THREE former landladies of Britain’s highest – and most remote – pub, gathered there for the first time this week (Monday 20 October) to record their memories.
One of them, Audrey Yeardley, was just 25 when she and husband David Clifford took over the tenancy of the 17th century Tan Hill Inn, on the windswept North Yorkshire Moors, at Keld, in 1960.
Now aged 90, she travelled from her home in Fife to revisit the pub, on Monday 20 October – and relive an event which made headlines across the UK.
The Tan Hill Inn sits 1732ft above sea level and around four miles from any habitation and, just after Christmas 1962, it started to snow.
In what became known as The Great Winter – it didn’t stop snowing until the end of March 1963.
And, with two young sons, aged six and three, Audrey and David were trapped in their pub with no electricity, no telephone and no running water for 13 weeks and one day.
Snow ploughs battled eight miles through 20ft drifts to reach the isolated pub, where David was melting snow for his young family to drink and to wash with.
And local farmers and groups of soldiers would take advantage of occasional breaks in the weather to bring home made sausages, bread and milk and chocolate for the boys.
Audrey was joined at the reunion by fellow former landlady Sue Hanson, who took over the tenancy with husband Neil in 1978 and by Louise Peace, who moved there with husband Mike in 2005.
Also, there was Kimberley Baines, whose childhood was spent at Tan Hill Inn after her parents Alex and Margaret bought the pub in 1985, staying for 20 years.
“It’s a privilege to be here again and, of course, to have been a landlady at the Tan Hill: it’s a special place,” said Audrey.
“Myself and the other landladies here are all very different people and had very different experiences during our time here.
“Our common ground however is Tan Hill and we all have a great love for it.”
The aim of the once in a lifetime reunion is to ensure their memories are preserved in an archive tracing the history of the pub, now owned by Andrew Hields.
“The Tan Hill Inn is such an iconic place and is of such significance that we are absolutely committed to preserving its history,” he said.
“All of these amazing landladies have played such an important part in that history that we wanted to ensure that their memories were recorded for posterity.
“We are delighted that they have visited and shared their amazing stories and experiences with us.”
For further information visit https://tanhillinn.com/