Showing posts with label Cheshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheshire. Show all posts
The Lord Eldon
The Lord Eldon is situated just off Canute Place in the upper part of the centre of the prosperous Cheshire market town of Knutsford. It is a cottage-style, brick building dating back over 300 years, considerably lower in profile than those surrounding it. The frontage is decorated by attractive hanging flower baskets in season,
Although appearing small from outside, the interior is actually surprisingly spacious. There are three distinct seating areas facing the central bar, corresponding to the three front windows, all with alcoves of bench seating. There are low beams and an extensive collection of brasses and pictures of local scenes. To the rear, a more expansive area of seating leads through to a back room with a pool table. There is also a secluded beer garden at the rear.
It was once a Wilson’s tied house, but now has Tetley Bitter as a permanent beer, together with one or two guests, often from Cheshire microbreweries. No food is served.Major sports events are shown on TV, and the general atmosphere is more down-to-earth than you might expect in upmarket Knutsford. Live music sometimes features in the evenings.
There is a paid public car park at the rear of the pub, and it is about ten minutes’ walk from Knutsford station on the Altrincham-Chester line.
The Swan With Two Necks
A single-fronted three-storey pub situated on the now pedestrianised Princes Street on the north side of the town centre. It was rebuilt in 1926 and given a mock-Tudor frontage that has now succumbed to the regrettable modern trend of grey paint.
The original 1926 interior, with an abudance of light oak panelling, survives largely intact, and merits a three-star entry on CAMRA’s National Inventory. A drinking corridor giving access to the bar servery runs the full length of the pub on the right-hand side. At the front is a small, plain vault which I do not ever remember having fixed seating.
To the rear of the servery is the superb, top-lit smoke room, with fixed seating on all four sides, original bull-pushes and a stone Tudor-style fireplace. This must surely be one of the finest and cosiest pub rooms in the country. Further back is a plainer room, again with fixed seating, that was brought into pub use in the 1960s. The Ladies’ toilets have been brought inside, but the original outside Gents’ remains with its three large porcelain urinals.
It normally offers two or three cask beers from the Robinson’s range, always including Unicorn, with Old Tom barley wine available on draught in winter. A pie and mash menu served at lunchtimes.
In recent years it has received a boost to trade following the opening of the new RedRock leisure complex at the rear, including The Light cinema. The rear entrance has been revamped to make it more appealing and a small beer garden created.
The Olde Cottage
Although now bypassed by Hoole Way, Brook Street remains a busy thoroughfare with a variety of restaurants, takeaways and independent shops, and forms the main pedestrian route between the station and the city centre. The number of pubs has much reduced in recent years, but one that survives is the Olde Cottage, a striking mock half-timbered street-corner building originally built around the turn of the last century by the Birkenhead Brewery.
Accessed through the corner door, the interior is split into two sections. The main bar is on the right, with some bench seating around the walls, whereas on the left is more of a games area with loose seating, a dartboard and a rare bagatelle table. There are four cask beers, with Otter Bitter and Wye Valley HPA on permanently, plus a variety of guest ales including local micros and favourites from other parts of the country such as Draught Bass and Wadworth 6X.
It is essentially a community pub, and no food is served, although given its location it attracts its fair share of casual trade. Pub cat Arty turned up as a stray kitten in the summer of 2019 and has since made himself very much at home, although he often keeps a low profile during opening hours. Note that it does not open until 4 pm, except for 2 pm on Saturdays.
The Magazine
An imposing double bay-fronted pub situated half a mile south of the town centre commanding an impressive view over the Mersey estuary, although this is partly blocked by trees opposite. It was badly damaged by fire in 2010, but has been sympathetically restored and qualifies for a regional entry on CAMRA’s National Inventory. The bar counter is on the right, with a small cosy alcove at the front right and three separate rooms along the left-hand side, the first two featuring extensive bench seating.
It still bears Bass livery, and has long been renowned as a Draught Bass shrine, in pre-Covid times reported to be selling up to 100 gallons a week, alongside around four guest ales, mostly from local breweries. Unfortunately on my visit earlier this year there was none available, with the barman reporting ongoing supply problems. A menu of straightforward,r easonably-priced pub food is also served. The pub still has its own bowling green at the rear.
The pub has its own small car park to the right, plus there is plentiful on-street parking nearby. There are regular buses along the main road from Birkenhead to New Brighton about five minutes’ walk up hill.
The Queen’s Head
A small single-fronted pub standing in the shadow of the bridge carrying St Petersgate over Little Underbank. It was originally a free house attached to the wine merchant’s next door actually under the arch, hence its local nickname of Turner’s Vaults.
In the 1980s, it was taken over by Samuel Smith’s, who carried out a very careful and thoughtful restoration project. In fact, although the general feel is very Victorian, much of what you see is a modern recreation, thus disqualifying it from a full entry on CAMRA’s National Inventory, although it does qualify for a mention under the category of Outstanding Conversion and Restoration.
On the bar counter are a couple of original fixtures carrying spirit taps – now disused – while to the rear it retains the “Compacto” urinal, described as the “World’s Smallest Gents’”. This was actually brought back into use immediately post-reopening, although it has been locked for many years as few modern men are skinny enough to be able to use it.
At the front of the pub is the main bar, with bench seating opposite the counter and in the window, while behind this is a distinctive “horse box” snug, and further back still a cosy toplit smoke room with a real fire, all featuring much dark wood. The present-day toilets are on the first floor up a flighgt of stone stairs.
There is the usual range of Sam’s beers including cask Old Brewery Bitter. No food is served, but there is often a good atmosphere generated by the archetypal Sam’s older male clientele.
The Hop Pole
A four-square corner local in an area of Victorian terraced housing to the west of the town centre, the Hop Pole is a splendid traditional multi-roomed pub, although a little bit of opening-out, including knocking holes in one of the internal walls, means that it only qualifies for regional rather than national status on CAMRA’s National Inventory. There’s a central bar with glass shutters, no longer actually in use, surrounded by a quarry-tiled public bar on the right, a front pool room and a long lounge at the rear with alcoves of comfortable seating upholstered in a bright tartan pattern.
At the rear is a drinking terrace overlooking the bowling green, now a rare feature in pubs, which in the summer is busy with teams playing in various leagues. There are typically three cask beers available, including on my visit Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle and Weetwood Cheshire Cat. A classic example of a welcoming, characterful community local.
Note: I understand that the pub has now been substantially altered, and most of the historical features removed, so the above description remains as a record of how it used to be.
The Jolly Sailor
A street-corner pub in the lower part of the town on the busy Sunderland Street near to the railway station. In the 1980s, the interior was opened out somewhat, attracting criticism from a local CAMRA guide, but it has mellowed since then, and retains four distinct areas around the bar with a variety of comfortable seating. There’s an impressive collection of bric-a-brac and memorabilia including many photographs of old Macclesfield and the classic old Bass poster shown below.
It was once the only Bass tied house in the town, and Draught Bass remains at the core of the beer range alongside Castle Rock Harvest Pale and Everards Tiger. There are also a couple of changing guests which are typically the more familiar beers such as Bombardier and Landlord. Food is limited to simple weekday bar snacks, but the upstairs function room doubles as a steakhouse on Thursday to Saturday evenings. It attracts a wide cross-section of customers and provides a proper traditional pub atmosphere in an area of the town where modern bars predominate.
The Boar's Head
A handsome brick-and-stone pub overlooking one corner of Stockport’s historic Market Place. It’s a Sam Smith’s pub, and a few years ago was given a refurbishment which actually involved reinstating some internal walls. There’s a central bar with adjoining drinking space and three separate areas radiating off, plus a large lounge on the left-hand side which can double as a function room.
It has served food in the past, but currently is just an archetypal drink and chat pub. Despite this, it’s rarely less than busy, with a good crowd in from lunchtime opening, even on weekdays when there is no market being held and other nearby pubs are deserted or closed. On Saturday afternoons it can be standing room only. It appeals to a mainly more mature clientele and, while welcoming to all, undoubtedly has a down-to-earth traditional pub atmosphere.
As well as well-kept Old Brewery Bitter, there’s an unusually wide range of Sam Smith’s keg beers, including both the light and dark keg milds, which are sold at an exceptionally low price. The cellars are particularly impressive and connect with mysterious tunnels leading under the old town of Stockport.
Its quality as a classic old-school town-centre boozer was recognised when it was, perhaps surprisingly, but entirely deservedly, voted by Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA as their Pub of the Year for 2016.
The Armoury
A classic street-corner pub overlooking a busy roundabout close to the station, about half a mile from the town centre. Originally dating back to the Victorian era, it was remodelled in the 1920s, when it received an attractive blue-tiled frontage. Unfortunately this had to be replaced in the 1990s following water damage.
Sensitively refurbished in the 2000s, it retains a traditional multi-roomed interior with plenty of light wood and bench seating. To the right of the entrance is the bright, comfortable lounge, while on the left is a plainer vault and a snug-type room at the rear which is often used for darts matches. At the rear is a spacious, secluded beer garden with plenty of undercover seating, making it one of the most accommodating pubs in Stockport for smokers. It also has an upstairs function room.
There’s no food, although it has briefly experimented with serving lunches. Televised football is shown, but it’s not obtrusive except when United or City are playing, and it remains very much an archetypal community local with a mostly more mature clientele. Note that lunchtime opening is not until 1 pm on most weekdays.
It serves Robinson’s Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde as regular beers, plus a couple of others from their range, often including Trooper. It has been a regular entry in the Good Beer Guide and is often recommended as the best place in Stockport to sample the local brew. It was runner-up as local CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2015.
Situated within a short walk of Edgeley Park, it is a popular venue on match days. There’s a large public car park on the other side of the roundabout, which is free in the evenings. The two black-and-white buildings to the right on the StreetView image are a former branch of the NatWest Bank and a former pub, the Swan.
The Red Lion
A large pub right in the centre of this prosperous southern suburb of Warrington, which looks as though it dates back to the early part of the 19th century. Originally a Greenall’s tied house, like most others in the area, after a period of pub company ownership it has now been acquired by Thwaites and offers a full range of their beers – Original, Nutty Black, Wainwright, Lancaster Bomber and a seasonal craft ale.
It has recently been extensively refurbished by Thwaites, but retains a multi-roomed layout with a separate vault, a main bar on the lounge side with seating to front and rear, another room on the left and the delightful, cosy, TV-free “Bowling Room” to the rear. I spotted a menu of sandwiches and snacks; I’m not sure if full knife-and-fork meals are also served.
While making more concessions to the modern world than many of the other pubs on this blog, such as showing Sky Sports, it retains a vibrant, pubby atmosphere and many interesting architectural features. The pub still has its own bowling green to the rear. It doesn’t have a car park, but you can park for an hour for free on the public car park round the back.
The Harp
A small white-painted pub in an isolated spot overlooking the Dee salt marshes at the end of a cul-de-sac. The interior comprises a lively public bar on the left and a cosy lounge on the right, both with quarry-tiled floors and real fires in winter. Maybe surprisingly, this area was once a centre of coal-mining and there’s a collection of miners’ lanterns in the bar. A range of cask beers is available including Holt’s Bitter, Taylor’s Landlord and one from the local Peerless Brewery. I have eaten here in the past, but no food seemed to be on offer on my most recent visit. Creditably for a pub in such an off-the-beaten-track location, it opens all day, every day.
The Bird in Hand
Another classic Cheshire Sam Smith’s pub, in this case in prosperous Mobberley. Despite this, it still offers Sams’ usual bargain beer prices. It’s a long, low, attractive, whitewashed building, with four distinct rooms along the front, featuring extensive wood-backed fixed seating and real fires. The room furthest along from the door has a dartboard and in effect functions as a vault. The gents’ are still in their original tiled finery. The usual Sams’ menu of plain food is on offer, but is not allowed to dominate.
Edit (February 2022): This pub closed in September 2019 and has not reopened since, although there remains a chance it will reopen in the future.
The Hawk
An attractive old half-timbered pub on the main street of a large South Cheshire village just north of Crewe. The village has now – fortunately – been bypassed, but the road has a couple of sharp bends near the pub which mean care is needed when emerging from the car park. Over the years it has obviously been modernised to some extent, but retains a core of four very traditional-looking rooms around the bar. Best of all is the cosy room at the rear with wood-panelled walls, bench seating, a real fire and a stained-glass window. The main room has an impressive inglenook fireplace decked with horse brasses. It’s a Robinson’s tied house, offering on a recent visit Hatters and Unicorn plus a seasonal beer. A varied food menu is served, but is not allowed to dominate. The wording on the beams on the end of the pub says “A jug of ale, a whispered word, can be found within these old walls”.
The Davenport Arms
An old redbrick pub dating from the early years of the 19th century that used to be part of a working farm. The licence has been held by the same family for over 80 years. The interior has seen a few changes over the years, but retains a multi-roomed feel, with a traditional tap-room on the left, cosy snug on the right and a more open-plan main bar area at the rear, all warmed by real fires in winter. There’s a paved outside drinking area at the front and a spacious enclosed garden to the rear. The exterior is enlivened by hanging baskets of flowers in Spring and Summer.
The pub’s situation close to the now defunct BAe Systems plant at Woodford, home of the Lancaster and Vulcan bombers, is reflected by numerous pieces of aviation memorabilia displayed on the walls. The tap-room is also home to old Farmer’s Weekly posters of breeds of livestock and British Working Dogs. A variety of mostly home-made food is served at lunchtimes, but there is no food in the evenings. It’s a Robinson’s tied house, offering 1892, Unicorn, Old Tom and a rotating guest or seasonal beer from the Robinson’s range.
Its location on the edge of prosperous “stockbroker belt” territory is reflected in some of the clientele – you might well see a vintage Rolls-Royce in the car park. However, there is a wide spread of customers and, especially in the tap-room, it can be surprisingly down-to-earth.
Edit: This pub was extensively refurbished in the Spring of 2014. While it retains its multi-roomed layout and plenty of character, it is now much smarter and cannot be said to be unspoilt in the way it was previously.
The Golden Lion
A Georgian street-corner pub on the attractive main street of this small, prosperous market town. It’s a Sam Smith’s pub with their usual low prices and characteristic down-to-earth clientele. The interior has been opened out over the years but still has a variety of areas around the central servery including a games room. I remember it from the 1970s when it had a tiny public bar right in the corner on the apex of the pub. Various shades of brown dominate in the decor. Basic food has intermittently been served over the years, but I’m not sure of the current situation. The Bear’s Paw opposite is an impressive sandstone building that claims to date from 1632, but sadly has been stripped of most of its internal character.
The Harrington Arms
An old farmhouse pub situated in a pretty village just down the road from the church and half-timbered Gawsworth Hall. The interior has been smartened up a little from the totally unspoilt original, but still retains a number of small rooms. The parlour on the left with its quarry-tiled floor and long tables and settles is especially characterful. Another room to the rear has a piano. It’s a Robinson’s tied house offering Hatters Mild, Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde. Food is served but doesn’t dominate to the exclusion of all else. The StreetView image shows it bathed in glorious winter sunshine.
The Commercial
One of Cheshire’s dwindling handful of truly unspoilt pubs, this is a former Birkenhead Brewery tied house, now a free house, near the Trent & Mersey Canal in this large South Cheshire village. The interior comprises a congenial main bar with an impressive carved wood counter, a chintzy snug and a spacious billiard room with a full-size table that doubles as a concert room. The overall atmosphere seems little changed since the 1930s, and the gents’ toilets are well-kept survivors from that era. In the past, opening hours were very restricted, but seem to be more liberal now. On my recent visit, cask beers available were Weetwood Best Bitter and Marston’s EPA – the Weetwood, a classic English “brown bitter”, was in good nick and a bargain £2.20 a pint. No food appears to be served.
Addendum, February 2016: Sadly this pub is now CLOSED. Not sure of the actual date.
The Vine
A Samuel Smith’s pub set back from the road in an attractive village close to the National Trust’s Dunham Massey estate. Despite the leafy setting, it’s surprisingly down to earth, with a strong core of regulars mingling with visitors eating meals. Possibly Sams’ famously low beer prices help keep its feet on the ground. The interior has a firmly traditional feel featuring much dark wood, with a variety of cosy areas rambling around the central bar. The pub is the building by the red car, not the one right behind the sign.
The Traveller's Rest
This is an incredible, unspoilt pub that is like taking a step back into the 1950s. It has a main bar area in the centre, two lounge-type rooms at the front, one accessed by stepping through a bead curtain, and an entirely separate parlour at the rear, with its own door to the exterior. The toilets, of course, are outside. Leatherette seats and formica-topped tables abound. The beers available on my most recent visit were Tetley Bitter – which was better than it has any right to be – and Weetwood Eastgate Ale, a classic English “brown beer”, not too malty, not too hoppy. The quality of both justified its entry in the Good Beer Guide. No food is served, but it seems to be popular with a good group of regulars.
(Amended 25 August 2013 to replace the StreetView image with my own recent photo. And, no, I don’t drive a blue Honda Jazz!)
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