Welcome to Meet the Publican, our new, monthly feature highlighting the brilliant folk behind the pubs across our branch area.

Continuing the series, we chatted with Lena Pennington, landlady of Old Ship Inn in Bridlington Old Town. Lena recently celebrated a decade behind the bar at The Old Ship Inn, whilst scooping runner up in our Pub of the Year awards, plus inclusion in The Telegraph’s Top 650 UK Pubs.

We caught up with Lena to talk about her ten-year journey behind the bar, keeping award-winning real ales, creating a thriving community hub, and how her Norwegian roots compare to classic British pub culture.

Behind the bar for over a decade. Lena took some time out to chat with us.

Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA: Congratulations on celebrating 10 years at The Old Ship Inn! How does it feel looking back over the last decade behind the bar?

Lena: It honestly doesn’t feel like ten years! There have definitely been plenty of ups and downs, and running a pub is certainly never boring, but I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. The biggest thing for me is seeing how the pub has grown into such a lovely community. We’ve got customers who came through the door when I first arrived who are still regulars today, and over the years many of them have become friends rather than just customers. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

When you took over ten years ago, what was your initial vision for the pub and how has it evolved since then?

When I first took over, I wanted The Old Ship to be a proper traditional pub – somewhere with great beer, a friendly atmosphere and where everybody felt welcome. That hasn’t really changed, but I think we’ve built on it enormously. We now have so much going on, from pool and darts to karaoke, live music, quizzes and big charity nights. At the same time, I’ve always been determined that it should still feel like a proper pub at heart. We’ve also focused massively on real ale. About 7 years ago we increased the number of handpumps from 3 to 6. This allows us to offer a better choice of real ales. We have no permanent ales on, so each day the selection can be different.

Also, we must say congratulations on being named CAMRA Yorkshire Wolds Pub of the Year runner-up and being listed in The Telegraph’s Top 650 Pubs in the UK for 2026. What do those recognitions mean to you?

It means an enormous amount, especially because you never really expect recognition like that when you’re just getting on with the job every day. Being runner-up in the CAMRA Yorkshire Wolds Pub of the Year was a huge honour because good real ale is such an important part of what we do. Then to find out we’d been included in The Telegraph’s Top 650 Pubs in the whole UK was absolutely fantastic. I’m incredibly proud, but the credit also belongs to our staff and customers because The Old Ship wouldn’t be what it is without them.

The Old Ship Inn is a fantastic, traditional three-room pub. How does that classic multi-room layout shape the atmosphere compared to open-plan venues?

I think it gives the pub a character that you just don’t get with a big open-plan room. Each room has its own atmosphere. You can have something lively happening in one area while somebody else can sit and have a quiet pint and a chat in another. It means lots of different people can enjoy the pub in their own way, and I think that traditional layout is a big part of The Old Ship’s charm. Also, if the weather is nice, we’ve got our amazing beer garden at the rear of the pub. My husband does a fantastic job keeping the garden looking good, and it’s full of birds and flowers.

The wonderfully well-kept beer garden is a real draw in the summer months.

Sitting on St John Street near Bridlington’s historic Old Town, what kind of mix do you get between local regulars and tourists or heritage visitors?

We have a really strong group of local regulars, which is the backbone of the pub, but being in Bridlington Old Town means we also meet lots of visitors. Some come because they’re exploring the Old Town, some are looking for a good real ale pub and increasingly people tell us they’ve specifically sought us out because they’ve seen us in the Good Beer Guide or heard about us elsewhere. I love that mixture – and it’s even better when someone who first came in as a visitor comes back every time they’re in Bridlington.

Do you know much about the history of the pub?

Yes, we’ve managed to trace the pub back to 1822, so it has more than 200 years of history. According to David and Susan Neave’s book on the history and buildings of Bridlington, the pub dates back to 1822, and we believe it was originally known simply as The Ship or The Ship Inn.

The present building is thought to date from later in the 19th century, so it appears that there was already an inn here before the building we know today.

I absolutely love the fact that people have been coming here for a drink for over 200 years. Being in Bridlington Old Town, we’re surrounded by history anyway, and I think the traditional three-room layout and character of the pub are a big part of what makes The Old Ship special. I feel very privileged to be looking after a little piece of Bridlington’s history.

In your experience, how have beer tastes changed over the last ten years — are customers more adventurous with their choices now?

Definitely. People are much more adventurous now. There will always be customers who know exactly what they like and stick to it, but we see far more people wanting to try something different. That’s one of the reasons I love rotating our cask ales – it gives people the opportunity to discover beers and breweries they might never have tried before.

The Old Ship Inn is located just off Bridlington Old Town's beautiful High Street.

You consistently maintain a 5-star cellar rating and feature in the Good Beer Guide. What goes into keeping the quality of your cask ale so high day in, day out?

There really isn’t a shortcut – it’s about doing the basics properly every single day. Cleanliness, looking after the cellar, keeping the beer at the correct temperature, cleaning the lines properly and making sure every cask is conditioned and served at its best. If I wouldn’t be happy being served a pint myself, I certainly wouldn’t expect a customer to pay for it. Consistency is probably the most important thing.

With up to six cask ales on rotation, how do you strike the balance between supporting local breweries and bringing in beers from further afield?

I like having a good mixture. Supporting local and Yorkshire breweries is really important to us, but having up to six cask ales gives us the freedom to bring in interesting beers from further afield as well. I want somebody looking along our pumps to have a genuine choice rather than six very similar beers. Rotating them also means there’s usually something new for our regulars to try.

Visitors regularly comment on these quirky stained glass windows. A fabulous feature of the pub.

The pub is well-known for its community work, including supporting local charities and veterans' groups. How crucial is that community role to the pub's identity?

Massively. A good pub should be part of its community, not just somewhere that sells beer. We’ve been very lucky to have customers who really get behind the things we do, whether that’s raising money for local charities, supporting veterans’ groups or helping with community events.

Some of my proudest nights at The Old Ship have been charity events where you see everybody coming together. That side of the pub means a great deal to me.

What has been your proudest moment or favourite memory from your ten years running the pub so far?

This is a difficult one because there have been so many. Winning recognition from CAMRA and being included in The Telegraph’s Top 650 are obviously incredibly proud moments, but some of my favourite memories are actually the mad nights when the whole pub comes together and everyone is having a brilliant time.

With up to six cask ales, there really is something for everyone.

Being from Norway originally, how does Norwegian drinking culture compare to the UK?

Very different! In Norway, alcohol is much more expensive and drinking tends to be more of an occasion, whereas Britain has this wonderful tradition of simply going to the pub for a pint and a chat.

That social side of British pub culture is something I really love. A proper pub can have people of completely different ages and backgrounds sitting together and talking to each other.

If someone has never visited The Old Ship Inn before, what can they expect from the experience, and which beer or cider would you recommend they try first?

Hopefully, the first thing they’ll get is a friendly welcome. We’re a traditional pub and we don’t try to be something we’re not. You can come in on your own for a quiet pint, have a chat at the bar, play pool or darts, sit in the beer garden or turn up on one of our event nights when the place can be absolutely bouncing.

As for the beer, I’d probably ask what sort of beer they normally enjoy and recommend one of our cask ales from there – and I’m always happy to let someone have a taste before deciding.

Looking ahead to the next few years, what can customers expect — are there any exciting plans or events on the horizon?

More of what we do best, hopefully! I don’t want to change The Old Ship into something it isn’t. I want to keep improving it while protecting everything people love about a traditional pub.

There’ll be plenty more live music, karaoke, quizzes, sport, charity events and probably a few ideas we haven’t even thought of yet. Most importantly, I want it to continue being a pub where people genuinely enjoy spending their time.

Finally, if you could sum up The Old Ship Inn in just a few words, what do you hope people say about the pub after they've visited?

Hopefully they’ll say something like: “Great beer, great atmosphere and a proper pub where everybody feels welcome”.

Here's to another 10 years!

Quick-fire questions

Your perfect pint? A nice cold pint of cider.

Favourite beer style? A porter or stout. I particularly like to try all the flavoured ones. I also enjoy a sour-style craft pint.

Favourite cider? Inch's or Lilley’s Bee Sting on keg. I also enjoy trying different real ciders at beer and cider festivals.

Favourite pub anywhere in the UK? That’s too difficult to choose. There are so many great pubs. Depends on the occasion. Some memorable ones are The Cavern in Liverpool and The Purple Peacock in Newcastle.

Favourite pub snack? Bobby’s Chilli Nuts.

Beer garden or cosy snug? Beer garden in summer. Snug in winter.

What's always playing on the pub stereo? Rocket Man by Elton John.

A huge thank you to Lena for taking the time to chat with us and for her continued commitment to serving outstanding real ale!

Are you a local publican? Get featured next!

We love celebrating the amazing pubs, bars and clubs across our region. If you run a venue in the Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA area and would like to be featured in a future Meet the Publican piece (like this one and our recent chat with Mark Bates at Three B's Micropub), we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email to ku.gro.armac.sdlowerihskroy@retsambew to get involved!

Keep your eyes peeled for a new Meet The Publican in October.