Three properties in Tadcaster – the brewing town with plenty to toast

In fact, to say it’s a brewing town is almost an understatement: around one in five of the town’s working population is employed by the town’s three large breweries, two of which produce a total of more than a thousand million pints of beer a year!

As a result, Tadcaster – which straddles the River Wharfe, seven miles south-east of Wetherby – still feels close-knit and proud.

The fact that the brewing industry is still thriving isn’t the only reason that Tadcaster remains compact yet healthy. The (Samuel) Smith brewing family owns much of Tadcaster’s land and property and apparently uses its influence – in an almost 19th-century, paternalistic manner – to discourage excessive development, thereby helping the limestone-and-brick town to retain its old character.

There are large supermarkets for convenience, but also a good many small independents, and much else can be found at the market, which is held on Thursdays.

Opposite the post office is Riley-Smith Hall, a hub of community life which holds events, classes, live bands and weddings.

Round the corner is Tadcaster Swimming Pool, which is run as a charity, free of council control, and along the street, Tadcaster Leisure Centre offers a wide range of sports. Tadcaster Magnets Sports and Social Club is home to Tadcaster Harriers Running Club.

The town, which, incidentally, is in North Yorkshire, has three primary schools, all of them rated Good at their last Ofsted inspection, although two have since converted to academies, as well as Tadcaster Grammar School (est. 1557) which was also rated Good before becoming an academy in 2018.

If all this makes Tadcaster sound like the kind of town you’d like to move to – or if you already live there and just fancy a move – then one of the following properties, which are all currently on the market, may be the one for you.

Tucked away at the end of a short terrace off one of the town’s main arteries, 53 Station Road was built in 1901 and still has many of its original features including high ceilings, sash windows, cornices and feature fireplaces.

It has five bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a kitchen, utility room, two large reception rooms, a conservatory and spacious cellar.

Outside, gardens wrap around three sides and there are also two outbuildings, gardener’s WC and a single garage.

Not far away, 18 Marlborough Drive has been extended and renovated by the current owners and now has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large open-plan kitchen and dining area, utility room and lounge, and on the top floor is a spacious games room in the converted attic. Outside, there is off-street parking on the paved front forecourt and an enclosed lawned garden with two sheds to the rear.

Finally, 84 York Road is an end-of-terrace cottage that has been extended and has two bedrooms, bathroom, breakfast kitchen and lounge. It also has a backyard with space for outdoor furniture and a brick outbuilding with power and lighting.