No TVs, no music, no wi-fi - take a look inside Bridlington's most unusual pub

Timber floors and open fires, cask ales and peace and quiet '“ some of the features which have earned the Board Inn a place in The Good Beer Guide 2019.
Manager Mark Pennington raises a glass to toast the pub's successManager Mark Pennington raises a glass to toast the pub's success
Manager Mark Pennington raises a glass to toast the pub's success

The beer-lovers' bible has included the pub in Old Town for the first time and describes it as ‘ a real gem, not to be missed’.

Manager Mark Pennington said: “It’s unique because there’s no TV, no music and no wi-fi. A lot of people like it like that.

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“It makes people talk to each other, rather than just coming in and sitting down on their mobile phones.

Manager Mark Pennington raises a glass to toast the pub's successManager Mark Pennington raises a glass to toast the pub's success
Manager Mark Pennington raises a glass to toast the pub's success

“It’s got a special atmosphere.”

Dark and full of nooks and crannies, the pub is a step back in time, with stuffed animals on the walls and no sign of a pool table or quiz machine.

“It’s decorated in a Georgian style, although some people argue the furniture is Edwardian or Victorian.

“Upstairs is divided into four rooms, with coal fires, and often the first thing people ask, before they have even ordered a drink, is whether there is a room free.”

The pub was shut for five years and reopened in 2016.

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It was highly commended in the CAMRA Pub Design Awards’ refurbishment category.

Last Christmas, a second bar called The Tap opened in converted stables, offering 10 craft beers, and between them, the two bars stock more than 50 gins.

Mark said: “A lot of Bridlington people don’t know it is here in its current format, and although we have a steady flow of locals, we get others who have come out of their way because they have heard how unique it is.”

The pub has five permanent cask ales and two guest ales which change each week.

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“Some of them have become so popular, that we would have a riot if we took them off. Everything has to be over 4%, if we put anything under that on, people don’t drink it.”

Mark has worked in pubs for more than 20 years.

“It’s not easy to get in the Good Beer Guide. Only about 4,500 get in and there’s over 50,000 pubs nationally, so that’s less than a one in 10 chance.

“This is really a feather in your cap when you have been in the trade for a long time.

“You’ve got to know what you are serving when the customers come in and the best way is to test the drinks yourself.”

○ The Marine Bar has also been included in the 2019 Good Beer Guide.