The Never Ending Pub Crawl

Tuesday, 2 August 2016

Manchester: Rusholme, Moss Side & Hulme crawl, 30th July 1992

This was a crawl of some of the areas of South Manchester that I was really looking forward to doing. It was an early start from Nottingham on the Trans Peak bus, then off at Chorlton Street bus station and a bus down to Rusholme for the start of my crawl, which was done on a Thursday as it was a factory close down week.

Rusholme

1: Birch Villa

A large and decent looking Bass tied house which still had its old Hardy's sign at the top of the frontage. The pub had a couple of rooms inside, and I went in the smart lounge and had a drink of Worthington bitter which was on handpump. The Birch Villas was renamed Hardy's Well, and has just closed down in summer 2016.

A good start for the crawl, but the best was yet to come. A short walk along the very busy Wilmslow Road and I was in my next pub.

2: Huntsman Inn

This was another Bass tied house that still its old Hardy's signage up. The pub had two separate rooms, and I had drink in a fairly basic bar. There were no real ales on here, so I had a drink of keg Worthington bitter which was very poor. I was quite disappointed with this pub, which closed down a few years ago.

I now went off the main Wilmslow Road and into the side streets, heading for Moss Side.

3: Osbourne House Inn

This was a really nice looking Hydes tied house with a nice brown tiled lower frontage. The pub had two small rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which was smart and comfortable. There were two Hydes real ales on the bar, I had a Hydes Bitter which was a decent enough drink, and there was also Hydes Mild on. This was a very pleasant pub to have a drink in, and it's a great shame that it has now closed down, probably for good as it's owned by the next door mosque.

Moss Side

I was now back down Claremont Road and I passed some pubs I would do a little later (the Gardeners, the Lord Lyon and the Sherwood).

4: The Parkside

This was a very large and grand looking pub that was the closest pub to Manchester City's Maine Road ground. The pub had a few different rooms inside, and I had a drink in the comfortable lounge which seemed to be the largest room and the most popular. The pub was a Whitbread tied house with one real ale on which was Whitbread Trophey, and this was a decent drink. This is another pub that has now sadly closed down and has been turned into flats.

I retraced my steps to my next pub along Claremont Road.

5: Claremont Hotel

This was a pub I really wanted to do, a massive Joseph Holts tied house that was close to Maine Road. The pub had such a bad reputation at the time I did it. The Claremont had a couple of rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which had a pretty rough edge to it. There were two real ales on the bar, where I had a drink of Holts Bitter which went down very well, and there was also Holts Mild on. I was well pleased in doing this pub.

6: The Beehive

The Beehive was a Hydes tied house that was just up Claremont Road from the Claremont Hotel and on the opposite side of the road. The pub was quite modern despite being in the old part of Moss Side. There were two separate rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which was quite smart but with a rough edge to it, while the lounge looked quite smart. There were two real ales on, so I had a drink of Hydes Bitter which was a decent drink, and there was also Hydes Mild on. This is yet another pub to have closed down.

I was now going to walk into the new part of Moss Side where the new estate was built across Princess Road, and this area would throw up a few surprises.

7: Talbot

A large old looking pub that looked pretty grim from the outside. The pub was a Whitbread tied house and I had a drink of Chesters Bitter. The pub seemed quite intimidating so I was pleased to get out in one piece. I was pretty surprised to see an old pub in this area of Moss Side, although it's since been demolished.

8: The Great Western

This was quite a smart looking pub and another old one. I was expecting to find some proper estate pubs in this area of Moss Side! The pub seemed decent enough inside and there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Wilsons Bitter which was a decent enough drink, and there was also Websters Yorkshire Bitter on. This was another pub that had a rough edge to it, and sadly it has now closed down.

It was time to walk through the estate to head for Hulme, which was the main aim of the crawl, but there were pubs to do along the way.

9: The Whalley

This was a large Whitbread tied house that was next to the new Moss Side estate and at the top end of the Whalley Range area of Manchester. This was quite a smart and comfortable pub inside, where there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Chesters Mild which was a fine drink, while there was also Chesters Bitter on. This pub has now closed down which is a shame.

After a short walk I was in my next pub.

10: Little Alex

This was a small pub that was in the Moss Side area but quite close to Hulme. This was originally a Wilsons tied house but it had become a Vaux house when I got round to doing it. The pub had two separate rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which seemed nice enough. There were two real ales on, I had a drink of Vaux Bitter which was nice, and there was also Vaux Samson on. I thought this was a pretty friendly pub to have a drink in, but sadly this pub has been pulled down.

After another short walk I was on the edge of Hulme, an area I really wanted to do pubs in.

Hulme

11: Junction Hotel

This was a really nice looking Hydes tied house that was on the edge of the notorious Hulme estate and looked slightly odd in being an old pub in an area of 1960s built buildings. The pub was just as nice inside with a couple of rooms. I had a drink in the bar, where there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Hydes bitter which was a decent drink, and there was also Hydes Mild on. I think this pub is still open but not an Hydes tied house anymore.

I was now in the Hulme estate proper and my next pub had a great backdrop of the Hulme Crescents.

12: Sir Henry Royce

This was a typical Hulme estate pub that looked pretty grim from the outside. The pub had the usual two room estate pub layout, and I had a drink in the bar which had a bit of a rough edge to it. This was a Whitbread tied house but there were no real ales on. I had a drink of keg Chesters bitter which was poor, but I was still well pleased in doing this pub. Sadly I forgot to take a photo of the Sir Henry Royce, and it is now long gone.

After a short walk I was probably in the most grotty part of Hulme.

13: Iron Duke

You will have to go a long way to find a pub that looks as bad as this, so I could not wait to go in and see what it was like. The pub was a Bass tied house, and I had a drink in the front room which was the bar. This was a pretty basic room and it had a very rough edge to it. There were no real ales on, so I had a drink of Bass Special which was pretty poor. However, I was well pleased in doing this pub.

I did more walking round the estate which I really enjoyed while looking for more pubs to do.

14: Grants Arms

This was a decent looking old pub that was on the edge of the Hulme estate. This was a Boddingtons tied house with a couple of rooms. I had a drink in the bar which was a decent enough room, and although there was only one real ale on, Boddingtons Bitter, it was a decent drink.

I now walked back into the estate to find more pubs.

15: The Falstaff

Another grim looking estate pub so I was well pleased. The front entrance was not open but I got in through the rear door. The pub was a Wilsons tied house. The pub had a couple of rooms and I had a drink in the bar which was busy. There were two real ales on, and I had a drink of Wilsons Bitter which was a decent drink, while there was also Wilsons Mild on. I was well pleased to get another grim estate pub done. This pub, like most others in Hulme, have now long gone as the whole area as been redeveloped.

After more walking through the estate I found my next pub.

16: Grey Parrot

This was an estate pub that looked well looked after from the outside. The pub had the usual two room layout and it was a Greenalls tied house when I did it. There were no real ales on, so I had a drink of keg Greenalls Bitter which was pretty bland.

17: The Mancunian

This was another Hulme estate pub but it looked a bit smarter than others on the estate. This was a Marstons tied house, and the pub had the usual two room layout with a bar that was smart enough and a smarter lounge. I had a drink in the bar. There were two real ales on here, and I had a drink of Marstons Bitter which was a decent pint. This pub, like the Grey Parrot, has now sadly now gone for good.

A short walk from the City Road and I found my next pub.

18: The Unicorn

This was an unusual looking pub that had a tall pointed front entrance like a unicorn's head. This was a fairly smart pub inside and was a Whitbread tied house. There was one real ale on which was Whitbread Trophy, and this was a decent beer. This is another pub that has now gone for good.

I was now walking off the estate to get to the busy Cornbrook Road where there were a few more pubs to do.

19: Pomona Palace

This was a smart looking Marstons tied house that had two rooms inside. I had a drink in the bar which was a decent room, and there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Marstons Bitter which was decent. I thought this was a decent pub to have a drink in, but it was knocked down a few years ago.

I had three more pubs to do on this short stretch of road.

20: The Railway

This was a smart looking Bass tied house that was just off Chester road. I had a drink in the bar, but there were other rooms. There were no real ales on here, so i had a drink of Bass Special which was a very poor drink. A shame as this was a decent pub. Sadly this is another pub to have bitten the dust, with only its ruins still remaining.

21: Hope Inn

This was a small corner pub that was an Hydes tied house with a couple of rooms. When I first got in here I was told the pub had stopped serving for the afternoon, but when I said I had travelled a long way to do it the friendly landlady served me with a decent half of Hydes Bitter. I drunk this very quickly as the pub was closing only to be told you can have another drink if you want. This was a lovely old pub that has now sadly gone for good, what a shame.

22: Star Inn

This pub was situated on a back street off the Chester Road. The pub looked a bit different to most pubs I have been in. The pub was a Scottish & Newcastle tied house with Wm Youngers Ales signage outside. I went into a fairly large and smart room that was carpeted and had comfy bench seating. There were two real ales on here, and I had a drink of Youngers No 3 which went down well. Sadly this pub has been pulled down.

This was a great pub crawl picking up some of Moss Side's and Hulme's best boozers, but there were more to do in both areas. The Hulme area has altered beyond recognition since I did the pubs there, with all of the Crescents being pulled down. It was pretty hard going as I only knew about a few pubs and had to ask in each pub if there were any other pubs nearby. This was in the days before looking on the Internet to plan a crawl.

Next pub crawl will be a more up to date one.

Tuesday, 19 July 2016

12000 and Counting

I did my 12000th pub on Saturday in Leeds an unplanned pub crawl as i had booked the wrong time on my National Express bus ticket to Leeds from Nottingham,it was going to be Wetherby and Boston Spa,but ended up being Chapel Allerton and Headingley in the North Leeds suburbs.
This is not a pub crawl but a history of my landmark pubs from the 500th up to the 12000th,not all will be good and none were planned as a landmark pub.

500th Pub

Royal Dragoon in Canterbury 26th June 1982

A really nice looking Shepherd Neame tied house which was done in the early evening on a mammoth pub crawl with two mates,i had a photo taken of the pub with me outside with a great drink of Shepheard Master Brew by one of my mates.
This pub has now very sadly closed down.

1000th Pub

Vale Hotel in Arnold 17th November 1982

This was an Home Ales tied house when i did it with a couple of mates,the Home Ales bitter went down very well in a room packed with older drinkers,this was celebrated by a few pints while on a pub crawl and other things that we should not have done.

2000th Pub

Devonshire Arms in Notting Hill London 19th November 1983

A pretty bog standard pub that was an Ind Coope Tied house at the time i did it with a few mates.
The pub was called Mook by the time i got round to taking a photo of it.

3000th Pub

Sportsman Inn in Attercliffe Sheffield 20th March 1986

A Wards tied house in a pretty run down area of Sheffield.
This pub was done with my wife to be who decided after going to get her bus to work and missing it came home while i was just getting ready to walk to work,it was a quick change of clothes and on a bus to Nottingham and we decided to do Attercliffe.
I took great pleasure in ringing the factory up saying i was unwell while in a pub.

4000th Pub

Eagle and Child in Whitefield Greater Manchester 18th June 1988

A cracking Joseph Holts tied house with a few rooms,the Holts Bitter went down a treat.
This pub was done in the evening while on a Nottingham Camra pub crawl of the area.
My wife had a nice glass engraved with the pubs name date visited and the brewery on it,i still have it to this day.

5000th Pub

Jolly Crofter in Stockport 29 December 1990

This was a basic Wilsons tied house in the Edgeley area of Stockport,the Wilsons Bitter was a decent drink,i did not know this was my 5000th pub until later.
The photo of this pub was taken at a later date when the pub was a Vaux tied house.

6000th Pub

Railway Hotel in Royton 7th September 1996

This was a Lees tied house where i had a drink of Lees bitter which at the time seemed to be very poor in all of their pubs that i had a drink in.
The pub was done while trying to do almost every pub in Greater Manchester.

7000th Pub

Bell and Cuckoo in Walsall 14th October 2000

A Bass tied house that was decent enough,another pub that i did not know about when doing my 7000th pub.

8000th Pub

Jerusalem Tavern in Clerkenwell London 10th June 2004

A cracking pub that is a St Peters tied house,yet another pub that i did not know was my 7000th pub.
This pub was done when i was cherry picking pubs in London,those days are long gone as it is now well out of the middle to get any new pubs done.
The St Peters Bitter went down very well

9000th Pub

Sussex Arms in Paddington London 24th February 2007

A pretty bog standard pub in the Paddington area of London where i have now almost done all pubs there,i did this pub with my wife while on a long weekend break in London.
There was one real on here when we did it which was Courage Best.

10000th Pub

Cheney Arms in Gaddesby Leicestershire 20th March 2010

This was a decent looking bare brick built Everards tied house with a couple of rooms inside,the Everards bitter was a decent drink.
I did know that this was my 10000th pub but it was not planned,just did it while on a pub crawl round Leicestershire villages with my brother in car.

11000th Pub

The Red Well in Wellingborough 21st June 2014

This was another unplanned pub for my 11000th and it ended up being a Wetherspoons while trying to nearly all pubs in Wellingborough.
A typical Spoons that i have no problems with,as you always get a choice of real ales and at cheap prices,i had a drink of J.W Lees Game on which was a decent enough drink.

12000th Pub

Three Horseshoes in Headingley Leeds 16th July 2016

One of three pubs situated at the top end of Otltey Road and on the Otley road run,so it was packed with people in fancy dress,i was having a drink in the company of Marios,Luigis,Roman soldiers plus many more.
There were three real ales on here,i had a drink of Leeds Best which went down well,this was another unplanned visit to do a landmark pub,i only found out the following day.

I have now done just over 12000 pubs and the Pub crawls are getting more regular,as i now have more money to do them.

I do consider this to a good amount of pubs done while being married for just under 30 years and bringing up a Son and Daughter which we always took for a weeks holiday to a seaside town.
There were some grim years for my pub crawling in the early 90s when we had our two young children to look after,so i was often doing well below 200 new pubs a year and even dropped below the 150 mark.

I have took photos of all pubs on this list but some i have not put on disc yet so unable to add to blog.

All photos were taken on the date visited apart from the Devonshire Arms in Nottinghill and The Jolly Crofter in Stockport.

Sunday, 10 July 2016

Donnington Crawl and Chipping Campden,plus one in Blockley 7th May 2011

This was a pub crawl done by car,it was a birthday treat from my brother who drove me round all of Donningtons tied houses,we also did a few more pubs along the way.
It was a fairly early start to get to Stow on the Wold for our first pub,i had already done most pubs in Stow and had already been in the Queens Head twice,but we wanted to do all of their estate in one day.

Stow on the Wold

1: Queens Head Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield 14th August 1988

I first went in this pub many years ago on the 14th August 1988,the pub seemed pretty much the same on my visit on this pub crawl.
The pub is a Donnington tied house with BB and SBA on the bar,i had a drink of BB which went down well after the drive down here.
The pub still has two separate rooms and it still seems like a proper pub.

It was a short drive to our next pub.

Broadwell

2: Fox Inn

The Fox Inn is in a great setting setting facing the village green.

This was another Donnington tied house and stone built like most of their tied houses are.
The pub had a decent bar room that had a stone floor and normal tables and chairs,there is a separate room which is for diners.
There were the usual two real ales on the bar BB and SBA,i had a drink of BB which went down well.
The toilets are worth a visit here to look at the postcards on the walls.

After another short drive crossing the A429 we was in the next village.

Longborough

3: Coach and Horses

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is another stone built Donnington tied house that is in a nice looking village.
This seemed more like a proper locals pub with a single bar that was carpeted,there were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington SBA which was a decent drink,there was also BB on the bar.

It was now a drive up to Moreton in the Marsh,a village i have been two on a couple of occasions.

Moreton in the Marsh

4: Black Bear Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield 14th August 1988

This was my second visit to this pub.
Another decent looking stone built Donnington tied house that is in the centre of the village.
There is a decent single room inside which i quite liked,there were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington BB which went down well,there was also Donnington SBA on the bar.

Having already done all pubs in Moreton in the Marsh it was another short drive to the next pub.

Little Compton

5: Red Lion

The Red Lion is a Donnington tied house that is in the small village of Little Compton,the pub is stone built.
Once inside the pub had two separate rooms,the lounge to the left looked very smart and comfortable but sadly this in now a dining room,we were happy enough having a drink in the bar which also had a pool table in it.
There was only one real ale on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington BB which was a decent drink.

It was now a decent drive back through Moreton in the Marsh to get to our next pub.

Snowshill

6: Snowshill Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

The Snowshill Arms is situated at the top end of the village which has great views over the Cotswolds.
This is another stone built Donnington tied house.
There was a single room which was carpeted and very comfortable,one i could well settle in for a session.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington BB which went down well,the other beer was Donnington SBA.
This was quite busy with drinkers and a had a good friendly atmosphere.
There is a really nice garden to the rear which has a stream running through it.
This was the best pub of the day in our opinion.

It was another fairly short drive to the next pub.

Stanton

7: Mount Inn

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

This is another Donnington tied house that is in a really nice Cotswold village,the pub is situated at the end of the village which has great views over the surrounding area.
The pub has two separate rooms with a decent bar and a lounge that was full of diners on our Saturday dinnertime visit.
There were two real ales on here,i had a drink of Donnington SBA which went down very well,the other beer was Donnington BB.
The pub has an outside seating area which gives great views over the Cotswolds.
We thought this was another top notch pub.

It was a bit of a drive to the next pub and we also passed a Donnington tied house on the way,but some of the pubs did not open all day so it was a bit of a pain going round the pubs as we had to rush to do the ones that shut at 3am.

Guiting Power

8: Farmers Arms

This is a stern looking stone built pub that is a Donnington tied house that is situated in the middle of the village.
Once through the main entrance there were doors either side but the left door was locked so we went into the room to the right,this was a bar which was a fairly long and narrow room with a curtain hiding the rear area, not sure what was behind it.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington BB which was a decent drink,there was also Donnington SBA on the bar.
This seemed like a pretty basic and unaltered pub,but they were serving meals to normal tables.
This was one of the pub that closed early 2.30 am on a Saturday dinner.

After a short drive we was in our next pub.

Kineton

9: Halfway House

This is a really nice looking pub in a very small rural village.
This is a Donnington tied house with a single room which ran the width of the pub,the room was divided into two areas with a bar area and a dining side which was empty on our Saturday dinnertime visit.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington SBA which was a nice drink,the other beer was Donnington BB.
The pub had lots of pictures of horses on the walls and there were two real horses in the car park.

The Donnington tied houses in this area are quite close to each other,so it was another short drive to our next pub.

Ford

10: Plough Inn

This is a really nice looking stone built pub that is situated on a sharp bend,the main entrance to the pub is to the rear.
This is a Donnington tied house,so another one done on the list,once inside this is a really nice pub with quite a few rooms,there is a small bar which seems more like a snug,then there are more rooms some of which are for diners.
There were two real ales on here,i had a drink of Donnington SBA which was a really nice drink,the other beer was Donnington BB.
We quite liked this pub.

We were now heading back South after going North to do pubs that closed early,it was a fairly short car ride and down some very narrow roads to get to the next pub.

Naunton

11: Black Horse Inn

Another Donnington tied house that is stone built in the small village of Naunton.
The pub had a decent sized main room and a smaller room to the rear,there were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington BB which was a nice drink,the other beer was Donnington SBA.
Another Donninton tied house done and a very pleasant one to boot.

The next pub was a good car ride and Donningtons most Southerly tied house when we did this crawl.

Great Barrington

12: Fox Inn

The Fox Inn is a really nice looking Donnington tied house,the pub has a single room which was quite smart and comfortable,there were two real ales on here,i had a drink of Donnington SBA which was a very nice drink,the other real ale was Donningtin BB.
There is a nice garden to the rear with the River Windrush running by it.
This is a proper drinkers pub,we really liked this pub.

We were now heading back North and through Stow on the Wold to get to our next pub.

Lower Swell

13: Golden Ball Inn

A nice looking stone built pub in an equally nice looking village which is quite close to Stow on the Wold.
This was another Donnington tied house,so we were well pleased.
The pub catered for both drinkers and diners,there were two real ales on the bar,i had drink of Donnington BB which was a decent drink,the other beer was Donnington SBA.

It was a fairly short car ride to our next pub.

Ganborough

14: Coach and Horses

This pub is situated on a busy road and set sideways on to it.
The pub has a single split level room and was another Donnington tied house ticked off the list.
There were two real ales on here,i had a drink of Donnington BB which was a decent drink,the other beer was Donnington SBA.
The pub looked to be in a bit of a mess when we visited,but i have been informed that was a one off.

We now had one Donnington tied house to do,so we decided to pick up a few pubs while heading North to get to it.

Blockley

15: Crown Inn

This pub is situated in the middle of the village and looks like an hotel,the pub had a very strange layout inside we had to go up steps and then down steps to get to the bar.
There was one real ale on which was Hook Norton Old Hookey,this was a decent drink.

After a another short car ride we was in the really nice village of Chipping Campden,the high street looks really nice and there is a decent amount of pubs here,but we did not have time to do all of them so only did three.

Chipping Campden

16: Noel Arms

A nice looking stone built pub situated on the really nice looking high street.
The pub had quite a few rooms inside with most for diners,but there was a really nice bar room which was very comfortable.
There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Purity UBU which was a very nice drink.

17: Lygon Arms Hotel

This is another high street pub that is also an hotel.
There was a very nice and comfortable public bar inside,one of those rooms you want to stay in for a while.
There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Hook Norton Hookey Bitter which went down very well.

18: Eight Bells

This is a very nice looking pub and the only one in Chipping Campden that is not on the high street.
This pub seemed more like a posh restaurant than a pub,all tables in the main bar room were laid out for diners and the other room had all tables fully laid with table cloths on them.
There were four real ales on here,i had a drink of Purity Mad Goose which was a very nice drink.
We felt out of place in this pub.

It was now time to leave Chipping Campden to do our last pub of the day and our final Donnington tied house.

Willersey

19: New Inn

This is a really nice looking stone built pub.
The pub had a very nice bar room and a separate pool room.
The pub is a Donnington tied house and there were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Donnington BB which went down very well,the other beer was Donnington SBA.
We thought this was a really nice Donnington house to end our crawl in.

This was a great pub crawl in visiting and having a drink in every Donnington tied house,plus visiting Chipping Campden which is a really nice Cotswold town.

I have since found out via Pub Curmugeon's blog that Donnington have now taken over three more pubs since our visit.