Leicester historian takes Hairy Bikers through Yorkshires past pubs

A new BBC series following the popular Hairy Bikers on a tour of historic British pubs features a historian from our University in its opening episode, discussing the pubs of Yorkshire’s past.

Pubs That Built Britain is presented by Dave Myers and Simon King as they journey across Britain to discover the role that pubs have had throughout history. From the first Roman taverns, to Anglo Saxon alehouses which sprung up in peoples’ homes, and the travelers Inns providing respite for a more mobile population, they’ll reveal the fascinating story of how Britain’s pubs evolved.

The first episode, broadcast on Monday 18 April, focuses on Yorkshire in which Dr Andrew Hopper from our Centre for English Local History is interviewed at the Black Bull pub at Otley. He will be talking about pubs of the civil wars in Yorkshire, as well as the local legend that alleges that Cromwell’s troops drank the pub dry on the eve of the Battle of Marston Moor.

Dr Hopper’s research focuses on the religion and political culture of early modern England, including notions of honour, memory and reputation, and more specifically, the English Civil Wars. He helped to develop the £5.4 million National Civil War Centre at Newark upon Trent where he is currently curating a six-month exhibition entitled 'Battle-Scarred: Surgery, Medicine and Military Welfare during the British Civil Wars'.

The first episode of Pubs that Built Britain will be available online here after broadcast.

Dr Hopper was interviewed about the exhibition by BBC Radio Nottingham on 11 April, you can listen to the interview here: