The Hotel

The Hotel was the main place for social gatherings, there was always a do on. They’d put on a bus to take us to the football or trips to Blackpool. The pigeon fanciers and racers used to meet there and let’s not forget the highlight of the social calendar … the Annual Leek Show!

It was built in 1895 and was run by the Gilliland family until it closed in 2012. The Gillilands supported the miners during the 1926 strike and Brian Gilliland was the cobbler on Derwent Street.

When The Hotel closed it felt like the heart had gone out of the village.