JDW pumps £2.6m into new site

The Charles Henry Roe will open on the site of a former doctor’s surgery and adjoining dental practice, previously occupied by the Leeds Co-operative Society, on Austhorpe Road in Leeds' Cross Gates suburb.

The name of the pub was suggested by the Transport Yorkshire Preservation Group and remembers a local bus manufacturer.

For almost a century, thousands of buses were made at the east end of Manston Lane at Roe’s Carriage Works.

Charles Henry Roe established the Cross Gates Carriage Works in 1920. The business closed in 1984 and was replaced by Optare – founded by workers from the former company.

Pub detail

The new pub will be open from 8am until 11pm from Sunday to Thursday and 8am until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Food will be served throughout the day from opening until 11pm every day.

JDW said the pub will specialise in real ales, as well as craft and world beers, serving a range of different draught ales alongside bottled beers including those from local and regional brewers.

It will be open for family dining with children accompanied by an adult, welcome until 9pm throughout the week.

The venue will also be wheelchair accessible with a specially adapted toilet for people with disabilities on the ground floor.

New addition

It will have one bar as well as a beer garden to the back of the site and smoking will be permitted in a separate designated outdoor area.

The walls will be adorned with photos and details of local history, alongside artwork and images of local scenes and characters of the area, with information boards about events.

There will also be bus-related artefacts on display and replica bus seating fabric has been used to upholster some of the bar stools.

Manager Tom Reeve said: “Myself and my team are looking forward to welcoming customers into the pub and we are confident it will be a great addition to the Cross Gates community.”

This comes after JDW announced it was reducing food and drink prices across its pub estate a week after it revealed that they were set to increase​.