At a time when many pubs are closing, it’s heartening to see a new Teesdale bar thriving.
The Castle Tap opened for business in Barnard Castle last month and it’s a case of so far, so good for owner Giles Dykes, who is emulating his dad James and grandad Alec by becoming a licensee.
It is, though, a case of better late than never, as Giles explains. “My dad was a licensee at the Three Tunns at Eggleston and he took over from my grandad,” he said.
“When myself and my brother left school, neither of us were interested in becoming a licensee but here I am, 35 years later, the owner of my own bar and loving it!”
The Castle Tap is located off Horsemarket, in Bakery Mews. It is open for business Thursday evening to Sunday night, though opening hours are set to expand as the summer progresses.
The bar’s unique selling point is a pledge that every drink on sale is unavailable at any other pub in the town.
“Everything we sell – and we have a massive range – you will not be able to get anywhere else in Barnard Castle. Whenever I go anywhere, this is the sort of place I search out and the town’s been lacking somewhere like this for a long time,” he added.
“I’m trying to do something which is contemporary, I’m trying to achieve a mix of traditional and modern ales, and I’m trying to create an environment that is friendly and inclusive.”
Giles, who lives in Staindrop and works at GSK, had been weighing up the idea of opening his own pub for a good while before finally deciding to take the plunge late last year.
He gained the personal licence required to own a bar and eventually he located a venue for the Castle Tap venture.
“I had a wishlist of what I wanted a place to have, and apart from being directly on the high street, this has everything,” says Giles. “It has the bonus of having a beer garden so customers can sit outside when the weather is nice.
“I’m aiming to catch the tourist trade,” he adds. “Attract the people who come caravanning around Teesdale and see the sign and then come and drink a couple of pints in a nice beer garden before going back to their caravan or where they are staying.”
There’s certainly no doubting Giles’ claim that the Castle Tap boasts a huge range. In addition to the drinks on tap, including IPAs, ciders and a lager, the pub has three huge fridges packed with bottles and cans from breweries across Europe.
The choice is almost endless, continental lagers, ciders, radlers, fruit beers, IPAs, stouts, sours, craft ales, alcohol-free lagers, beers and ciders, wines, you name it. Giles even endeavours to offer bar snacks customers won’t be able to find elsewhere in town.
“We have already got regulars,” he says. “And we’ve had hugely positive feedback so far. My aim is to have people come to Barney to find us.”
