The Hare and Hounds Inn, known locally as Lane Ends was, until recently, a well-known and much-loved pub in Old Town, West Yorkshire. Its interesting history dates back to the late 18th century when it was a stop on the pack horse route between Halifax and Burnley.
Over the years it has been loved by locals for its place at the beating heart of the community, for a friendly welcome, for great food and drink, and fantastic views.
What’s going on with the Hare and Hounds?
In the summer of 2025 the owner-brewery, Timothy Taylors, closed and then sold the pub. And by the autumn a Change of Use application had been registered by the new owner with CMBC to turn it from a pub into a house.
WACA launched the campaign to Save the Hare and Hounds in the New Year of 2026. Along with our objection to the Change of Use Application, we applied for the pub to be listed as an Asset of Community Value and on 2 March 2026 this was granted under the Community Right to Bid legislation.
On 27 March 2026, the current owner let us know that the Hare and Hounds was being put back up for sale and WACA registered an expression of interest to buy with the local authority. This gives us a six-month window of exclusivity to put together a community bid before the owner can accept bids from the general market.
WACA is now working through the steps to enable us to purchase the Hare and Hounds and run it as a free-house community pub.
How can you help?
We are currently putting together a community share offer so that local people and other interested parties can invest in the Hare and Hounds. This will hopefully go live in the summer of 2026.
Are you interested? Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear details about the share offer and be notified when it goes live.
Do you have knowledge or skills that could be useful in raising funds to purchase the Hare and Hounds or run it as a community pub? Get in touch and let us know you want to get involved.
Hare and Hounds latest news
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WACA to investigate purchase of Hare and Hounds Inn
This is a significant milestone in our journey to reopen the Hare and Hounds Inn as a community pub! Statement from the WACA Board — April 2026 The Board of Wadsworth Area Community Assets (WACA) has formally resolved to proceed … Continue reading →
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WACA in dialogue with the owner of the Hare and Hounds Inn
We have some good news to share! WACA is now in positive and constructive dialogue with the current owners of the Hare and Hounds Inn. We have registered our interest with CMBC to work with the community to put together … Continue reading →
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The Hare and Hounds – how the story started
When we heard the Hare and Hounds at Lane Ends was for sale back in July, the WACA Board agreed we should investigate the risk of the pub and B&B ceasing to be a going concern, so we met with … Continue reading →