Review - House of the Trembling Madness (Lendal) *****
New review now online, here’s the summary:
For several years an ominous cloud had been hanging over York’s much loved House of the Trembling Madness on Stonegate after the owners of the building said they weren’t going to renew the bar’s lease, in the end they did but before they knew about that the people behind the bar began a hunt for a new property with much bigger things in mind. Teaming up with York Conservation Trust they began work on York’s first Craft Beer Mansion in the prime location of Lendal, in what many of us remember as the Robson & Cooper leather shop. There’s so much history in this 18th century Georgian mansion house that I really don’t have space to go through its prestigious lineage in this review but the £1 million renovation of the building has been fully sympathetic to all of its past, even the exterior colours and signwritten name match those of Robson & Cooper who had spent the last 170 years in the building, although don’t get me started on the backward letters. The project was even a joint winner of the York Restoration Design Awards in 2018 alongside York Minster and The Mansion House, so to say the attention to details is good is an understatement, its exquisite!
But let’s not get side tracked by beautiful Georgian décor; what’s important here is does the House of the Trembling Madness Lendal live up to the Craft Beer Mansion claim? Stepping up off the street the ground floor room is a light, airy and gleaming bistro style space on two levels. A small bar to the left is packed with Pintxos dishes, spirit bottles and the first of 11 kegs and 3 cask lines. There’s plenty of seating but access is quite restricted. Towards the back is the staircase which leads up to the rest of the building. There is a narrow corridor that links this to the street avoiding the ground floor room but it’s not as obvious. In the basement is a huge off-licence jam packed with the very finest in craft ale, this can be bought to takeaway or drank in the bar at an increased price.
The main focus of the Trembling Madness is the stunning three rooms upstairs; each is finely presented in the grand Georgian style but with that quirky Madness shining through with a smattering of taxidermy and quite disturbing renaissance gothic works of art mainly depicting hell. Two of the rooms are set out with tables and chairs, the high ceilings and big windows giving a spacious and relaxing atmosphere. Dark burgundy and vibrant navy blue colours blend in a sumptuous mix with gold and brass; it all feels rather special and decadent. The main front room is dominated by three chandeliers hanging over the bar which has a further 11 kegs and a wall of spirits, which takes the Trembling Madness’ craft beer offerings to a staggering 22! There’s literally no need to go anywhere else if you so desire and it also means that there’s always something for everyone. Yes prices aren’t the cheapest, but it really is a case of you pay for what you get and quality is here in abundance.
If you return to the grand staircase there’s even some comfy chairs tucked underneath along with a free water dispenser and a rather fine grandfather clock. Heading up to the second floor takes you to their toilets which are some of the smartest we’ve ever seen in York, they spared no expense with the renovation up here either, right down to the fine Burlington Patent Cistern toilet. This floor then leads up again to two function rooms that are available to hire but not usually open.
As one of the most eagerly awaited bars in York it’s probably obvious by now that the House of the Trembling Madness Lendal fully lives up to the hype and more! It really is the most wondrous Craft Beer Mansion to grace York’s streets and a fine honour to the history of the building and the City. We’ve been back numerous times since it opened and the friendly staff are informative and welcoming each time, although occasionally a bit slow to serve when it’s busy. We congratulate all involved in this enterprise and welcome the Lendal division of Trembling Madness to our exclusive 5/5 club, bravo and keep up the good work!
For further details and full scores see the main page:
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