The Three Horseshoes lies at the junction of Church Street and Pontefract road in the Historic Village of Brierley.
In 1835, the Barnsley to Pontefract turnpike was opened as far as Ackworth, on the right hand side of the road, heading to Hemsworth stands the only remaining milestone of the road.
Following the opening of the turnpike road the first mention of the Three Horse Shoes Hotel can be found. The Inn probably opened as an inn to serve travellers along this road. The Three Horseshoes was the second Inn in Brierley alongside the Farriers Inn.
Until recently the pub remained relatively unchanged. During the 1950’s / 60’s the pub held many garden and floral society competitions and regular outings, it also hosted many events and groups such as the village harvest festival and the Local British Legion.
The pub continued to host community events some stranger than others in 1983 the pub hosted a Black pudding eating competition (now there’s an idea!)
The pub remained relatively unchanged until 2001 when it had a major refurbishment. These works included altering the layout of the pub into three areas. Although the pub could now be classed as having a modern interior there are still many old features within the pub such as cast iron ranges and lots of exposed wooden beams. The pub now has designated dining area, separate dining /drinking area and designated drinking area.
The Three Horseshoes is still at the heart of the community and hosts local society meetings. The pub is now owned by the local FGL pub chain and offers a fantastic food menu. Booking is advised as the pub is always popular. As for the beer, the pub has recently increased the number of cask ale’s on offer to two. John Smith’s Cask and Theakston’s Black Bull are always available.
The small beer garden is as I say small but in summer drinkers make use of the large forecourt which has ample seating and makes a really nice drinking area. So if you’re after a good pint accompanied by good food in a historical surrounding give the Three Horseshoes a try I’m sure you’ll be impressed.
I would like to thank Richard Watson for the historical information in this article and should you like to view further information on the history of Brierley please visit their web site at www.brierleyvillage.co.uk
