OUR PROUD HISTORY & HERITAGE:
Steeped in history, Cubley Hall has evolved through the centuries from being a moorland farm on the Pennine pack horse routes of the 1700’s, to a fine gentleman’s residence set in four acres of mature gardens and grounds during the reign of Queen Victoria.
It was Mr Lockley who owned Cubley Hall at this period in time.
He was the Manager of the local foundry, owned by the famous shipbuilding and engineering company Camel Laird. The Penistone site made train wheels, forgings, castings and railway lines. A model village was planned at Cubley Hall with school playing fields and church, but sadly in 1922, Camel Laird closed with only a portion if the village completed.
Cubley Hall then passed through several owners from English Steel to Newton Chambers, but after World War II, it became an orphanage.
We still have visits from people who grew up at Cubley Hall. They often tell us how they loved growing up here and how they considered it their home.
It was during one of these visits when we first heard about Flo. The daughter of Mr. Lockley. Flo was married at Cubley Hall in 1904. At the top of the stairs, a full size stained glass window of Flo used to cast a ghostly shadow across the hall. It was sadly removed and lost before we could save it. We have photographs of Flo, kindly donated in 1982, by a niece of Mr Lockley, who had feared that Cubley Hall would be demolished by the council. She had heard of our renovation project to preserve its character, when she then offered the photographs to us.
THE 1980s:
By 1980, the children’s home was closed and left empty. Left unloved, battered by hard winters, and damaged by vandals, Cubley Hall was in a sorry state. Our rebuilding started with fitting 300 roof slates, just to keep the weather out. We then tackled the serious damage caused from freezing pipes and collapsed ceilings and by July 1982, we had something that resembled a country house pub. Cubley Hall was originally adorned with beautiful stained glass windows,
but these, including Flo’s window, were one period feature to be lost to time.
The 21st of July 1982 saw us open our doors and pull our first pints. It was the first time we had owned or even worked behind a bar. Those first few months were a steep learning curve, but we won through! Our original dream was to build a pub that we would be happy to go to. A friendly atmosphere: warm, clean and comfortable, with good quality, reasonably priced real ales, drinks and food, all served with a smile by friendly and efficient staff. This has been our aim since the beginning and still holds true today.
1990 saw the addition of the restaurant, converted from the massive oak beamed, hewn stone barn. Renamed as The Barn this hosts wedding breakfasts, receptions, business meetings and our famous traditional Sunday carvery.
