it’s easy to miss Dewsbury’s John F Kennedy pub – and many think it’s permanently shut down.
But behind the slightly shabby facade on Webster Hill sits one of the country’s longest serving landlords, octogenarian Ted Rushforth, who bought the former Bass Charrington house in 1968 – some half a century ago.
When he bought the pub it was derelict. Ted said: “Bass had walked away from it and some vandals had wrecked the place.”
And although it has been some time since the pub opened on a regular basis he still faithfully keeps his licence to sell liquor up to date and has a wealth of entertaining anecdotes about the various characters and incidents that have peppered its quirky history.
Amusingly, it is situated off Dewsbury Ring Road with a prominent red No Entry sign situated on the roadside – just inches from its front door giving a slightly misleading impression of the friendly welcome that was once given to regulars.
He says it is thought the pub dates back to the 1850s when the local railways were built with construction workers perhaps even sleeping in it while they worked on the project. It’s just a short walk from Dewsbury Railway Station.
Ted, a married father-of-four, said: “I was a window cleaner in Leeds and I bought it as piece of property. I do them up and rent them out.”
But he decided he would try to make a go of it as a pub and set about browbeating Bass Charrington into removing the covenant preventing him from running it as a boozer.
Ted, who is coy about his age but is understood to be in his early 80s, said: “It had been The Rising Sun but Bass had put a covenant on it that meant I couldn’t sell alcohol.
“I went to a meeting in York with them and said I didn’t think they were doing themselves any favours not allowing me to sell alcohol as they could be putting their beers on here!
“Though initially I didn’t have any intention of running it as a pub.”
Having obtained their agreement his next task was to find a new name for the pub. Ted said: “I wanted a name with a modern twist, something with a 20th century feel.
“I thought the John F Kennedy was perfect. His death affected me more than any other apart from family ones. I can still remember where I was in Leeds at the time it happened.
“There was a woman in tears and his death was being shown on her black and white TV. He was the man of the moment.”
Despite being new to the pub game he took to it readily and it soon began to thrive after opening up on October 6, 1969. A pint of lager was three shillings and a pint of Watneys Red Barrel was half a crown. He still has an antiquated till that has given him excellent service.
Ted said: “At one time I had as many as 15-20 part-time staff and we used to do meals for people. A three course meal for 10 and six pence.”
His wife Sue adds: “I remember it was four deep round the bar when I walked in. Ted and I got together in 1973 and I can recall some great days when all the motorbikers used to turn up. They were great days but I never dreamt he would still have it 50 years on. To have it so long is quite remarkable.
“It’s been our home and I love it and all the people who have come in here and given us both so many treasured memories. We have had very little bother and made a lot of friends.”
Ted is still cross over how his time running the pub full-time ended. There was a police and Trading Standards raid and though he was never charged what happened left a sour taste.
He said: “I lost interest after that. Though there was a funny moment during the raid when a police officer was having a drink here and complained that I had turned the original American jukebox off and he still had some records he had paid to listen to.
“I explained that there had been a police raid and switched it back on for him. It was known as one of the best jukeboxes in town.”
Since then he has only opened sporadically and at his own convenience and nowadays opens rarely, if at all, though because he keeps his licence up he can always open for parties with family and friends if required.
And pressure is growing on him from friends and former regulars for a party to be held to celebrate his 50 years at the hostelry which still boasts a healthy amount of craft beers and wine and spirits.
A testament to the affection for the pub in the hearts of the Dewsbury public can be found by the many posts on Facebook in June last year following an old picture of it being put up from punters reliving happy, and occasionally not quite so happy, times there.
One woman wrote: “Unfortunately I have a horrible memory of being very sick in the ladies’ toilets in that pub and extremely angry girls queuing up to get onto the toilet I was blocking.
“To be fair it was my last day of sixth form and I’d already been out to the Fernsides at lunchtime and I’d had a few pints of cider!”
