Eccles Crawl, 21st February 1987

This was to be our second crawl going after Joseph Holt tied houses. I had sent a letter to the brewery in late 1986 asking for a list of all Holt's tied houses,they kindly sent me a two-page A4 list of their tied house estate, so we had something to head for.

The Holts tied estate, as of late 1986, consisted of 77 managed houses and 22 tenanted houses.

It was, as usual, an early start to get the Nottingham to Manchester Victoria train which would then go onto Edinburgh and Glasgow. A local train took us to Eccles where we were really looking forward to getting some more Holt's pubs done.

A short walk from the train station and down the pedestrianized high street and we were in pub No.1:

1: Oddfellows Arms

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A two roomed Boddington's tied house where we had a very nice drink of Boddington's bitter, when it was a drink to be sought out. A good start to our crawl.

We retraced our steps slightly to get to our next pub.

2: Cross Keys

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A very smart and plush Bass tied house with two real ales on. We had a drink of Bass which was  decent enough. The pub was almost empty on our early Saturday dinner visit, and we also thought it was a bit too posh for our liking.

Back down to the bottom end of the high street for our next pub.

3: Hare and Hounds

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A decent looking Wilsons tied house with Wilsons Bitter and Mild on the bar. We had the bitter which went down well, and the pub was also quite busy.

A very short walk and we were in the first Holt's pub of the day, so we were well pleased.

4: Old Bulls Head

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A very basic looking pub, so just the sort of pub we were after. We had a really nice drink of Holt's Bitter, and the Holt's Mild was also on here. This pub now looks very different to when we did it.

We were now heading towards Liverpool Road where we knew we would hit some more Holt's tied houses. After passing a few pubs we found a really good Holt's house.

5: Lamb Hotel

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A large grand looking Victorian pub with a backdrop of high-rise flats. Quite a few different rooms inside a really nice pub. We had a drink of Holt's Bitter which was really nice. The Lamb was a great pub, just the sort we were after.

Our next pub was another large pub that was a short walk from the Lamb Hotel.

6: Duke of York

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

This pub was a free house when we did it. It was a very large pub with a very comfortable lounge, with three real ales on. The Timothy Taylor Landlord was a very nice drink, and there was also Marston's Bitter and Whitbread Chesters Bitter on the bar.

We had a shortish walk down Barton Lane to get to our next two pubs to do. They were next to each other, one old, the other new, and what a contrast in pub styles.

7: Royal Oak

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A good looking Holt's tied house with a couple of rooms inside. Just the sort of Holt's pub we were after while in Eccles. We had a very nice drink of Holt's Bitter, and were well pleased our third Holt's house of the day.

8: Golden Lion

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A typical looking estate-style pub that was next door to the Royal Oak. The layout was like most estate pubs that I have been in. Two room, a smart lounge and a more basic bar. We had a drink in the lounge which was very comfortable. The Golden Lion was a Boddington's tied house, and we had a very nice drink of Boddington's Bitter.

The next pub was a short walk further down Barton Lane.

9: The Ship Canal

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A two-roomed Wilsons tied house with two real ales on. While there was also Wilsons Mild on the bar, we had a decent drink of Wilsons Bitter in the fairly comfortable lounge.

We went back up Barton Lane and onto Church Street for our next pub.

10: Crown and Volunteer

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

This looked like a 1930s-built pub and it was another Holt's tied house, so we we looking forward to going in for another good drink of Holt's Bitter. The pub had two separate rooms, and we had a drink in the bar which was very basic, but the Holt's Bitter was very nice.

It was another short walk along Church Street to our next pub.

11: Church Inn

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

This was a smart looking pub that was an unsigned Wilsons tied house. It was very comfortable inside and had three real ales on. I had a drink of Wilsons Bitter which was a nice drink, while the other beers were Websters Yorkshire Bitter and Ruddles Bitter. They were also serving food here.

We were now on Liverpool Road so lots of pubs to head for. We knew we would not do all of them, as there were so many and not enough time.

12: White Lion

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A really nice looking Holt's tied house, and just the sort of pub we came here to do. There were a couple of rooms inside, and we had a drink in a decent bar. There were two real ales on here, and we had a drink of Holt's Bitter which went down very well, with Holt's Mild also on. We were well pleased in doing this pub.

 A short walk down Liverpool Road took us to our next pub.

13: The Ellesmere

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

An estate pub that looked a bit on the rough side from the outside, this doesn't bother us in the slightest. A Boddington's tied house with a decent sized bar to the front and a lounge to the rear. We had a decent drink of Boddington's Bitter, and there was also Boddington's Mild on. We were pleased to get another Boddington's tied house done.

The next pub was another short walk along Liverpool Road.

14: Golden Cross

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A proper old looking Holt's tied house with all of its signage on the front of the pub's roof. It was quite basic inside with a few different rooms. We had a drink in a fairly basic bar, but we quite liked this pub. There were two real ales on, Holt's Mild, and we had a drink of Holt's Bitter which was a really nice drink as usual. 

We now did a quick walk back to the middle of Eccles for our last pub of a dinner time session.

15: Wellington Hotel

 

(c) Photo taken by Alan Winfield.

A basic looking Holt's tied house situated at the end of a small shopping precinct. It was smart enough inside, and we had a drink of Holt's Bitter and Mild here. Both beers were very nice. A decent Holt's tied house to end our crawl in.

This was a great day out in Eccles, and we did seven Holt's tied houses, so we were well pleased. All pubs were done with my wife, the best drinking partner I have ever drunk with.

The next Pub Crawl up should be a new one.