How regulars at a historic Leeds city centre pub marked last orders for the final time
It was last orders being called for the final time which prompted regulars to break into song.
The Mitre in Leeds city centre had boasted a reputation for good food and good drink for 54 years.
A Saturday night in March 1961 proved to be the end of an era for the men only bar and restaurant on Commercial Street.
Customers broke into ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as last orders were requested for the final time by the then manager Norman Christian before there were handshakes all round.
Your YEP reported at the time how the pub was crowded throughout the evening and trade was so brisk that spirits, draught beer and most of the bottled beer on the premises were supped dry well before closing time
“We were down to soft drinks at the finish,” said Iris Seddon, head waitress for more than three years.
The boozer on Commercial Street was earmarked for development by Great Universal Stores. With its partitioned cubicles, Victorian-type stove and marbled wall entrance, it represented a link with the days of the Hansom cab.
Mr Christian said: “It is a shame that a place with such a long tradition should have to close.”
Harold Bradman, the 67-year-old head waiter, was in reflective mood as he cleared away glasses from the tables.
“It is a sad state of affairs. We seem to be losing touch with the English way of life as we used to know it. You cannot recapture atmosphere and tradition.”
The Mitre was built in 1907 on the site of the old Horse and Jockey whose history stretched back to 1774.
A well-known personality there for more than 40 years was the Italian head waiter Ettore Martelli, who retired in 1950 and died in 1958.
A telegram was received on the day of the closure from a former landlord Harry Child in which he expressed his sorrow and his inability to be there,
“I still have happy memories of The Mitre,” he said.