Campaign for Real Pubs: The Golden Lion

The Golden Lion, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 7AR

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.

WHAT ARE REAL PUBS?

Real pubs are pubs whose primary function is still the original core purpose of pubs – for people to meet and socialise over a few drinks.

They may serve food, and very good food at that, but they don’t allow it to dominate to the exclusion of all else. They’ll probably have a strong core of regular customers, but still make casual drinkers welcome. They may well serve a good drop of real ale, but won’t be full of beer bores droning on about hop varieties and IBUs.

In many parts of the country they’re getting very hard to find. In recent years, the smoking ban, beer duty hikes, the demonisation of “one-drink driving” and the general anti-alcohol climate have all had their effect, but such pubs do still survive if you know where to look and deserve to be celebrated.

Although in many ways they are a laudable organisation, this blog is not connected with and does not in any way represent the Campaign for Real Ale.

The inclusion of a pub does not necessarily reflect a recent visit by myself, although often it does.

Campaign for Real Pubs

The Golden Lion

No comments:

Post a Comment