Central Lancashire Summer 2014 Branch Issue No. 103
Ale
Fighting for drinkers rights in
Cry since
1973
Horns - Best in Lancs The Horns Inn at Goosnargh is Camra’s Pub of The Lancashire Pub of the Year is chosen the Year in Lancashire, official. It is the first time from nominations made by each of the Camra since 2001, when the New Britannia in Preston branches in the area, and they are then visited won, that an entry from the Central Lancashire by inspectors who score each entry on a set Branch has come top of the judging. The Horns of criteria. These include quality of the beer, atmosphere of the pub, service and welcome, narrowly beat The Taps in Lytham, a previous winner, into second place. It will now go forward community focus, value for money and sympathy with Camra aims, with beer quality parto contest The Prince of Wales in Foxfield, the Cumbria winner, for the title of West Pennines amount. The highest scoring entry wins, and this year it is the Horns. Regional Pub of the Year. Our branch will be holding a presentation Mark Woods, who runs the Horns and the on evening at the pub which is provisionally dated site Goosnargh Brewery, was very pleased to Thursday 7th August, when the result of the rereceive the accolade, after already picking up the George Lee Trophy earlier this year. He felt gional competition should be known. We hope it will be a double celebration. honoured to be the winner of Pub of the Year and it is to be hoped he could emulate last year’s The results of the Lancashire Club of the winner, the Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton Year judging have also been announced, with the winner being the Ighten Leigh and win the national award. Social Club in Burnley. The Woods family own the Horns and Mark has run the pub for 27 years and he installed the brewery there in April 2013. The beers have Paul Riley quickly built up a good following for their quality. The pub is in an attractive country area a couple of miles from Goosnargh village and it has also built up a reputation for good food using local ingredients from independent suppliers. Popular as the food is, there is always room for casual drinkers, and it has built up a hard core of locals. The small snug behind the bar is an unusual feature, which only occurs in a couple of pubs in the country. Add to that accommodation in a converted barn and a small caravan The Sir Henry Tate site and you have all the features for a successful Sir Henry Tate (see this The Chorley Wetherspoons - Lloyds page). I’m delighted country pub, culminating in its latest award. Bar - The Sir Henry Tate has a CAMRA board. On that board they placed adverts for cans of Sixpoint American beers which cannot be classed as ‘real ale’. We therefore asked that they either remove the adverts or take CAMRA’s logo from the board. They not only refused but increased the number of ads for the product. CAMRA has nothing against any beverage that people choose to enjoy but must make it clear that: CAMRA can not and will not endorse any product other than traditional real ale Ed
p2 Editorial, Best Thwaites; p4 Riley’s Rambles; p6 Trips; p7 Mellor; p9 Pub of the Season; p10 Preston Parade; p11 South Ribble Scene, Coppull; p12 Pub closures; p14 Locale; p16 Chorley Chatter; p18 Beer & Music, Birdman; p20 Grim Up North, Letters; p22 CMIC, Letters; p26 Branch Details; P27 Membership Application Form..................................and much more
that a week after speaking in person to the area manager (but too late to delete the article) common sense has prevailed and the ads have been removed
Editorial
The Best Thwaite's Beer – and that's official!
It’s a long walk to Wolverhampton Mr. Wainwright
You may not be aware, in fact many bar staff don’t appear to be, that Thwaites have moved production of their main real ale brands - Original, Wainwrights, Bomber, etc., to Bank’s in Wolverhampton with the loss of, as we understand it, some 60 or so jobs. Bank’s is one the the breweries gobbled up by Marstons so the big question is are Thwaites next? If so it will be the biggest loss of an independent brewer in Lancs since Mathew Brown bit the dust. Marstons have of course also gobbled up Jennings. One of CAMRA’s biggest concerns about the growth of the Marstons empire is their attempts to close many of their pubs i.e. for sale as anything other than pubs. I’ve got mixed feelings about the possible demise of Thwaites. They have a long and once proud association with the area. On the other hand we have had problems on occasions in the past with changing management at the top trying to switch the emphasis from real ale to keg. We currently have situations where free house trade pay a fraction of the price tied licensees are having to pay for their beers. Two licensees have been so angered by this situation that they have moved from Thwaites to other pubs. Others are waiting for new legislation to enable them to be charged a fair price for their barrels. So whilst their will be a twinge of sadness about the situation and real concern for the jobs situation in the Blackburn area I won’t be shedding too many tears. If you have read the article on the front page about the Sir Henry Tate you won’t be surprised that one of the Duty Managers threatened that if the article appeared she would bar me from the pub. so we must wait and see. ‘You can’t silence the press’ and ‘money spends anywhere’ come to mind. So watch this space. I am just disappointed that we have had a blip in our relationship with Tates whereas we still get on well with ‘The Leyland Lion’ and ‘Greyfriars.’ ed
It's not often that a pub can claim to have the best beer in their breweries estate, but that is now the proud claim of The Crown at Croston. What's more, they have an award to back this claim up as they were voted the Thwaite's pub with the best pint at the breweries annual Excellence Awards last month. This is a great achievement for any pub, but particularly so for tenants Joanne Bentley and Rob Thornton, as this is their first pub. When they took over The Crown in the spring of 2013, there was no great demand for real ale from the regulars. Rob set about changing this and focussed not on the 4 mainstream Thwaite's beers but on the seasonal and one off brews from the Crafty Dan plant and also on the guest beers he was able to obtain through the Thwaite's 1807 Cask Club. The original 3 year plan was to move to having 6 handpumps in use and that has already been achieved within the first year. It hasn't been easy and Rob admitted that in the early days it cost them money. “I wasn't prepared to have beer on the bar that wasn't in perfect condition and when we started we were regularly throwing away beer that other pubs would probably have sold. But it has been worth it as we have developed a reputation for having an excellent pint on the bar and about as wide a choice as you can have in a brewery tied house. We're very proud to have won this award – it came as a bit of a surprise as we had no idea we were even in the running. To have been voted ahead of some excellent pubs, with very experienced licensees is a tremendous achievement.” The trophy now sits proudly behind the bar. Rob is a bit camera shy and insisted that partner Joanne Bentley was photographed with the trophy. At the same awards, The Crown was also a finalist in the ‘Best newcomer’ category. Adrian Smith
F
Andy & Nicky Crawford welcome you to:
THE BLACK BULL At Leyland
School Lane, 01772 933962 Leyland andy.crawford11 @btinternet.com PR26 7SL
Food served all day
3 changing real ales from the SIBA list 10p a pint discount for CAMRA members 20+ real alesreal cider
5
live Beer and music Sausage Festival free 22nd - 24th August admission
2
The Crown @ Croston 01772 972785 www.crowncroston.co.uk
A warm welcome awaits from Jo & Rob
20p Discount to Card Carrying CAMRA Members 5 Cask Ales from Daniel Thwaites 1807 Cask Club Range and 1 Real Cider
Home Cooked food served Lunchtimes & Evenings Full breakfast menu Saturday & Sunday from 10am Regular live Acoustic music Ample car parking with a large manicured, secluded beer garden & Boules Pitch
Winners Thwaites Awards for Excellence The Best Pint 2014
e-mail ~ thecrownhotelcroston@gmail.com
Mon-Thur 12 to 23.00 Fri 12 to 00.15 Sat 10 to 00.15 Sun 10 to 23.00
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Riley’s Rambles
R
The first real ramble I ever went on was one from Garstang to Nicky Nook and back when I was about fifteen. At that time pubs where not really on my radar, but since then, Garstang has proved to be a place well worth visiting for a variety of reasons. It is still a place from where you can go on many interesting walks. It was the first Fairtrade town, and has some interesting shops. It is only about forty minutes by bus from Preston It also has seven pubs selling real ale in a very compact area in the centre of the town. This makes it an ideal place to visit for a good day (or night) out. Thus it was that one Wednesday my wife Susan and I went on a wander round all seven of these pubs, so that you might have some idea of what to expect if you decide to go there. We caught the number 40 bus at 12.30 from the bus station, it leaving every hour on the half hour during the day, arriving at about 1.15. As we had had no dinner, we decided to go to the Wheat sheaf on Park Hill Road for some food. Unfortunately, even though food is sup posed to be served all days except Monday and Tuesday, none was available. We decided to go to the nearby Booths café for a pleasant lunch, which for me consisted of an all day breakfast, before returning to the Wheatsheaf for a drink. We had a choice of five beers, three of them being from Caledonian Brewery, namely Flying Scotsman (4%), 80/- (4.1% and £3.20 a pint) Golden XPA (4.3%) plus Jennings Gold Digger (4.2%) and Thwaites Wainwrights (4.1%). There is usually Theakstons Best Bitter on, but not on our visit. If you show your CAMRA card, there is a 20% discount. From there we went back down the road to Church St. to go in the Farmers Arms. This pub has only just reopened in April after a complete refurbishment, it having been shut the last time I went there. It now has a modern uncluttered style with a central bar and various drinking areas off it. It had a contemporary feel about it. It is privately owned by Mick Gornall, who had been the licensee at the nearby Kings Arms for 20 years, but when this pub came up for sale, he decided it was an opportunity too good to miss. He hopes it will become known as a traditional local for people to drop in after a walk or come in for an evening drink. It was selling two real ales, which on this occasion were Copper Dragon Golden Pippen (3.9%) and Wychwood Hobgoblin (4.5%) both at a reasonable £2.60. The range can vary. Just further up Church St is the Th’Owd Tithebarn, right alongside the canal basin. It is a Mitchells tied house, so can sell a variety of ales. Usually there are a couple from York Brewery, which is owned by Mitchells and on the day these were Guzzler (3.6%) and an unusual seasonal beer called Lubelskie, a very tasty 4% made with Polish hops. The third beer was Wells Bombardier and we had just missed Oakhams JHB.
The pub itself, opened in the 1980’s, is housed in an old converted barn which is split into a large dining area, complete with wood burning stove and old farming implements, and two smaller rooms which are well used by locals. We noticed that the pub served meals up to 3pm during the week, so we could have come there for lunch. There is an extensive patio area overlooking the canal and on a warm summer weekend, it would be very attractive place to sit with a beer or two. From here, we cut through one of the small alleys to reach the High St, and the Eagle and Child, an ex Matthew Brown pub now owned by a company called Tangerine Taverns, where we found that the lease for the pub was up for sale. It was very quiet inside but there was a cask ale on sale, it being Theakstons Lightfoot, a 4.1% beer for £2.60. The XB had apparently just gone. Susan didn’t fancy the Lightfoot so had a bottle of tonic water instead. It was £1.65 which works out at about £4.95 a pint. I’ll stick with the beer. The pub is an old posting inn and is quite spacious, and probably looks its best with a few more people in. Just up from there was the Kings Arms, which I remember as a Whitbread pub. It is now an Enterprise Inn and has recently come under new management, the previous landlord having bought the Farmers as mentioned earlier. There is one real ale, which is dispensed from a pump at the far end of the bar. It is usually a Lancaster Brewery beer and on this occasion was their seasonal beer Meadowsweet, a pleasant 4.0% beer, sold here at a reasonable £2.60 a pint. The pub has a large bar area, but also some good seating, including a small front room. There is music on Friday and Saturday nights. Further up High St. you will come to the Crown, now a Thwaites house, but once an outlet for Yates and Jackson beautiful beers brewed in Lancaster. It was for many years the venue for the Lancashire branches of CAMRA’s annual bowling competition, which was held every Spring Bank Holiday Monday. This was before the days of all day drinking and a special licence had to be obtained for it to stay open throughout. It was often the day of the Home International football matches and the England v Scotland match was always a popular watch, both with us and the locals who took advantage of our extension. The most memorable bowling match was when our Julie Steinson won the final against Fylde’s Ken Hargreaves. Nowadays the pub seems much larger than it did then, having been opened out I suppose, but sport obviously still plays a large part, with several screens showing games of all sorts. There is music on Saturday and karaoke on Sunday. Beer wise, there were two available, Thwaites Original and Wainwrights, which came to £2.95 for a half of each.
Trips / Ale Trails etc
4
If you’d like us to arrange any trips give us your ideas - contact our Social Secretary (see p26)
Riley’s Rambles (cont) There was just one more pub to visit and it is back down the High St. to the old cobbled market square, where you will find the Robinson’s Brewery owned Royal Oak. A 17th century coaching inn, it was sympathetically renovated in 1998 and retains its three small rooms alongside its main bar and restaurant. As with the Black Horse in Preston, it is a good job that Robinsons don’t feel inclined to knock about their historic pubs. The ornate tiled gent’s is quite something. The pub has been in the hands of the same family since 1959 and its other features are ensuite guest bedrooms, meals lunchtime and evening, function room and beer gardens. There were four beers from the Robinson’s range to pick from, which were Dizzy Blonde (3.8%) at £2.95, Cumbrian Way (4.1%) cheaper at £2.90, Unicorn (4.2%) and a seasonal beer Hoptimus Prime. The pub had a comforting, relaxed atmosphere and was a fitting end to our day out in Garstang. It was only a short walk down Bridge Street on the right to the bus stop for our transport home. The last bus back to Preston was at 22.37 and it only takes thirty minutes on the way back, arriving in Preston at 23.07.
Girl Power is here
er a g n o l ’s no main! e l A l Rea only do man
Paul Riley
e
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Under 26
over 60 You’d be mad noor t to join CAMRA From £15.50 to join: £20 real ale vouchers, and 15 months membership for the + Real Ale Discounts atprice of 12 (see page 26) hundreds of pubs
Trips
If a picture paints a thousand words Leyland Lion goes to Lancaster
The Leyland Lion organises some fantastic trips. For only £15 per trip including breakfast, 2 pints and bus, we have recently been to Sheffield and Lancaster. If you ever go to Lancaster don’t forget your CAMRA card with discounts from £1 per pint in the Borough, to 30p in others down to 10p in tied pubs. (If I can find my notes I’ll tell you more in the next issue) Toad
(and Sheffield) It was the first time I’d been back to Sheffield since last years CAMRA AGM and I loved it Toad
AGM
They call it the Members Weekend and in some senses it is. CAMRA Members from all over the country can mix, socialise and speak and vote at the AGM. Cynical me sees it as a gathering very much manipulated and controlled by the NEC and HQ. The NEC usually gets its own way and speaches by ‘ordinary members’ are never reported in ‘What’s Brewing.’ Still on a brighter note there have been some landmark victories over the last 12 months and the ‘tub thumping’ that went on was justified. The 1,000 + in attendance are fully aware that the threats to pubs, licensees and drinkers is getting bigger by the minute with a fence sitting government as interested in pacifying the pubco/brewery lobby as the drinkers supported by our huge organisation On the social side just some of Scarborough’s fantastic pubs are shown here. I really liked Indigo Alley (below) with its excellent range of ales at £2 per pint. The Angel (bottom left) with their saucy postcards on the wall is well worth a visit, as is the Spa. The Cellars is one of my favourites with its wide range of ales and good entertainment. Just a hundred yards down the road is the Valley, (right) which is owned and run by Linda and John. They also own the Rivlyn Hotel where I stopped. We were astounded when the bar (photo) was built and opened within 24 hours of our arrival. They also own the Scarborough brewery which is run by their sons, who have cleverly bought secord hand for a song and adapted most of the equipment. Everything about Linda and John’s enterprises shouts ‘value for Money’. If you haven’t been before Scarborough is well worh a visit. If you have why haven’t you been back? Fester
Scarborough
Girl Power........... Young Members... We really need more Desperately needed female involvement to replace us .............Please contact ed (Page 26) codgers.... 6
Please contact ed (page26)
.. ed
e26)
Ale Cry goes to Mellor
It was their last week at the Myerscough For our recent Ale Cry distribution and when they tour it was decided that we should moved to the Spread visit a few pubs that are just on the Eagle and it eastern border of our branch area, reopened, it would so Mellor was the perfect choice for be run as a free this night out, with the first pub to house with an ever be visited actually part of our changing range of branch with it being in the South guest ales. In the Ribble area. This pub is the meantime, we were able to enjoy Robinsons Dizzy Blonde at Windmill, on the main road to Blackburn, and it is strictly in Mellor Brook, not Mellor itself. It was for many years a Thwaites £2.85, Cumbrian Way or Unicorn. We enjoyed our final drinks house, but now belongs to Enterprise Inns. We were somewhat of the night and arrived back in Preston in time for our last disappointed that the only cask ale was Thwaites Wainwrights, buses home. Post Script (£2.90 a pint) instead of something more interesting from the For completion, I decided to visit the Myerscough after Enterprise list. There was a second handpump with nothing on it. On enquiry, we were told that they had recently had trouble it had got its new landlord to see what changes might have occurred. I found that the new licensee was Barry Foulkes, with the lines and had only just restarted selling real ale. They who was once in charge at the Black Bull in Bamber Bridge had sold Black Sheep and Moorhouses beers in the past, but people kept asking for Wainwrights and so there it was. The pub between 1992 and 1999. He has been around the block a few itself is large open plan, with several distinct spaces off the main times since then, including several years abroad, before taking over the reins at the Myerscough. Barry is a very friendly chap bar including a split level dining area, pool table and wood with a good disposition and deserves to be a success at this burning stove. The pub is open all day from noon. There is accommodation available and food is served 12-2 and 5-9 daily. new challenge. As it was he was still waiting for some kitchen alterations to be done before he could once again have meals Live music features approximately once a month. available at the pub. That should be done by now and this It was time to move homely country inn, with its wood panelled lounge and large into Mellor village it self, and with the Mill garden to the rear will once again be selling home cooked food stone there thought to using local produce. Meanwhile the beer range was the same as it was on our trip. be more restaurant I also wanted to find out what we had missed at the Spread than pub, our next stop was the Traders, Eagle, which reopened on the 4th of April, so one Sunday I had a drive up through Mellor for a further mile to the Top of up the hill on Mellor Ramsgreave and found the pub fully opened and full of people, Lane. This was an actual Thwaites tied house and thus once both dining in the restaurant and drinking in the bar. Very again served the ubiquitous Wainwrights, at £3.40 a pint, but tastefully refurbished in a modern style, the dining section is also had their Original Bitter as an alternative. Here there was to the left on entry from the car park, with the spacious bar a large central bar with various areas off, including a pleasant to the right. There are some very comfortable seats and they raised area to the rear. Whereas the Windmill had been quite were also showing football on tv screens. The best news was quiet, the Traders was busy, with a lot of people taking advanthat there were four handpulls with local beers on sale from tage of the good value food available. The pub is open 12-2.30 and 5-11 all days except Sunday when it opens right through. them. There was Hopstar Gold, Three Bees Blonde and BowWe managed to have a few words with the landlord who seemed land Patriot all at 4% and only £2.40 plus Moorhouses Pride of Pendle at 4.1%. You could not get more local than those four. pleased to see us, and informed us that our original next pub, Ale in good condition too. If only we had had our Ale Cry tour the Spread Eagle was closed for some refurbishment, (more of in April instead of March, all of us on the trip would have been which later) but for some reason wanted to put us off going to able to sample what will evidently become a favourite with the the alternative, the Feildens Arms. East Lancs Branch, once they realise that it is there. Paul Riley. Luckily we took no notice of this advice and descended down the hill to the Fieldens, which is on the old Whalley Rd. which was bypassed by the main A59 many years ago. Here we found not only the busiest pub of the night, but also the one with the best range of ales. The pub is split into two halves with a restaurant in the old part of the pub to the left and a very popular lounge and bar area to the right. There was a very relaxed attitude and we were given a warm welcome by the friendly bar staff. Although having a good selection of food is a feature of this pub, they have not forgotten the casual drinker and the Feildens retains its basis as a pub and always welcomes those who just call in for drinks. There were three ales on sale on our visit, Lancaster Blonde (4% at £3.30), Moorhouses Pride of Pendle and Greene King Abbot Ale. We just seemed to have missed the Castle Rock Harvest Pale. Apparently the beer range does vary, with other ales appearing. We noticed that upcoming events at the pub included a Rod Stewart tribute act and an evening with Elvis himself! The pub belongs to the Inns # Profond Group who also own the Bailey Arms at Hurst Green To finish off the night, we decided to head back along the A59 to the Myerscough at Balderstone, the other Robinsons pub in our area. Here we found out that the licensees there Lesley and Stuart, had bought the previously mentioned Spread Eagle in Mellor and it was them who were refurbishing it. Rent increases had forced their hand and they had taken the plunge with their exciting new venture.
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The Original
FARMERS ARMS Bar and Restaurant
TOWNGATE ECCLESTON NR CHORLEY PR7 5QS TELEPHONE 01257 451594
• Up to 6 CASK ales at a time. • Always on Tap:Black Sheep, Wainwrights, Greene King IPA and Robinson’s Dizzy Blonde • + A varying selection of real ales from local micro breweries • Bar open all day until 12pm • A large selection of freshly made bar snacks • Sandwiches to T-bones & Ostrich served all day • Special offers on beers all day everyday. • Excellent bed & breakfast accommodation with en-suite facilities available • Single room from £20 (en-suite from £25) • Double room from £25 (en-suite from £30) THE
POTTERS 3 Real Ales including:
Good Beer Guide 2014 Winner of Gidlow Paint and pint Competition)
and a real fire
8
We have chosen the Market Ale House in Leyland as our Pub of the Season for Summer 2014. Many of you may not be familiar with the Market, as it has only been in existence since December last year. Formerly a travel agent's shop, the Market is the brainchild of Danny & Alison Hindle, who run the Good Beer Guide listed Railway at Leyland. They wanted a local outlet that was free of tie and would enable them to sell as wide a range of real ale as possible. The Market Ale House is the first micro pub in the branch area. This is a relatively new concept that started in Kent in 2005 with the Butcher's Arms at Herne. In the last 5 years, the numbers have grown with new micro pubs popping up across the country – although curiously most of them are found in North Kent. They all follow a similar format – a focus on real ale, bottled beers and wine and soft drinks. There is a notable absence of lager, spirits and alcopops. In most cases there is no TV, music (live or recorded), pub games or even food. In short, this is a return to the beer houses of the Victorian era, where conversation is the order of the day and real ale is king. By staying true to this formula, The Market Ale House is certainly different from any other pub in our area.
The Old Black Bull
Pub of the Season
Now Free of Ties on Cask Beers This allows us to offer up to 9 local and regional Real Ales at all times
Heated Beer Garden 3D TV - Live Sports on 7 Screens Every Week is a Beer Festival At the Old Black Bull Brighton Ales fest - mid July ‘One of the UKs top 100 pubs 2011’ - Famous Grouse Awards Three time winner of George Lee Trophy New Brews Regularly Sourced Central Lancs Pub of The Year A Good Beer Guide and Cask Marque Pub Thurs Eve a Cask Ale at £1.99 a Pint 33 Friargate - PRESTON - PR1 2AT Tel: 01772 823397 www.theoldblackbullpreston.co.uk
The pub is housed in a single fronted shop unit on Hough Lane next to the market entrance. The corner bar has 7 handpumps and there are 5 tables and a few bar stools giving seating for about 30 people. The décor is simple with the walls being adorned with pictures of Leyland in days gone by. The initial intention was for all real ale to come from (the old county of) Lancashire breweries. In the first five months of operation the pub has served over 200 different real ales. Alison confesses to enjoying researching the breweries and selecting the beers, and her efforts are certainly appreciated. The 7 handpumps serve 6 real ales and a real cider. There is a chalk board listing the beers available and a coming soon board. To help drinkers faced with an array of beers they might be unfamiliar with, there is a small glass container in front of each pump displaying a sample of the beer. Taster trays are also available, with 3 x third of a pint glasses at the cost of a pint. Prices are good – with beers upwards of about £2.40 a pint. The preference among the regulars is for paler beers and those towards the lower end of the gravity scale and Alison admits that she has now just about exhausted the supply of suitable new beers from Lancashire. Occasional 'guests' will now appear – on my most recent visit a beer from Devon was listed on the coming soon board – but old favourites will of course be returning. Initial support has exceeded Danny & Alison's expectations. The pub is closed on Mondays, but open from noon every other day. Evening closing is about 9 during the week, 11 on Friday and Saturdays and 7 on Sundays. However, hours can vary and the pub does stay open later during the week if enough people are in. No meals are served but quality bar snacks including pork pies and a cheese platter are always available. The presentation of the certificate to the Market Ale House as the Central Lancs Pub of the Season will take place on Thursday 10th July from 8pm onwards and all are welcome to come along and participate in the evenings event.
The Railway Inn Steeley lane Chorley Lancs PR6 0RD 01257411449 emailrailwayinnchorley@yahoo.co.uk
Jennings Cumberland and 4 changing guest ales
A CAMRA pub of the Season
A Good Beer Guide and Cask Marque Pub Free pool every Monday Darts and dominoes - Thurdays Free Jukebox every Tuesday
Chorley’s Premier Music Venue Live Music Friday and Saturday Evenings
Adrian Smith
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Seasonal music festivals with up to 8 bands
Preston Parade The Moorbrook finally reopened at 5pm on 23rd of May and was soon enveloped in a crowd of appreciative drinkers who had come along to see how the pub had fared with its refurbishment and its reopening as something more akin to a normal pub.
Sue and Gary All seemed to be suitably impressed with how it has turned out. The pub retains its three room structure, but it has been very tastefully decorated and spruced up, with William Morris wallpaper adorning the walls. An outside patio and garden with ample seating has been constructed which can be accessed by a door to the right of the bar. This outdoor drinking area is like a walled garden and is thus sheltered from the noise of the busy junction at the front door. There are six handpulls on the bar and on the day of the opening the beers available where Geltside Cold Fell (3.9%), Dark Star Hophead (3.8%), Revolution Atomic Blonde (4.5%), Lancaster Black (4.6%) and Thornbridge Jaipur (5.9%) plus the one permanent beer Thwaites Original (3.6%). A few days later when I went in, a completely different set of guest beers were on sale. The pub is open all day from noon and a range of gourmet and traditional pies and peas are on sale. There will be live music on the last Wednesday of the month. Hopefully it will lead to a revival of interest in other pubs around there, for at one time the area was known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ with hoards of people trawling round the Unicorn, Moorbrook and the late, lamented Mitre Tavern opposite (now a vets). There will be a ‘Meet the Branch’ evening on Friday 11th July where you can come along and talk to members of the committee at what was the birthplace of CAMRA in Lancashire. Of the other pubs nearby, the Unicorn at present has, once again, an up for lease sign outside and on a recent visit was selling Timothy Taylors Landlord (4.3%) at a competitive £2.80 a pint. If the right person takes over, they could maybe capitalise on the increased profile in real ale brought by the Moorbrook. Just off Aqueduct St. up Cambridge Walk are two pubs, the first of which is the New Welcome, a friendly one roomed local with two distinct areas, to the left cosy seating areas, with games area to the right. It is a Thwaites tied house, so is restricted in what beers are on sale. Thwaites Original is usually on sale with other ales from their range making an occasional appearance. It only opens at 5pm Monday to Thursday, but is open from noon other days. A few yards further on will bring you to the Princess Alice, a former Matthew Brown pub that is now a free house. The ornate tiled outside is a fine example of many long demolished Lion pubs that once graced the area, such as the Drovers, which was on the corner of Brook St. and Aqueduct St. and disappeared in a junction ‘improvement’ that did nothing to relieve congestion there. The Alice is a comfortable one roomed pub with central bar with pool table to the left and lounge area to the right. There is outside seating to the front. Four real ales were available on my last visit:- Robinsons Dizzy Blonde (3.8%),
Wells Bombardier (4.1%) Morlands Old Speckled Hen and Wychwood Hobgoblin, both 4.5%, all priced at £2.50 a pint. There were some empty barrels from Eden brewery round the back of the pub, so other beers do appear on the bar. The pub opens from 4.30 Mon- Fri and from Noon Saturday and Sunday. There is a new landlady at the Withy Trees in Fulwood. The pub, which has the largest outdoor drinking area of any pub in Preston continues to sell up to six real ales, which on my last visit were Robinsons Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde which cost me £3.25, Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen, and Thwaites Wainwrights. If I had gone there on a Thursday, I could have had 3x 1/3 pints for £2.75. Food is served all day and live sports feature. The nearby Plungington Hotel was serving Thwaites Wainwrights. I promised to let you know what was available at the Brook (ex Cattle Market or colloquially Big House) after its major refurbishment by Punch Taverns. There was one beer on sale on my visit, Greene King Old Speckled Hen, a popular 4.5% beer at a very reasonable £2.50 a pint. Other beers have been reported, with Robinsons Dizzy Blonde being seen on occasions. The pub is a substantial three storey building, hence its nickname, with an outdoor garden drinking area. Indoor there are pool tables and several large screens for live sport. Regular live music features and food is available from 12-7. It has been some time since I had been in the Lane Ends, at the busy junction of Blackpool Rd. and Woodplumpton Rd. and so I thought it was about time I caught up with what was happening there. I found it to be wel coming with friendly staff in an obviously busy pub. Much enlarged since its Boddington heyday, it is a John Barras pub like the Sumners, with several drinking areas off the large central bar. There are always four real ales on sale, two on the top bar and two more round the corner in the newer part of the pub. On this visit, Sharps Doom Bar (4%) at £2.63, Robinsons Trooper (4.8%), Brains Rev James (4.5%) and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber (4.4%) were on sale, with Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and Robinsons Dizzy Blonde coming up. Talking with the lady behind the bar, I was told that Real Ale was flying out and the Rev James was especially popular. They can source their ales from a fairly wide list, made up mainly from larger independent breweries. It was good to hear it was doing so well. The pub is open all day from 11am and serves lunchtime and evening meals with occasional live music, large screens for sport and an outdoor drinking area. While in the area, I called in the Wellington on Tulketh Rd. A welcoming community pub, the ‘Welly’ is seen by locals as a home from home and has a large range of entertainments, from karaoke, live music, poker nights, quiz and live sports. It is also proud of its real ales, which on my visit were Clearwater Real Smiler, a hoppy, crisp golden 3.7% ale from Devon at £2.60 a pint,, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and Jennings Cumberland. A board tells you what ales are coming up next. Bar snacks are available throughout. 10
The long closed Queen Vic, formerly the North Euston, on Moor Lane is to become yet another fast food outlet in the university area. Meanwhile the Eldon pub on Eldon St. is another local that is looking for new tenants. Could it become another victim of pub closures? One pub going from strength to strength is the Ale Emporium on Fylde Rd. It quickly passed the 100 different beers mark within weeks of its opening and has now become a firm favourite with people seeking something different. Meanwhile the Old Black Bull on Friargate continues to have themed weeks where beers from a specific area feature, most of which have never appeared in Preston before. Among others, they are hoping to have a collection of beers from the Brighton area on sale Mid July. Breweries that will be making an appearance are Brighton Bier, Goldmark Brewery, 360 Previously, in South Ribble Scene articles I have looked at the real ale pubs of Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale. This time round I have turned my attention to Penwortham, where there are five real ale pubs currently to be found. These pubs are located well spaced apart, and I carried out this survey of what real ales were on offer over a couple of weekdays at the beginning of May. Starting at the SIR TOM FINNEY on Central Drive, this had been something of a disap pointment on a couple of previous visits when there had been no real ale available. However things now appear to have got back on the right track, with Greene King IPA and Thwaites Wainwright being the two handpumped beers to be found. I was told that Greene King Abbot Ale would soon be introduced as their regular beer, with at least one other real ale always being available. Heading towards Preston, and my next calling point was the FLEECE on Liverpool Road. Of the Penwortham pubs this has the greatest capability for choice with five different beers often being available. When I visited there were four beers on offer, namely Tetley Bitter, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Jennings Cumberland Ale, and Moorhouses Pride of Pendle. At one time the Fleece had a more interesting range of beers on offer, but this seems no longer to be the case - perhaps I have been unlucky on my recent visits. Next to the BROWN HARE on Millbrook Way, which is near to the Golden Way roundabout. This is Penwortham’s newest pub, having opened as recently as October 2012. Although largely a food oriented pub, I have been impressed that they have been able to offer a good selection of Marstons approved real ales. On my visit the beers available were Marstons Pedigree, Wychwood Hobgoblin, Jennings Cumberland Ale, and Ringwood Boondoggle. While I was there Ringwood Old Thumper was brought on to replace the Cumberland Ale. At the heart of Penwortham is the BLACK BULL on Pope Lane. This has been one of our branch's Good Beer Guide entries for a number of years now and can usually be relied upon to have a good choice of real ales. On the day I was not disappointed, with the beers available being Greene King IPA, Theakstons Lightfoot, Caledonian Welcome Spring, and Butcombe Haka. Also it should be noted that this is a pub where CAMRA members can get a 20p discount on the price of a pint of real ale.
South Ribble Scene
Brewery, Franklins, Burning Sky and Bedlam. Definitely one to look forward to. Two pubs out of town have received new tenants:- The Smiths Arms at Lea Town is reported to be running without any major changes being made, while we have had no report of changes at the Stags Head at Goosnargh after the arrival of new tenants there. Meanwhile, the Plough at Grimsargh has been boarded up after the previous tenants left. Owners Star Inns are said to be looking for a suitable tenant. They plan to spend a lot of money on it and hope to reopen it in the next few months. Finally, to end on a more optimistic note, we have it on good authority that the long awaited ‘Twelve Tellers’ - the new Wetherspoons pub on Church Street, in the old Trustees Savings Bank, will be open by November this year. We shall see! PAUL RILEY Finally I made my way to the PEAR TREE on Leyland Road. This pub is currently being run by a temporary manager, with the long-standing landlord Chris Davison having departed at the beginning of the year. There have been rumours that another former landlord may soon be returning to take charge, but as things stand the pub is understandingly going through a period of uncertainty. The pub has four handpumps, but only one was in use on my visit, with the beer available being Theakstons Black Bull. That's it for Penwortham, and overall I consider this a good selection of pubs and real ales for my home patch. Perhaps one day the Sumpter Horse on Leyland Road will return to the fold as a real ale pub. Elsewhere once again there is more pub news from the Leyland area. In the last Ale Cry it was all good news with the opening of one new pub, the Market Ale House, and the re-opening of two closed pubs, the Rose Of Farington and the Withy Arms. This time it is not so good, with the closure of one pub and the confirmation of closure of another. In the centre of Leyland, the ORIGINAL SHIP on Towngate has closed, and the premises have been obtained by Chorley Electrical, who are intending to convert the building into a lighting showroom. Away from the town centre, a pub that appears to have struggled in recent years is the WAGGON & HORSES on Bent Lane. This pub, once known as the Lord Stokes, has now been sold by Thwaites Brewery and there have been proposals that the premises be converted into a hostel for adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. I have to say it is not all bad news from Leyland. The BLACK BULL on School Lane in Moss Side is now under the management of Andy and Nicky, a couple who were previously at the Golden Lion in Ashton in Makerfield. The pub was closed for a short time, but is now back up and running, and plans for the future include a Beer Festival to be held in August. Finally, for this Ale Cry I should mention the OLD OAK at Hoghton. Earlier this year the pub was closed for a £180,000 refurbishment, with the plan being that Punch Taverns would re-name the pub as the Cromwell on re-opening. However this proposed name change was not welcomed by regulars and local residents and a campaign was launched to oppose Punch Taverns action. Within days the campaign had been successful with Punch Taverns backing down and announcing that the pub name would remain unchanged. The re-opened Old Oak is a food oriented pub, but on a recent visit was found to be selling three handpumped beers, Charles Wells Bombardier, Jennings Cumberland Ale, and Sharps Doom Bar. Gordon Small
corner The Printers (no real ale) is now up to let by Admiral Taverns. The licensee Joanne is moving to the Coppull completely refurbished Wheatsheaf just down Chapel Lane 'within weeks' and will be stocking real ale there.
The Alison Arms held a very busy folk music festival over the first weekend in June when all three handpumps were in use, rather than the one pump normally dispensing. The Hinds Head in Charnock Richard appears to be empty again with no signs of life. Opening times have been erratic for the last few months. Gribble
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CAMRA CENTRAL LANCS BRANCH AND ... PUB CLOSURES 2009-2013 We all know that pubs are closing down at an alarming rate. According to the CAMRA national website there are 18 pubs closing each week in Britain. This figure may well be correct, but apparently using information that has also been supplied by CAMRA, the Daily Mirror reports that there are as many as 26 pubs closing each week, while the Independent newspaper goes even further by reporting that there are 28 pubs closing each week. Whatever the actual number, there can be no argument that the number of pubs across the country is steadily decreasing. For several years now CAMRA has been running a Pub Watch scheme, whereby branches have been keeping a record of pub closures (and pub openings) in their branch area. The CAMRA Central Lancashire branch may cover but a fraction of the whole country, but the number of pubs that have closed in the area is still significant with over 50 pubs having closed in the five year period 2009-2013. Go back even further and the branch has probably lost about half the pubs that were in existence in 1973 when CAMRA Central Lancashire branch was founded. The branch has been recording all important pub news over the intervening years, and at present on the branch website we have details of all pub closures known to have taken place since 2004. Although it is probably an impossible task to accurately complete, it would be the branch webmaster's intention to eventually go back to 1973 to record information on all pubs that have been in existence during the CAMRA era. Clearly pubs have been lost from throughout the branch area, but it is the built up areas around the edges of Preston and Chorley that have been the most badly affected. Looking at Preston in particular, the major thoroughfares like London Road, New Hall Lane, North Road, and Ribbleton Lane were all once dotted with pubs, while in addition there were many back street locals hidden close by that have also long since vanished. Of the few remaining pubs in these areas to have survived through to 2009, several more have bitten the dust in the past five years. The most common outcome of a pub closure remains that it has subsequently been converted for use as private accommodation.
However several years ago when I last wrote of pub closures, another of the main reasons given was that there were several pubs that had been converted into restaurants. In the period 2009-2013 this has not been that common a reason for a pub to close, but it is perhaps a sign of the times that there have been a number of instances of pubs becoming fast food outlets, cocktail bars, or shisha cafe bars. For some pubs recorded as being closed in the last five years it has not been the end of the road. There are several occurrences of pubs being closed for lengthy periods, only for them to subsequently be re-launched to once again be run as pubs. In particular the WATERFRONT at Ashton was closed for three years before re-opening as Baffito's At The Waterfront in 2013; the WHITE HART at Chorley was closed for two years before also re-opening in 2013; and as the accompanying list shows there have been others. At the time of writing there are a number of closed pubs where there is some expectation that they may yet reopen. The BLACK BULL at Mawdesley, the KINETIC BAR in Chorley, the SWAN at Higher Walton, and the WHEATSHEAF at Coppull, are all currently closed pubs where there has been some report or strong rumour in the past that they would be re-opening. We will have to wait and see. Finally it should be pointed out that while there may be a great number of pubs closing, there is also the prospect of some new pubs opening in the area in the coming months. As I write this article, I am anticipating the opening of the Shepherd's Hall Ale House during the Summer - this being a new micro-pub in Chorley town centre. Looking ahead a little further, and the second Buckshaw Village pub is planned to be opening before the end of the year - this is to be a Greene King Hungry Horse food oriented establishment to be White Hart located near to Buckshaw Parkway railway station. Additionally, but with no date yet announced, we have the prospect of Preston's second Wetherspoon pub THE 12 TELLERS shortly being built in the former TSB Bank building on Church Street. Gordon Small
PUBS CLOSED 2009-2013
2009 Albion, Chorley - closed. Alma, Chorley - closed. Becconsall, Hesketh Bank - closed and has since been demolished. Clayton Arms, Adlington - closed to be converted into offices. Clayton Brook, Clayton Brook - closed and has since been demolished. Cricketers Arms, Preston - closed. Doctor Syntax, Ashton - closed and is now a Chinese restaurant. Dog, Longridge - closed and was converted into an Indian restaurant.General Havelock, Preston - closed and has become a property letting agency office. Queens (Chapel Street), Chorley - closed. William IV, Preston - closed. Woodsman, Bamber Bridge closed and is now a children’s day nursery. 2010 Bushells Arms, Goosnargh - closed and is now private accommodation. Derby, Preston - closed. Exchange, Preston closed as a pub and has become a cocktail bar. Farmers Arms, Higher Walton - closed possible conversion into a restaurant. Finney’s Sports Bar, Preston - closed and subsequently became a travel agency office. Jacksons Arms, Chorley - converted into flats. Queen Vic, Preston - closed and plans that it be converted into a fast food takeaway. Railway, Adlington - closed. Ridgway Arms, Adlington - closed and later became a convenience store. Waterfront - closed for over 3 years before RE-OPENING in 2013. 2011 Black Bull, Bamber Bridge - closed and has been converted into offices. Bridge, Penwortham - closed and has been converted into a children’s day nursery. Dog & Partridge, Charnock Richard - closed for 18 months before RE-OPENING in 2012. Fylde Tavern, Ashton - closed and became a shisha cafe bar. JJ’s Lounge Bar, Preston - closed and converted into a fast food takeaway. New Ship, Ashton - closed possibly to become a shisha cafe bar.Oak Tree, Coppull - closed. Wheatsheaf, Coppull - closed but hopefully will be re-opening in 2014. White Hart, Chorley - closed for over 2 years before RE-OPENING in 2013. 2012 Bridge, Walton-le-Dale - closed and has now been demolished. Brook House, Heskin - closed for conversion into private accommodation. Cotty Brook, Lea - closed and plans submitted for its demolition.Crown, Chorley - closed for about 18 months before RE-OPENING in 2014. Fox & Grapes, Preston - closed as a pub and has become a cocktail bar.Greyhound, Preston - closed. Harpers, Chorley - closed to be converted into a children’s clothing shop. Jazz Bar, Preston - closed to be converted into student accommodation. Royal Garrison, Fulwood - closed and likely to be converted into private accommodation. Swan, Higher Walton - closed but hopefully will be re-opening in 2014. Swan With Two Necks, Chorley - closed and currently boarded up.Tanners Arms, Preston - closed. Waggon & Horses, Adlington - closed. Weavers Arms, Longridge - closed and is now private accommodation. 2013 Black Bull, Mawdesley - closed but hopefully will be re-opening in 2014. Brookes Arms, Chorley - closed now for several months. Kinetic Bar, Chorley - closed but hopefully will be re-opening in 2014. Lancs & Yorks, Bamber Bridge - closed and may now be demolished. New Deepdale, Preston - closed and will become an Islamic Learning Centre. Skeffington, Preston - closed. Waggon & Horses, Leyland - closed and may become a hostel. White Bull, Bamber Bridge - closed to be converted into a funeral parlour. Windmill, Eccleston - closed to be demolished. 12
13
LOCALE UPDATE
Dog and Partridge
Following the lead of other branches, CAMRA West 44 Friargate Preston Lancashire branch (as we then were) launched a Tel: 01772 252217 LocAle scheme in Spring 2009. By doing this the branch was putting into Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, practice an initiative that we would actively support Joseph Holt’s Best Bitter those licensees in our area Tetley Mild who were selling at least one beer that had been plus: brewed within 30 miles of their pub premises. Weekly Guests From The The branch's LocAle scheme has now been going for over five years, and up until this particular Ale Cry it has been reportPunch Finest Cask Range ed as a success story, with the number of outlets steadily being on the increase year by year. Looking back to the Autumn and SIBA Direct Delivery 2010 Ale Cry we reported that there were just 18 LocAle outlets in the branch area, while looking on the branch website just a few weeks ago we were able to report that the branch Smokey-o-Joes 32-Seater Smoking Area had almost 60 LocAle outlets. In the Winter 2013/14 Ale Cry article the credit for the LoGood Value Lunches Including: cAle scheme's success was rightly given to Thwaites Brewery, with it being recognised that their popular Wainwright beer ‘The’ Curry Fridays was appearing in an increasing number of pubs and clubs in the area where it had become their 'permanent guest beer' The Big Quiz Thursday Night of choice. The article also suggested that it was perhaps not the best situation that the scheme was so dependent on one Rock DJ Sunday particular beer. In the event the concern over the reliance on Thwaites and on the Wainwright beer in particular was to be well founded. In January Thwaites Brewery announced mass redundancies LOCALE OUTLETS (May 2014) at their Blackburn site, and it has since become common • HARE & HOUNDS, Abbey Village (Copper Dragon). knowledge that the majority of their beers are now being contract brewed by Marstons in Wolverhampton. While this • BRIDGE, Adlington (various). was assumed to be the case for their regular beers like Orig- • WHEATSHEAF, Ashton (various). inal, Lancaster Bomber, Nutty Black, and Wainwright, it has • BAMBER BRIDGE FOOTBALL CLUB (various). subsequently been speculated that some of their seasonal and craft beers may also have been produced by outside brewers. • TILLOTSONS ARMS, Chipping (various). • CROWN, Chorley (various). Because of these developments, earlier this year our neigh- • MALT 'N' HOPS, Chorley (various). bours CAMRA East Lancashire branch took the decision to remove all Thwaites tied pubs from their LocAle list. At • PEARSONS, Chorley (various). our May branch meeting it was agreed that CAMRA Central • POTTERS ARMS, Chorley (Three B's). Lancashire branch would go even further and from this Ale • SIR HENRY TATE, Chorley (various). Cry we have decided to remove all pubs and clubs that are on • WHITE BULL, Chorley (Bank Top). the LocAle list because they are selling any Thwaites beer. • HALFWAY HOUSE, Clayton-le-Woods (Lees). Hopefully Thwaites beers will not be lost forever to the • BLACK HORSE, Croston (Moorhouses). LocAle scheme, but as things currently stand the number of • ORIGINAL FARMERS ARMS, Eccleston (various). LocAle outlets has effectively been halved with just 27 pubs and 2 clubs now believed to qualify (see the accompanying • ROSE OF FARINGTON, >> Farington (various). table). • GRAPES, Goosnargh It is exactly one year since we last printed a list of LocAle (various). outlets in Ale Cry. Newcomers to the list in the past year are • HORNS, Goosnargh the HARE & HOUNDS at Abbey Village; BAMBER BRIDGE (Goosnargh). FOOTBALL CLUB; the CROWN, PEARSONS, and the SIR HENRY TATE in Chorley; the HALFWAY HOUSE at Clay- • YEW TREE, Heath Charnock (Blackedge). ton-le-Woods; the ROSE OF FARINGTON at Farington; the • BOARS HEAD, Hoghton (various). BOARS HEAD at Hoghton; the MARKET ALE HOUSE and • LEYLAND LION, Leyland (various). the RAILWAY AT LEYLAND in Leyland; and the RIVING• MARKET ALE HOUSE, Leyland (various). TON at Rivington. • QUEENS, Leyland (various). Look out for pubs and clubs in the branch area that are dis- • RAILWAY AT LEYLAND, Leyland (Lancaster). playing LocAle promotional material - and in particular look out for those displaying the recently received 2014 window • CORPORATION ARMS, Longridge (various). stickers. These establishments are to be recommended if you • OUR LADY & ST GERARDS, Lostock Hall (various). wish to support those licensees who are doing their bit for • BULL & ROYAL, Preston (Moorhouses). local breweries (and for the environment). • OLD VIC, Preston (various). • RIVINGTON, Rivington (various). It will be interesting to see how things are reported in the 14 Autumn 2014 Ale Cry. Gordon Small • NEW HALL TAVERN, Samlesbury (various).
House Casks Include:
CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2012 & 2013 & the only Penwortham pub in the 2014 Guide ! Cask Marque award holder
FFoouurr CCaasskk R woo rroottaattiinngg gguueessttss pplluuss Alleess –– ttw Reeaall A TThheeaakkssttoonn’’ss LLiigghhttffoooott & A Grreeeennee KKiinngg IIPPA &G KKrroonneennbboouurrgg 1 Guuiinnnneessss Miilldd aanndd G 4,, FFoosstteerrss,, M 64 66 16 See our website for this month’s ales Try out our very popular weekly Quiz Nights every Thursday – starts prompt at 9pm 20p off a pint for CAMRA card carrying members …and for any warm sunny days don’t forget our fabulous Beer Garden
Great beer, great team of staff and a warm and friendly welcome Special 60s, 70s, 80s Saturday Music Nights once a month www.blackbull-penwortham.co.uk or facebook 83 Pope Lane, Penwortham – 01772 752953 15
11-11 Monday to Thursday / 11 to 12.30 Friday & Saturday / 12 to 11 Sunday unless we decide to stay open later !
Chorley Chatter
The most exciting news from Chorley town centre is the prospect of a new micro pub – the first in the town. A licence application has been submitted for a former florist's shop opposite the closed Queens on Chapel Street. The pub will be known as The Shepherds' Hall Ale House and it is hoped that it will be open sometime in the summer. Further along Chapel Street, the recently re-opened Crown is doing well. Licensee Dave reports that the real ale sales are 'better than anticipated' and the five handpumps have been serving a fine selection of (mainly) Lancashire brewed ales. The range has now settled down a bit with Black Cat and Crown of Chorley being regulars. Both are from Moorhouse's, the latter being a 4.0% lightish brown bitter blended specially for the pub and proving very popular. On my most recent visit the selection was supplemented with brews from Southport, Bowland and Reedley Hallowes. The Malt 'n' Hops on Friday Street has had an external repaint and Alan hopes to make a start on the internal refurbishment shortly. Meanwhile the pub continues to sell an interesting section of ales; anything between 4 and 7 from a wide range of breweries, but again with a focus on Lancashire. Heading out into the country towards Blackburn, the major news is a very sad one when in late April, a major fire gutted the Dressers Arms in Wheelton. This was a fine country pub dating back to the 1700's, with a number of rooms, wood panelling and a good traditional feel. A GBG entry on 19 occasions, it once had it's own micro brewery and served a good range of real ales. It was popular for both dining and drinking and often busy. Licensee Steven Turner has vowed to rebuild it, but clearly it is going to be some time before it reopens and we hope that they manage to recreate some of the character of the old building. Just along the main road towards Blackburn, is the Golden Lion, which is a Thwaite's house. This serves the 3 staples of Original, Wainwright and Bomber, with a fourth pump now serving changing guest ales form the 1807 Cask Collection. Meanwhile, the refurbishment at the Top Lock at Heapey is continuing. The exterior has been repainted and new signage provided. Internally, new seating bays have been installed along with some small partitions to break up what is essentially one large room. The new wood and tile floor looks very smart. Work is continuing with as little disruption to opening as possible, and from the beer drinkers perspective, the 9 handpumps continue to serve an ever changing selection of beer. The Royal Oak at Riley Green is now Cask Marque accredited and serves the standard 4 Thwaite's ales plus a changing guest. In Hoghton, the Boars Head has had a fourth handpump installed. The regular beers of Thwaite's Original and Cross Bay Sunset are supplemented by 2 changing guest ales. On my recent visit these were Caretaker from Old School Brewery and a seasonal beer from Copper Dragon – both were tried and found to be in excellent condition. Further up the road in Hoghton is the Old Oak. This Punch Taverns pub has struggled in recent years and after a period of closure, the pub is again in new hands. The new licensee is Bekim Gashi. The pub is now open all day, with a wide food menu at attractive prices. There are 3 changing guest ales from the Punch list, and on my recent visit the Sharp's Doom Bar was on good form. The pub has been refurbished and repainted externally and is now both comfortable and welcoming. The Hayrick at Clayton le Woods has reopened after a period of closure and is now called the Woodsman. Another Punch owned pub, it has been refurbished both inside and out and is now a very pleasant eating and drinking environment. They are able to obtain beers outside of the normal Punch list and at the moment have 4 real ales on the bar. Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle is the house beer, but the other three change regularly, with beers from Box Steam Brewery and Copper Dragon being on sale recently.
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18
It's not often that we can turn round and say that we have found a new real ale outlet that we had not previously been aware of – but this issue we can! Right on the south eastern edge of our area is the Rivington on Horrobin Lane, Rivington. Formerly known as the Rivi Club, this is essentially the clubhouse for the Rivington Bowling Club. However it has a full pub licence and everyone is made welcome. There are three handpumps in use with a changing beer range, although Abbeydale George Wright and 3B's are the current breweries of choice, and on my visit the Abbeydale Deception was excellent. Situated in an elevated position above the lakes, the garden provides fine views and a pleasant place to enjoy a pint or two. Owner Neil Taylor has plans for extending the building and possibly adding an extra handpump in the not too far distant future. It has been serving real ale for some time; I don't know how we have managed to miss it, but we have now rectified the situation and put it on WhatPub. Over in Croston, the Crown has installed a further 2 handpumps, one of which will be used for cider. Weston's Old Rosie was on offer and this has proved very popular so far. The intention is to rotate the cider, although probably always from Weston's. The Lord Nelson was taken over by Dominic and Nicola, who have the GBG listed Red Lion in Mawdesley, just before Christmas. It has been refurbished – we had heard rumours that the interior was going to be gutted, but a recent visit revealed that it has been sympathetically updated with the only structural change being the enlarging of one of the room entrances. The pub still retains it's multi room layout and there are four real ales on offer. Jenning's Cumberland and Thwaites Wainwright are being retained with two changing guest beers, one of which will be a blonde beer, the other darker whenever possible. The Wheatsheaf is having an additional handpump installed, which is likely to be serving a Robinson's beer for the first 12 months. However the existing four pumps always seem to have an interesting selection with beers from Ossett, Jennings, prospect and George Wright available recently. The Highfield is currently closed while it is being refurbished. In Mawdesley, we understand that the Black Bull has been sold by Punch Taverns to the people from the Mawdesley Eating House & Hotel. We have heard that they are seeking planning permission for an extension and hope to reopen this pub as a food led venue later in the year. Over in Eccleston, following the change in ownership at the Original Farmers Arms, there have been changes to the beer range. Wainwright and Black Sheep Best Bitter are still available but Wells Bombardier and Deuchars IPA have been replaced by Robinsons Dizzy Blonde and Greene King IPA. There are still two pumps serving changing guest beers, with George Wright Longboat and Hawkshead Windermere Pale Ale available on my most recent visit. Adrian Smith
CAMRA badly needs branch contacts to keep us in touch with your local pubs and to distribute Ale Crys to them Please contact me (p30) ed
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Crown Hotel Chapel Street Chorley
Chorley’s Best Free House ‘We are Proud to support CAMRA and our Up to 5 CaskAles on The Bar Including a Mild
great Lancashire Brewers’ Tel: 01257 374236
The Lamb & Packet AtoCAMRA pubCAMRA of the Season We are Proud Support 91A Friargate, PR1 2ED. 01772 200292 and our Great Open from 11am ‘til Late New Menu
Food Served all day from £2.95 Good Selection of World Beers 5 cask Ales Including Guests Heated Outdoor Smoking Area Free Wi-Fi Sky Sports
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Chorley Chatter (cont.) Beer and Music Coppull Folk Fest Ivan The Imperial Birdman years, enjoyable - as usual Holmfirth This particuarly thanks to the weather Folk - Alison Arms Folk Fest. Festival Because of other commitments I couldn’t attend on Friday or Saturday so here are some of the images from Sunday to give you a good flavour of the atmosphere
In the Chorley area I can only think of Big Steve at the Red Herring, Steve at the Dressers, Phil at the Top Lock, Steve and Denise at the Potters and Ivan at the ‘Imp.’ who have survived the cull. Ivan has thrived for 29 years. Ivan was licensee at Harry’s Bar from its opening in June ‘85 to its demise in June 2007.
Nook Brew House S
Some of the It’s usually changing range my 2nd of ales fest of the year and the last couple of years were a bit of a disappointment, but I’m pleased to say that this year’s was back to its best. A good weekend in ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ land - good ales and music in half a dozen pubs what could be more like heaven. All being well I’ll be back next year so why not join me. It’s a great place to visit any time of year. Melodious Mick
When ‘I wer a lad’ landlords were there for forty years, fifty years, or life. These days when licensees are as big or bigger a target for unscrupulous brewers and pubsos as the punters, ten years is a very long time in the trade.
2 months later Ivan took over The Imperial next to Chorley Market (one of Chorley’s three most prestigious pubs until the pub crisis of the seventies.) He took his sport (inc. Sky) and music pub philosophy with him - with live bands on Thursdays and djs at weekends. ‘I was determined to take the ‘vibe’ with me.’ One of his first moves was to demand a return (from Times Square) to its original name.
. . .
The impression that the ‘Imp’ is just a young persons pub would be misleading as you will find people even older than me in there. Ivan has only recently introduced real ale to the imp with the introduction of two handpumps (currently serving Wainwrights from both) introduced to satisfy the increased demand for real ale. It ended 20 odd years of banter between us. In their spare time Ivan and his Mrs are keen ornithologists having spent fifteen years studying the endangered Peregrine Falcon. they would travel to N.Lancs., Yorkshire Dales and Mid Wales to study them.
What a coincidence then that in 2011 near the top of St.George’s Church in the very same street as Harry’s bar a pair of the falcons nested. Their chicks both fell to the ground on cosecutive days. < organiser Ken in Ivan and two friends rescued them and took them to the Bird of Prey Centre at Whitestake which looked after them for four the cap days before returning them to the nests with fingers crossed that they settled and weren’t rejected. One settled quickly. The other wandered the roofs of St.Georges before settling. Ivan’s ornithological interests led, a couple of years ago to his photographic hobby which has blossomed.
. . . . .
Monologue Joe CAMRA’s own Ebeneezer on the Squeezebox
Ivan With some of his magnificent photos
His macro photography of insects in particular has produced stunning results. The imp resembles an art gallary with Ivan’s Star of Sunday - daughter of the Wigan photos taking centre stage. Nightingale (Joan Blackburn) and making a real name for herself is Pauline Blackburn- finishing off an enjoy able weekend’s entertainment. If you missed it this year, don’t next It is a good reason besides the excellent beer quality to pay him a Melodious Mick visit Compo 18
n
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Opening hours: Monday - Thursday: 11am - 12pm Friday - Saturday: 11am - 1pm Sunday: 11am - 12pm Real Ales from £2. per pint: Jennings’ Cumberland + guest
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It's grim up north – don't you believe it You will often have heard the phrase it's grim up north – sometimes in a jokey fashion and sometimes not. However when it comes to drinking real ale – we may well be better off than you realise. Now I am a Londoner by birth, and grew up on 'flat' southern beers. Having moved to the north in the 80's and supped around the country all my adult life, I like to think that I am a reasonable judge of the 'ale' available in a given area. Since my active involvement with CAMRA during the past year I have visited many of the pubs in our branch area. Occasionally I get bored with them and have the urge to travel to try different pubs and taste new ales. In May, Julie and I made a trip to Dorset, a county I had not visited since I was about 7; so there was the prospect of new beers and new pubs to add to what I knew was beautiful scenery. What's the saying....”it's better to travel hopefully than arrive”? Well that would be my one line report from my visit to Dorset. There are some excellent pubs and I'm sure that the licensees are working just as hard there as they do everywhere else. But the range of beers was disappointing – not just in the range of breweries represented but also the lack of diversity in beer styles. There are 15 breweries listed in the current GBG for Dorset, of which only 2 have a major presence (Palmers of Bridport and Hall & Woodhouse of Blandford St Mary). We were staying just outside Bridport, so had many opportunities to try the Palmers. The cross section of their pubs that we visited were excellent and the beer was consistently good. Now I favour pale, low gravity beers – and the closest they could offer was Dorset Gold at 4.5%. It's an excellent beer but not really a session beer at that strength. My wife will go for a mild or a stout – nothing doing here, although the Tally Ho (a 5.5% strong ale) was given her seal of approval. The other 3 beers they produce are all best described as mid brown. This was a story to be repeated across the county. Plenty of 4.0% or so brown beers. The occasional pale hoppy brew and on one occasion a mild. No stout, no porter, no fruit flavours. The local beers proved elusive. We managed to track down Dorset Brewing Company and Isle of Purbeck beers in the excellent Scott Arms at Kingston – a great pub with possibly the finest views of any beer garden in the country, looking across to Corfe Castle and Poole Harbour.
However, the all too frequent story was an unimaginative range of beers and little variation in style. It was the same when we crossed over into East Devon and Somerset. If I never see another pub selling Sharp's Doom Bar it will be too soon! Given that the price of a pint varied from £3 to about £3.70, with £3.50 being the norm, it was all rather disappointing, especially considering we were visiting almost exclusively pubs featured in the current Good Beer guide. Now the purpose of this article is not to moan about the pubs in Dorset, but to say a heartfelt thank you to the pubs (and licensees) in our own local area. It made me realise just how lucky we are with the sheer numbers of different brews available and the variety of beer styles. Yes, there are a fair number of Marston's and Thwaite's pubs, but they generally offer a good selection of ales. Yes, many of our pubs are controlled by a small number of Pubco's, who limit the range that can be offered, but somehow the licensees manage to come up with a good variety. We are well served with true freehouses with a firm focus on real ale and licensees who believe in the stuff and make every effort to serve something different. Whether you prefer your bitter pale and hoppy or brown and malty; maybe golden and fuller flavoured; or perhaps your drinking taste buds come from the dark side and lean more towards stouts and milds, there will be a pub near you with just what you are looking for. We often take for granted what is readily available and it has taken a trip to the other end of the country to make me realise just how lucky we are. So, to all our hard working publicans – a big thank you from Central Lancs branch of CAMRA for all your efforts to make our area a great one in which to go for a drink. While thanking our licensees, a little note to all of you. We try to be fair when talking about the pubs in our area, but it is difficult to mention all of the pubs and we sometimes get a 'moan' from a pub landlord that they never get a mention in Ale Cry. You can help us to give you a name check - if you've got something newsworthy, please let us know and we will do our best to include you in the next issue. Adrian Smith
Dear Ed
The wonderfully named Piddle (a 4.1% bitter) from the Piddle Brewery was tracked down in a pub in Swanage and found Town Mill Lyme Gold at the brewery shop in Lyme Regis. Other than this we failed to locate any brews from the other Dorset micro’s – in two instances failing to find the beers available in the breweries own pub! There were occasional high spots – one being the Bottle Inn at Marshwood. This has just been voted the West Dorset Pub of the Year, and with 6 handpumped ales including a dark mild, this was a great find and is highly recommended.
Good Morning. I’ve just finished reading the Spring magazine and wanted to mention how much I enjoyed it. Plenty of pubs covered which I haven't visited either at all or for a long time, visits to Chorley and Adlington required. I don't live in your area but got to a few pubs not previously visited last week when my wife and I went to the festival at the Continental. Hopefully we'll be back in Preston if the festival for late September at the Ale Emporium is confirmed. Just one thing that I would change with the magazine, does it have a title? It's not clear from the front page but may be called The Heart of Lancashire though it looks more like it is called Moorbrook Saved!
Cheers, Dave Sheldon Dave The magazine is not called either ‘The Heart of Lancashire’ or ‘Moorbrook saved’ but ‘Ale Cry.’ It perhaps should have been called ‘The Editor is an Idiot’ - It was my mistake that the masthead disappeared. Ed 20
The Old Vic
Also known as the Vic and Station
Tel.No.
Find us
Fishergate Preston
Opposite Preston Railway Station CAMRA Recommended Good Beer Guide 2014 7 Handpumps in action Normally 20 different real ales available during the course of a week Two 3D screens - 5 Sports足Boxes Showing: Football, Rugby, Cricket, Horse Racing, Darts, Athletics, Tennis, Golf and other major events Traditional pub with traditional lunchtime bar meals Buffets can足be arranged
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Mountain View C.M.I.C.
Below are listed the 33 clubs in our branch area that are at this time understood to be selling real ale on a regular basis. Again we would like to learn of any further clubs that can be added to this list, and we would welcome any information about them which can be passed to the branch by sending an e-mail to clcamra@rocketmail.com.
Gordon Small CLUBS SELLING REAL ALE Note: Those marked (P) operate with a Premises Licence, while those marked (C) operate under a Club Premises Certificate. (P) Bamber Bridge Football Club (C) School Lane Club (Bamber Bridge) (C) Trades Hall Club & Institute (Bamber Bridge) (C) Broughton & District Club (C) Charnock Richard Football Club (P) Chorley Cricket Club (C) Chorley Subscription Bowling Club Neil Kellet gave a excellent speach to a (C) St George's Church Institute (Chorley) packed audience at the White Hart in (P) Victory Park Social Club (Chorley) Chorley and answered questions about (C) Euxton Parish Institute & War Memorial Club the growth and success of the CAMRA (C) Fulwood Club Members Investment Club, which now (P) Fulwood & Broughton Cricket Club has over £17m assets We thank (C) Lonsdale Sports & Social Club (Fulwood) Neil and Landlord Tony for an (P) Fox Lane Sports & Social Club (Leyland) enjoyableand enlightening evening. (P) Leyland & Farington Social Club Unfortunately Lord Mountain was unable (P) Leyland Golf Club to produce an article for this issue (C) St Mary's Priory Club (Leyland) Normal service will resume next issue ed (C) Longridge & District Conservative Club CLUBWATCH UPDATE (P) Longton VM Sports & Social Club Clubwatch has been introduced with the intention (C) Lostock Hall Conservative Club that CAMRA Central Lancashire branch eventual- (P) Our Lady & St Gerard's Parochial Centre (Lostock Hall) ly draw up a complete list of all clubs in the branch (C) New Longton Sports & Social Club area that are known to be selling real ale. (P) St Teresa's Parish Centre (Penwortham) There are two more additions to Clubwatch since (P) Vernon-Carus Sports Club (Penwortham) the last list was printed in Ale Cry 102. First we (P) BAC/EE Sports & Social Club (Preston) have the TRADES HALL CLUB & INSTITUTE on (C) Frenchwood Social Club (Preston) Station Road in Bamber Bridge, a club which was (C) New Meadow Street Labour Club (Preston) understood to have been selling real ale for several (C) Preston Golf Club years, but one which until recently we had no defi- (P) Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club nite confirmation of this fact. Second we have the (C) Thurlby Club, Ashton (Preston) VERNON-CARUS SPORTS CLUB on Factory Lane (C) 55th Division Association Club (Preston) in Penwortham, again a club which was believed to (P) Whittingham & Goosnargh Sports & Social Club be selling real ale, and again one that needed to be (P) Oak Royal Golf & Country Club (Withnell) checked out before it could be added to the list.
THE MALT AND
Free HOPS House
‘One of Chorley’s most popular
real ale hostelries - a long time Good Beer Guide entry - a stopping off point for train and bus commuters, serving a wide and changing range of ‘locales’. Fancy a game of Draughts come along (alternate Tuesdays). Quiz night is Wednesday with free hot pot. There’s Poker on Saturdays The Malt and Hops offers free wifi, sports t.v.and much more. The Malt and Hops is on twitter and facebook.
Beer Garden
Bring your own food in for a D.I.Y.B.B.Q. Well worth a visit or two or three or more
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THE 33 Hough Lane, Leyland, MARKET ALE HOUSE PR25 2SB
*
*
CAMRA’s Pub of the Season - This Summer
* Quality cask ales, cider and wine * Constantly changing selection of cask ales from microbreweries in Lancashire and the North of England * Bar snacks inc pork pies and cheese platter `` * No tv's, music or mobile phones just good old conversation (or peace and quiet) Opening Hours Mon-Thurs 12 noon to 9pm ish, Fri and Sat 12noon to 11pm, Sun 12noon to 7pm Tel: 01772 623363 e.mailthemarketalehouse@hotmail.co.uk
Insert at top of your glass - idea taken from the award winning West Riding Licenced Refreshment Rooms on Dewsbury Railway Station
Don’t have Your Glass disappear when you leave the table ( cut along the V )
----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------Please Please Please Please Please Please don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t take take take take take take my my my my my my Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass
V V V V V V
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------Please Please Please Please Please Please don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t take take take take take take my my my my my my Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass
V V V V V V
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
23
Don’t have Your Glass disappear when you leave the table ( cut along the V ) ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------Please Please Please Please Please Please don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t take take take take take take my my my my my my Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass
V V V V V V
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------Please Please Please Please Please Please don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t take take take take take take my my my my my my Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass
V V V V V V
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
24
At The Wheatsheaf we support our local businesses where ever possible sourcing only the best local produce for our homemade meals. --
Five quality Cask Ales to choose from. -Hours Of Opening; Monday - Thursday 12:00 - 23:00 Friday 12:00 - 24:00 Saturday 10:00 - 24:00 Sunday 10:00 - 23:00
!
Food Served; Monday - Friday 12:00 -14:30 / 17:00 - 21:00 Saturday & Sunday 10:00 - 21:00 (Breakfast served 10:00 - 12:00)
!
Town Road, Croston Lancashire, PR26 9RA 01772 600 370
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Regular Live Music and a monthly Open Mic night - from 9:30pm on the second Thursday of every month. --
Weekly Quiz night with free Nibbles and great Cash prizes -Tuesdays from 9:30pm. --
Large Outside Area --
Families & Dogs welcome
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Branch Meetings (8pm): Branch / Socials* Committee # You’re welcome to attend any of our meetings / trips
July 10 * Market Ale House (Leyland) Pub Of The Season Presentation 11 *Moorbrook (Preston) Social - Meet the Branch 31 # Old Vic (Preston) Aug 18 * Anchor (Lostock Hall) Sept 11 # Malt & Hops (Chorley) 22 * Ale Emporium (Preston)
Trips / Visits / Ale Trails:
The branch would welcome more members and potential members joining us on our trips and visits. Our next one is: Wed 16th July - Ale Cry distribution Crawl Parbold - (7pm -10.45) Sat 2nd Aug - Wilson Potter brewery (Middleton) NOTE: by train Pub of the year social and presentation The Horns Goosnargh Thur 7th Aug - (7.15 - 10.45) Presentation takes place about 9pm To book places contact ++Paul Riley 01772 709272.. Minibuses leave from Old Vicarage, Preston (near bus station) Officers and Contacts:
Branch Contact/Chairman Adrian Smith 01257 273931 Secretary / Web site / Gordon Small 01772 746118 14 Bank Parade Penwortham Preston Treasurer Paul Riley 01772 709272 Vice-Chairman John Singleton 07449 453854 Pubs Officer Adrian Smith 01257 273931 Womens contact: Sue Riley 01772 709272 Social Secretary Steve Enderby 01257 410146 Young Members Vacant Communications (inc. editor) Mick Clark 07984 840486 Membership John Singleton 07449 453854
Our advertisers benefit from our 6,000 copies being read by over 50,000 drinkers all over the uk.It’s directed advertising so it reaches where you want it to reach Prices:
Double page £300 Back page £195 Full page £175 Half Page £ 95 Quarter Page £ 55 Because our Membership Secretary has been having technical problems Sorry -- again no winners of the three gallons for recruiting a friend or 3 gals for distributing Ale Cry (see next page) so in the next issue there will be 6 winners sharing 24 gals. Could that be you ??? Ed
email address: clcamra@rocketmail.com
website- http://www.centrallancscamra.org.uk www.facebook.com CAMRA Central Lancashire Branch
18 pubs closing every day. The impact on our society is extremely serious.We need your support. Join us - see next page >>>
Disclaimer:
Stopping conThe views expressed glomerates turnin Ale Cry are not ing pubs into necessarily those of supermarkets the Editor, the Central just one of many Lancashire Branch of CAMRA, fights CAMRA or of the Campaign must fight. Join us in that for Real Ale fight ............. Published by: The Central see next page >>> Lancashire Branch Of The Campaign for Real Ale
Deadline for Adverts and Articles for the 24/08/14 Autumn Edition:: 26 12/09/14 Expected Publication Date:
The Angel Lune Street Preston
Under New Management 4 Cask Ales £2 Pint Offers
AMAZING OFFERS FOR REAL ALE DRINKERS
Accordingly, in association with CAMRA, we are pleased to announce these AMAZING offers:
£20 of JD Wetherspoon Real Ale tokens
15 months membership for the price of 12 if you agree to pay by direct debit
Proud supporter of traditional,
then once you’ve joined :
healthy, British made, real
ales & CAMRA in its fight to bring this healthy, organically produced example of
Chance to win 24 pints to enjoy in Greyfriars, Friargate, Preston for recruiting a friend to CAMRA
Chance to win 24 pints to enjoy in the Leyland Lion on Hough Lane, Leyland for helping keep the branch informed about what’s happening in your local pubs
British culture to more people’s attention. You don’t need an existing member to recommend you to join CAMRA, but if one has, he or she could win 3 gallons of real ale , just by insterting their details here.
Name Membership No Phone No
So fill in this application form a.s.a.p. and post it to:
FAO Gary Fowler Wetherspoons Membership Offer, CAMRA, 230, Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW.
Single Membership (uk & eu) £23 £25 Concessionary (under 26 or over 60) £15.50 £17.50 Joint Membership (Partner at the same address) £28 £30 Concessionary (under 26 or over 60) £18.50 £20.50 I wish to Join the Campaign for Real Ale and agree to abide by the Memorandum and Articles of the Association I enclose a cheque for: (or complete dd >>) Signed: Date: . (If Joint membership - Partners name and signature): Date:
.
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Outside Dining Area at Leyland
Bar Area Bamber Bridge
Great Beer & Great Food Food Served Monday to Saturday Lunchtime 12:00 ‐ 2pm Evening Service 6pm ‐ 9pm Sunday All Day 12:00 ‐ 9pm
www.withyarms.com Bamber Bridge ☎ 01772 697706
Leyland Old Town ☎ 01772 301969
6 Hand Pulls In Each Pub