It lay at the back of a coaching yard on the north-western side of Goodramgate, but with another entrance on Low Petergate.

In 1723, the local constables decided to watch for possible Catholic activity in the pub, and spent £1 at the business while doing so — a substantial sum for the period.

Brick extensions were added to either side of the original building in the early- and mid-18th century, and the frontage on Goodramgate was rebuilt in 1771, following which this became the principal entrance, with the one on Petergate eventually closed.

[1][2] In the late-18th and early-19th century, the inn was the starting point for several stagecoach routes, including one to Glasgow via Durham and Newcastle, and shorter ones to Easingwold and Helperby.

[2] A tradition holds that the pub is haunted by the ghosts of a group of Catholics planning an escape to France, who are said to rearrange chairs in a circle and relight a fire overnight.