The claim
Alone on a moorland ridge 1,325 feet up in the North York Moors, the Lion has sheltered drovers, corn traders and ironstone miners, and it claims to have done so since 1553. Low beams, stone walls and open fires fill several rooms, and it serves meals from noon, real ales and has thirteen bedrooms for walkers and moorland travellers.
What the records show
The inn's own history places its origin in 1553 or 1558, when a bush was hung out after brewing, and admits the evidence is circumstantial: medieval pottery found nearby and possible links to a friary. A search of the national heritage list around Blakey Ridge returns boundary stones and guide stones but no entry for the inn, so there is no listing description to date the walls. Newspaper writing about the pub repeats the story that monks built it between 1553 and 1558 without citing a source for it. Corn-market trade in the 18th century and mining trade in the 19th are described, but no early licence has been traced.
What to look for inside
- About 1,325 ft above sea level on Blakey Ridge
- Traded with Farndale and Rosedale ironstone miners
- 18th-century corn market held at the inn
Visiting
The Lion Inn is in Blakey Ridge, England, at Blakey Ridge, Kirkbymoorside, York YO62 7LQ. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- www.lionblakey.co.uk/
- www.lionblakey.co.uk/history
- www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-11921396
- archive.org/details/scarborough048
- historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1149732
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1887237
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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