From a Bury Micro Pub to an Eccles Holts Classic

There's a bit of randomness to this post, in which I make the most of a £4.90 Metro pass and veer from classic pub heritage to the modern developments of Salford Quays.

I felt I should really do something a bit cultural in Manchester to prove I do more than just sit in pubs.
Surely that box could be ticked by hopping off the metro at Prestwich to admire the wonderful Mark E Smith mural...

Back on the tram, it was just a few more stops to Bury at the end of the line, where I decided to make my way to Good Beer Guide entry, the Thirsty Fish.

This micro pub is actually very easy to find from the Interchange, unless you're me and you walk the wrong way around the shopping centre and market in a search for it.

Thirsty Fish (Unit 1a Princess Parade, Millgate Shopping Parade, Bury, BL9 0QL)
As I arrived the gaffer was on the phone making a very angry call, his mood not improved by muggings here standing underneath the 'table service only' sign at the bar.
During his phone call he threatened to "just shut the pub" which would have made this an epic pub ticking fail.
Not sure what had upset him so much, but looking at my picture maybe he was on the phone to the company that looks after the shutters.

Here's the beer list...

Local brewery Deeply Vale was well represented with three beers and it was their  'Equilibrium' that I picked at a respectable £3.20 a pint.

I was the second person to arrive, but another half dozen fella's came in shortly after, drawn in by the cheap Bavarian pilsner and classic rock soundtrack.
We got the Stones, Bruce going down to the river, Neil Young and a bit of Elvis.

A couple arrived, the woman settling the man at the end of my table with a pint before going shopping, just like those 'husband creche' blackboard signs, except I never thought it really happened.

From somewhere that's been open a couple of years, to somewhere with a bit more heritage...
I walked up past the Robert Peel statue onto Bolton Street to the Old White Lion.

My picture was scuppered by the sunshine/shade combo...

Old White Lion (6 Bolton Street, Bury, BL9 0LQ - web)
You enter through a fine revolving door, which has recently been restored, taking you into a single open room with the bar to the left.  Now a listed building, the Old White Lion was built in the late 19th century on the site of an earlier pub.
Lovely white lions on front of the bar, proper pub carpet and a nicotine yellow ceiling second only to the one my Uncle cultivated over many a year of pipe-smoking in his front room in Plymouth.

The heritage gem is the oak room to the rear, which I poked my head into, but didn't photograph because all the folks sitting there were watching me suspiciously with hawk-eyes.

Ales on the bar were Tim Taylor 'Landlord' or Brightside 'Odin'.
I picked the Odin which was incredibly just £2 a pint, but not great value as it was a tad too warm and I struggled through it.

Moving on from Bury, I caught the Metro back through the centre, changing trams at Cornbrook.  The Eccles tram twists and turns through newly built glass fronted buildings of Salford Quays.  There appears to be an insatiable appetite for city-living apartments and budget hotels in this neck of the woods.

I hopped off at Media City with a desire to see where BBC Match of the Day and the Breakfast News comes from.

On the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, this was once the Manchester Docks, which closed in 1982 and has now been transformed beyond recognition.

My intention was purely to marvel at the modern architecture, not to visit any drinking establishments at Media City.  Then I spotted the Seven Bro7hers Beer House and was lured in by the evils of craft beer.

Seven Bro7hers Beer House (Media City, Salford, M50 2EQ - web)
There were actually more people in the beer house than my photo suggests, tucking into food in the booths to the side and a few hardy souls taking their drinks out onto the chilly outdoor seating.

My pick here came from the specials - a Chocolate Honeycomb Stout, well balanced and not too sweet, weighing in at a sensible 5.5%.
I missed Mrs PropUptheBar's text instructing me to buy a can to bring home for her, for which I don't think I've been forgiven yet.

  

Following this distraction, I caught the next tram and continued on my way to Eccles at the end of this branch line.

The Heritage-listed Lamb Hotel was what brought me here and I was chuffed to see it lit up in the late afternoon sunshine...

The Lamb Hotel (33 Regent Street, Eccles, M30 0BP - web)
This reminds me of the red-bricked Heritage pubs in the West Midlands.
It was built in 1906 for Joseph Holt's Brewery, a large multi-roomed pub designed around a central servery and lobby.  It's full of character and a quite wonderful place.

The locals in the small front bar were distracting the girl at the bar from serving me by trying to convince her that spaghetti was made out of dead worms (?!).  When she did spot me she pulled a superb pint of Holt's 'Best Bitter'.

It's a shame to see that the full size billiards table has gone from the Billiards room to the rear.  Regular tables and stools fill the room now.  Around the sides is raised bench seating  on which you could once have sat watching the game and pressing the bell behind you when you were ready for more drinks.

The same architects designed a couple of similar fine pubs in the area.
Sadly the Royal Oak nearby has recently closed, whilst I deemed the Grapes a bit too far to walk this evening.

My Marstons Fix on the way to the Etihad

Whilst staying up in Manchester I was keen to watch one of the region's footballing giants.
Unfortunately I was a day too late to attend Salford City's 8-goal thriller against Leeds Under 21's in the Papa John's Trophy, so had to make do with Man City.

I've never seen a Champions League fixture before, so was happy to pick up a ticket to watch City take on Club Brugge for an unexpected bargain price.

Walking through the city centre at lunchtime the Brugge supporters were already assembling outside Sinclair's on Shambles Square...

They were very keen, knocking back the pints 8 hours before kick-off.
Obviously Belgium is short of good beer so they're making the most of the Sam Smiths while they can.

Having mooched around Manchester for the afternoon, I began thinking about getting a beer before the match.
With all the great traditional pubs in Manchester, trust me to head to a converted shipping container under the Mancunian Way.
Next to the Metropolitan Uni is Hatch, a collective of bars and eateries with live music and DJs.

ÖL is just at the side of this, in a couple of containers stacked on top of one another.

ÖL Nano Brewery & Bar (Unit 2, Hatch, Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 7ED)
Well, it originally housed a nano-brewery, but that seems to have disappeared, leaving a minimalist craft bar with 8 beers advertised on the blackboard.
I picked the strongest - naturally - Rivington 'Army of Darkness', roped in by the Evil Dead Halloween theme and the fact that I can't resist a good imperial stout.  And very good it was too.

I decided to ask Retired Martin for a pre-match pub recommendation, being as he's a 21-22 City season ticket holder and has been to a pub or two.
"The Bulls Head for your Marston's fix or Port Street Beer House for 8% craft", he said.
So that's exactly what I did.

The Bulls Head (84 London Road, Manchester, M1 2PN - web)
There were a decent number of folk in the Bulls Head, keeping the bar staff pulling pints at a fair rate of knots.
I guess that what I've come to consider as 'busy' in the past 16-months is having to wait while one other person is served before me.  I had to wait my turn behind several people in the Bulls, although I imagine it's shoulder-to-shoulder on a match-day normally.

I picked the Thwaites 'Wainwright' solely on the basis that 3-pints of it had been pulled in the past minute.
And it was lovely.
It made me realise just how often I've been served a dull pint of this - when it's fresh and getting a good turn-over it's a fine beer.

Still trying to work out what's being marketed as 'Stickylicious' just behind my pint

Other options were Bank's 'Sunbeam', Jennings 'Cumberland' or Ringwood 'Boondoggle'.
I managed to grab a stool at the bar and took in the general hubbub of conversation which was probably all about Man City players I've never heard of.
Lovely pub, pleasant atmosphere, and well-kept beer - good recommendation. 

Next up, I walked past Piccadilly and into the side streets of the Northern Quarter to reach a Beer Guide regular...

Port Street Beer House (39-41 Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ - web)

The first time I visited this bar, when it was relatively new, it had very little competition in the area.  Not so now, with a plethora of craft ale bars and revitalised boozers nearby.
But the Port Street Beer House is still a good'un.  Seven cask ales from breweries including Mallinson's and Kirkstall and Fallen Acorn whose 5.8% oatmeal stout 'Sith Faced' was my pick. 

So, not quite the 8% craft this time, but I knew I shouldn't even look at the keg list, otherwise I'd be in danger of being late for the football. 

Leaving the Port Street Beer House, it was a 25-minute amble toward the Etihad.
I was a bit uncertain of directions at first, but gradually reached streets with obvious footy fans walking along them, until I was part of the crowds heading along Ashton New Road.

Nope.  I preferred Maine Road.

I negotiated the electronic ticketing at the turnstiles - shame, I like a paper ticket as a souvenir, but I guess I'm now very retro.

Then out onto the stands, my seat being on the front row of the third tier.
To my left a pre-match (and half time) DJ, spinning all your fave indie rock classics like the nineties never ended.
To my right, the Brugge fans who'd made the trip, who made a fair bit of noise but only managed to elicit much reaction from the City fans with their wind-up rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

I'm not gonna even try to describe anything that happened in the match - I tried to do that on a post from a German football trip some time back and it didn't go well.

Suffice to say that City won 4-1 and made pretty easy work of it, on the whole.

And, my, wasn't there a lot of Oasis booming out of the stadium PA?!

Stalybridge Buffet Bar

The station bars featured in the last post were all great places to visit, but this was the one that I was really keen to get to.

Jumping off the train there's no need to worry about ticket barriers here - you can head straight from the platform into the pub.  
It's probably a good job I don't live in Stalybridge and commute by train.  I'd never be home on time.

No boozing on the platforms!

Station Buffet Bar (Stalybridge Railway Station, SK15 1RF - web)
Four ale aficionados from Leeds beat me off the train and into the Buffet Bar.
There they were, trying to decide which beers to order, cameras out, getting in the way and snapping pictures of the bar from every which angle.

Aren't ale drinkers prancing around pubs taking pictures annoying?

Oh.

There was a licensed bar at the station as far back as 1860, with an 1870 record of a chap called Hugh Toney who was sentenced to seven days hard labour for being drunk and disorderly and stealing a glass worth sixpence.

Its time as a destination pub for rail enthusiasts and beer drinkers began in 1997 when it was saved from closure, filled with enough railway artifacts to keep a small museum happy, and the cellar stocked with micro brewery ales.

My luggage in the background - must really pack lighter for these pub-ticking trips

On the bar was a tough choice of beers including offerings from North Riding, Tim Taylor's, Brass Castle and Titanic.
I ended up with the oddly named 'Glamour Muscles' (two things I have none of), a murky gluten free 5.3% IPA by Shiny, which was most enjoyable.

I took this on a stroll through the wonderful rooms in the buffet bar, from the conservatory added at the front, to the rear room which was once the first class ladies waiting room.
It's a fantastic place that I'm happy to have made it to.

So, what else does anyone come to Stalybridge for, other than the Buffet Bar?

Perhaps for Paul's Tool Emporium, "the best tool shop in the North of England, probably".

Maybe to watch the mighty Stalybridge Celtic play.

Visit the place where 'Long Way to Tipperary' was written?

Or for a pint in the pubs with the longest and shortest names in the country...

Just under the railway lines is the Q...

And two doors away is The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn..

The shutters give a clue that the pub was shut when I visited

Heading into the centre of town, I decided to call into one of the two micro pubs, picking Bridge Beers on a pedestrianised shopping street.

Bridge Beers (55 Melbourne Street, Stalybridge, SK15 2JJ - web)
"You've taken pictures of the other pubs in town and now you've ended up in the best", said the chap propping up the bar.
Turns out he'd been following me down Market Street and probably shaking his head in despair at the odd chap ahead of him snapping pub photographs.

"What brings you here" he asked.  "Just having a mooch?"
There's a word I haven't heard in a long time and I like the idea of having a mooch and will use it again.

Bridge Beers is part bottle shop, part micro, converted from a hairdressers in 2016.
There's a lounge on the first floor, but I stuck downstairs where there are just a couple of seats and the friendly, chatty locals perched along the bar.

Beers were served straight from the barrel with just a couple on offer today from the local Bridge Beers Brewery.  I was pleased to see a 5% 'Dark Ruby Mild' which was a superb pint.

The original Thirteenth Rifleman... pub sign is displayed in Bridge Beers, stretching around the walls.  I was told that the pub I'd photographed wasn't the original Rifleman - that was a short way away on Astley Street and closed in 2015, with the current incarnation being opened 3 years later.

As it wasn't the original I wasn't so sorry to miss it.  But with time before the next train I figured I may as well have a pint in the pub with the shortest name in the UK.

Q Inn (3 Market Street, Stalybridge, SK15 2AL - web)
Y'know, this seems like a pretty easy record to beat.
The Coach and Horses in Banbury was renamed '4' for a short while before common sense prevailed.

Sadly the tourists weren't flocking in today to visit a record breaker.
No-one was flocking in.  Just me, looking lonely, sipping my pint of Hyde's Original.  Which was probably the first out the beer line and suffering a little bit for it.

It's a nice little pub, so a shame not to see it when it's busy.

Let's finish with my complete failure to photograph the inside of the Q...

That's enough pubs on the railway for the time being.
Next up: Prop Up the Bar does football in Manchester

Trans Pennine Pub Ticking

The rail route between Manchester and Leeds contains several renowned station bars and celebrated pubs which has made it a bit of a favourite of enthusiastic ale-trailers.
And somewhere that I've been keen to get to for some time.

I didn't have time to complete all the traditional stops along the way (lightweight!), so set out to explore a select few.

The morning started with a journey to Dewsbury Station where you'll find the charming greenery-covered pub pictured at the top of the post. 

West Riding Refreshment Rooms (Dewsbury Station, Wellington Road, WF13 1HF - web)
This is a characterful three-roomed pub, with most folk sat in the central room by the bar.  Plenty of railway memorabilia as you'd expect, alongside a plethora of framed CAMRA awards.  The Grade 2 listed station building was converted into a pub in 1994 and has clocked up an impressive 25 years in the Good Beer Guide.

I was taught a lesson for picking the irresponsibly strong brown ale - you can see it looking very murky and tippable in the picture below.  Urgg - one of those 'don't know if it's off or if it's just supposed to be this way' moments.
Still drank my half - waste not want not - then nipped back to the bar for a single-hopped beer from Acorn which was much more enjoyable.

  

I felt a little guilty at not exploring Dewsbury at all - did I miss anything?

That's the trouble with this pubs by train lark - lots of clock-watching and drinking-up in time for the 13:04 to Huddersfield.

The station at Huddersfield can only be described as magnificent.  Built between 1846 and 1850 by architect JP Pritchett of York, it consists of three sections, each of which has a portico and grand Corinthian columns.
The central part was originally the waiting rooms and admin offices, whilst ticket offices were at each end: one each for the two railway companies operating from here - the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway and the London and North Western railway.

Nowadays all the railway business takes place in the middle and both those ticket offices have been transformed into pubs book-ending the station.
I veered right first to the Kings Head which immediately gets extra points for sticking Jimi Hendrix on the pub sign...

King's Head (St George's Square, Huddersfield, HD1 1JF)
The main room of the pub is cavernous, with mosaic floor, high ceiling and skylight. The bar is tucked at one end, whilst at the other is a stage area. As could be reasonably guessed from somewhere that decides to feature Hendrix on the pub sign rather than some stuffy royals, it serves as a live music venue with weekly gigs.
By ambling around on a weekday lunchtime I don't get to see the place in full swing and I don't get to see the Private Dicks or the G-Spot Tornadoes.

The Kings Head, originally opened in 1979 as the Railway Tavern

The beer choice is surely designed to de-rail ale-trailers who can only reasonably pick the one.  There's the temptation to work through the cask and craft keg options on the blackboard of beers and miss a train or two. 
I sensibly managed to stick to just the one: 'Thunderbridge Stout' by Small World Beers.

Down at t'other end of the station, you'll find the Head of Steam...

Head of Steam (St George's Square, Huddersfield, HD1 1JF - web)

This - if I'm not mistaken - is the original of the 90's Head of Steam pub chain, opening in 1996.  It was closely followed by the Euston Head of Steam, in which you'd find me being

every bit the real ale bore in the early noughties when it was my local.
Fullers eventually took over that location and turned it into the Doric Arch and Head of Steam's at railway locations all but disappeared.
The brand is now owned by Cameron's who've resurrected the brand name recently for a handful of city centre bars.

The pub is quartered into four rooms all surrounding a central bar, giving it an entirely different feel to the Kings Head despite their external similarities.

I walked all the way around until I reached the long bank of hand pumps, then walked all the way round again with my beer trying to pick where to sit.
It was a little too quiet and a very uneventful visit, sat in a room I had to myself most of the time.

I diverted away from the station in order to visit one of Huddersfield's heritage pubs...

The Sportsman (1 St John's Road, Huddersfield, HD1 5AY - web)
This is a 1930's pub which was given a 50's makeover by Hammond's of Bradford, which is what the big 'H's in the etched windows stand for.
The main lounge has a curved bar in the corner and nice banquette seating in bays either side of the door. 
There were another two rooms to either side that I didn't explore.
But I did read that the sporting-themed tiles in the gents were worth seeing, cue the suspicious odd-bod with his camera out in the lavatories again...

Worth it though - lovely tiling

The beer range looked quite familiar and that turns out to be because the Sportsman is owned by the same pub co (Beerhouses) as the West Riding Refreshment Rooms.
I avoided the brown ale here, instead picking an Almasty pale ale on good form.

Just 6 minutes further along the railway line was the next station: Slaithwaite.
This village in the Colne Valley has the river and Huddersfield narrow canal running through it.

But glancing at Google reviews of my destination pub, I was warned by Joshua that
"the pub have turned a once nice village into a tip"

That's a pretty mean achievement for one pub.
Slaithwaite doesn't look that bad, does it?

The Commercial (1 Carr Lane, Slaithwaite, HD7 5AN)
This is a proper locals pub, although it seems they're quite used to their share of ramblers and beer-tickers popping in.  It was reasonably busy with a bunch of folk who look settled in for the afternoon.
A touch of moderisation has opened up what would have once been several separate rooms into an open-plan design that I wasn't overly keen on.
But I was very happy with my local Empire 'Moonraker Mild' which was fantastic value and a really enjoyable pint.

Just one more stop along the line for me - at Stalybridge.
And as I've exceeded my picture and waffle quota for a single post, the Buffet Bar is coming up in the next edition.

Halifax Pub Explorations

Reporting on an early-week visit to Halifax where I planned to get around as many good pubs and bars as Monday opening allowed for.

My day began walking through Manchester in a deluge of rain, followed by a train journey which took twice as long as usual due to floods on the track by Todmorden.

But Halifax was kind enough to provide 15-minutes of surprise sunshine as I arrived. 
Just enough time to marvel at the Piece Hall...

The break in the weather was short-lived and the rain began to fall again, leaving me to retreat (not too reluctantly) to the shelter of a bar in the covered Westgate Arcade.

Kobenhavn (6 Westgate Arcade, Halifax, HX1 1DJ - web)
This was predictably quiet at midday on a Monday (their website picture shows it looking a bit different with all the outdoor benches occupied by happy souls).
In fact, it was just me, the barman and Samba Toure on the sound system.
Another chap arrived and promptly managed to knock over his pint of Vocation stout two sips in.  Which was a waste, as it was gorgeous.  I diligently made sure not a drop of my own 'Abduction' raspberry and plum stout went unaccounted for.

Very neat, tidy & stylish in Kobenhavn

Leaving the bar, I heading to another lunchtime opener, the Upper George.
Firstly I missed it completely, managing to walk in a big loop around the block.
Then I realised the alleyway leading to it from Crown Street was blocked by a van come to fix the leak which had prevented next door neighbour the Cat and Fiddle from opening.

Squeezing past the van, I saw the Greene King logo on the wall above several scowling smokers.  I was skeptical I was gonna enjoy this one. 

The Upper George (Crown Street, Halifax, HX1 1TT - web)

Inside it was wonderful.  A proper friendly welcome from the bar lady and a decent range of beers from which I picked the Bridgehouse porter, brewed in Keighley.
I'll wager that the same bunch of folks settled in the George when I visited could be found there every Monday lunchtime.  Very much a local's town pub whilst being comfortable and friendly to the odd out-of-town pub ticker.

If you're wondering who nicked the wet floor sign, I may have captured the culprit in action

Despite my best-laid plans, I ended up in 'Spoons.  Again.
And not even the one in town that looked quite nice...

I was passing time at the Percy Shaw before my hotel would let me check-in, which called for a pint and a Mangalorean cauliflower curry.

Check-in complete, I headed south of the centre, past the Shay, and under the railway line to the suburb of Siddal.

The Cross Keys (3 Whitegate, Siddal, HX3 9AE - web)
This was an instantly likeable back-to-basics boozer, with three rooms, some great ales and no modern distractions.  And lots of dogs..."It's like Crufts in 'ere" commented the landlord.

There was a fine choice of real ales from which I picked the Fell 'Export Stout', pulled through before being served and tasting splendid. 
Looking around at the half dozen locals in their favourite spots, all seemed to be on the cask ale, which was good to see.

Best spot in the house!

The locals were asking the landlord to report on a gig that he'd been to the previous weekend.
"How did you cope with standing up for an hour and a half, a man of your age?" one of them asked.
"And what about the urinary situation?"
Heck, this was really getting into the gig-going details!

I loved the Cross Keys and was thoroughly happy here.
But it was time to head back toward the centre in the afternoon dusk.
There just happens to be a fine refreshment stop en-route...

Three Pigeons (1 Sun Fold, Halifax, HX1 2LX - web)
What an incredible pub!
It was built in 1932 by Webster's Brewery in a striking Art Deco style.
The central hub, containing the bar, is octagonal with five rooms branching off it, each one appealing with bench seating, 30's artwork, brewery mirrors and fine fireplaces.
It really deserved more than the two pictures I've included here...

 

The Three Pigeons is run by the ever reliable Ossett Brewery, with their familiar beer range on offer.
Finishing my fine 'Butterley' pale ale, I walked the rest of the way back to central Halifax.  Of three good sounding crafty bars, only the Victorian Beer Cafe was open on a Monday, so that's where I ended up.

Victorian Craft Beer Cafe (18-22 Powell Street, Halifax, HX1 1LN - web)
"What kind of thing are you after?", asked the barman.
Something dark, says I.
"We've this lovely imperial chocolate stout?"
Ooof - 10% - but go on then.

"Pint of?"
What sort of monster do I look like that I'd want my 10% beers by the pint?!  Still, as he started the bidding high I ended up opting for a half, when a third would have been more advisable.

Fortunately the SQUAWK Brewing Co 'Rufa' was delicious and dangerously easy to drink.

Located behind the Victoria Theatre, the Craft Bar was full of character.  Open since 2014 it was an Italian restaurant in a previous incarnation and features a number of rooms on different levels, with high book shelves and quirky corners.

The 10% stout marked the end of the my day's drinking.  Perhaps unsurprisingly.

Time to head to the Vue and see if I could get through James Bond without falling into a craft beer induced snooze in front of the big screen.

It's a shame to have missed a lot of great looking bars and pubs on this early-week visit.
But I enjoyed Halifax and was glad to have done those that I did.

And what you really come here to see is where your Quality Street are made...