The Harp & Castle – How long will this last?

These kinds of pubs are dying out.

Feb 21, 2024

I’ve written before about old Leith and new Leith. It’s changed, and still changing. And the pubs are changing with it. The Volunteer Arms is now self-described “quirky bar” The Dog House, Mintos is now burger based boozer The Lioness of Leith and The Pond is now The Bullfinch, run by the excellent Barney’s brewery.

I wasn’t around during Trainspotting-era Leith. But the Harp & Castle was. In Irvine Welsh’s novel, Renton and Begbie share a pint there before the book’s eponymous scene at the disused Leith Central station (now a Tesco).

Back then, the pub was called The Tommy Younger Bar, after its founder and former owner. Younger was a goalkeeper who played for Hibs, as well as Liverpool and Scotland. Upon retiring, he became a local businessman in the city and opened this bar on Leith Walk in the 1970s. The football theme still runs deep here. An array of signed shirts, team photos and memorabilia throughout the ages decorate the walls – with the pub filling up with fans on match days. Its current name is a reference to the symbols adorning the Hibs badge.

I doubt the place has changed too much since Tommy Younger was in charge. It’s avowedly old-school, with its flat roof, vertical slatted blinds and fruit machines. Perhaps the tellies are a newer addition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the pool table and dart board have been there for decades.1 These aren’t here for aesthetic purposes, they have all been in full use each time I have been here – as has the jukebox by the wall. The pub runs poker nights every week, and many of the tables are used for card games or dominoes.

No, you won’t find any cask beer here, but that’s not what it’s for. Luckily, we have plenty of choice in Edinburgh for good cask, or craft beers, or cocktails. Instead, it focuses on what should be the number one priority for every single pub in this country: providing a social, welcoming space for the community.2

The pub, the great British establishment, should firstly serve its local community as it is now. The best ones will also preserve their history, acting as a snapshot in time and linking us to the generations who came before us. Modernisation isn’t a bad thing – it’s just that there are right and wrong ways of going about it. I’m happy that the Harp & Castle still remains, though there is no getting around the question: How long will these sorts of pubs last?

The chaser

A shout out to another pub, which I only recently discovered, doing much the same thing as The Harp & Castle. Oceana on Ferry road had a very friendly clientele and a landlord who was very accommodating. He even moved some tables for us so we could play darts. It’s also one of the few places I’ve seen which serves Younger’s Tartan Special.