet,” said Mr Mason.

“They would plot and plan, all the journalists would be here and the councillors.

“It was also famous, later, for its jazz nights.

“There's a real sense, not only in 1865 but over 100 years later, that it was a pub that played a central role in the civic and cultural life of Leeds."

That Victorian splendour, a reflection of the age in which it was built, is evident today in the high ceilings, wide corridors and ornate cornices.

Restoration is complete, after years of neglect, and with a new kitchen and beer cellar.

The bar will see a selection of cask and keg beers from Kirkstall, Five Points, and guest brewers.

The new kitchen will be headed up by Whitelock's former head chef Nick Robertson.

Steve Holt, director of Kirkstall Brewery said this marked the return of one of Leeds’s “greatest pubs”.

“We anticipate a fantastic first weekend at the Victoria and look forward to sharing in the festive cheer,” said Mr Holt ahead of the reopening earlier this month.

And on social media, the team is collecting old stories to build into the history books.

“Of all the projects I've been involved in, over 25 years in Leeds, this is possibly the one people have been most excited about,” said Mr Mason.

“There's always a tale to be told – someone who met their wife there or had their first kiss.”