A WORD TO THE WISE. MORLEY’S SEVEN HILLS IS A CLASSIC

October 2026. Morley. West Yorkshire.

Dave “US” Southworth often asks which places surprised me. A good question, which today gets “Morley, West Yorkshire” added to the answers.

Wiki says “Morley is a market town and a civil parish within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough; the largest town (pop 44,440) in the borough after Leeds itself. Morley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District“.

I also read “When the Northern Rugby Union clubs broke away from the Rugby Football Union in 1895 to form the Rugby League (a superior sport), the Morley representatives missed the train to Huddersfield due to being in the pub.” That must make you warm to the town already.

The new Beer Guide entry is called Seven Hills, and it’s a steep climb from the station into town. Pleasingly, I beat all the young folk on the walk, which means I’m getting my leg back and get in the pub first.

I get a real thrill about visiting a place for the first time, I can literally feel my brain whirring on the approach.

Will it be busy ? Are the streets tidy ? Is there art ? Can I get away with carrying a Chinese takeaway back to Sheffield ?

My GBG target appears from nowhere. part of a string of modern bars at the top of town.

Having told you that a new Beer Guide bring forth a slew of Spoons, brewery taps and small bars, and knowing my dislike of the cult of Bowie, you might be surprised by how much I loved this one roomed micro with a musical focus.

But it was joyous, and at 61 you tend to take joy over almost anything.

The rapport between the regulars and the young barmaid was the very epitome of a great pub.

I was given CAMRA discount I didn’t ask for, the chocolate honeycombed stout throroughly pulled through,

a gorgeous NBSS 4 (VERY GOOD in new money).

The Old Boy complained about draughts, the barmaid (like me) reckoned it was too hot (21 degrees outside), pointless arguments ensued.

At this point, I could have dashed back down the hill to the station, but I had to see the Ernie Wise statue, and find out what other magic Morley was hiding.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

3 thoughts on “A WORD TO THE WISE. MORLEY’S SEVEN HILLS IS A CLASSIC”

  1. Saying that RL is superior to RU is like saying that shingles is “superior” to pneumonia if you ask me…

    People are quite right to complain about draughts. No one ever died of Being Just A Little Bit Too Warm.

    Sounds a jolly good place whatever, Martin. In my experience, “return trays” in West Yorkshire are the province of, er, Proper Pubs and micropubs have been free of them. Can this be relied upon, do you think?

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    1. I think the problem I have with Rugby Union is that it’s associated with the most terrible pashmina wearing, rugger bore pubs. Mind you, League is associated with a swathe of very basic keg boozers.

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      1. The fact that someone chose to write ” (a superior sport) ” in that Wiki piece shows that untrained writers should not be let loose on Wiki. Rugby League is self-evidently better than Union, so it’s a waste of time and effort writing it.

        As is this post.

        Oh.

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