Leics Be Having You!

Last week, it was time for another excursion, this time into one of the neighbouring cities in the East Midlands. My travelling companion was none other than Matt, up from Bristol for a couple of days and he was very excited, as was I, to finally explore the city of Leicester.

Leicester  is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National Forest.
In the 2011 census the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 329,839 making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region. The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England and the 13th most populous the United Kingdom.
Leicester is at the intersection of two major railway lines—the north/south Midland Main Line and the east/west Birmingham to London Stansted CrossCountry line; as well as the confluence of the M1/M69 motorways and the A6/A46 trunk routes. Leicester is the home of Leicester City, a club that caused a major upset by winning the 2016 Premier League title, the first new English championship winners for several decades at the time.

The name of Leicester is recorded in the 9th-century History of the Britons as Cair Lerion (whence Welsh Caerlŷr), and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Ligora-ceastre. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as Ledecestre. The first element of the name, Ligora or Legora, is explained as a Brittonic river name, in a suggestion going back to William Somner (1701) an earlier name of the River Soar, cognate with the name of the Loire. The second element of the name comes from the Latin castrum which is reflected in both Welsh cair and Anglo-Saxon ceastre.
Based on the Welsh name (given as Kaerleir), Geoffrey of Monmouth proposes a king Leir of Britain as an eponymous founder in his Historia Regum Britanniae (12th century).

Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a history going back at least two millennia. The native Iron Age settlement encountered by the Romans at the site seems to have developed in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. Little is known about this settlement or the condition of the River Soar at this time, although roundhouses from this era have been excavated and seem to have clustered along roughly 8 hectares (20 acres) of the east bank of the Soar above its confluence with the Trent. This area of the Soar was split into two channels: a main stream to the east and a narrower channel on the west, with a presumably marshy island between. The settlement seems to have controlled a ford across the larger channel. The later Roman name was a latinate form of the Brittonic word for "ramparts" (cf. Gaelic rath & the nearby villages of Ratby and Ratcliffe), suggesting the site was an oppidum. The plural form of the name suggests it was initially composed of several villages. The Celtic tribe holding the area was later recorded as the "Coritanians" but an inscription recovered in 1983 showed this to have been a corruption of the original "Corieltauvians". The Corieltauvians are believed to have ruled over roughly the area of the East Midlands. It is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD 47, during their conquest of southern Britain. The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way, a Roman road between the legionary camps at Isca (Exeter) and Lindum (Lincoln). It remains unclear whether the Romans fortified and garrisoned the location, but it slowly developed from around the year 50 onwards as the tribal capital of the Corieltauvians under the name Ratae Corieltauvorum. In the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls and dating back to AD 300 was announced. The remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall; recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum.

Knowledge of the town following the Roman withdrawal from Britain is limited. Certainly there is some continuation of occupation of the town, though on a much reduced scale in the 5th and 6th centuries. Its memory was preserved as the Cair Lerion of the History of the Britons. Following the Saxon invasion of Britain, Leicester was occupied by the Middle Angles and subsequently administered by the kingdom of Mercia. It was elevated to a bishopric in either 679 or 680; this see survived until the 9th century, when Leicester was captured by Danish Vikings. Their settlement became one of the Five Burghs of the Danelaw, although this position was short-lived. The Saxon bishop, meanwhile, fled to Dorchester-on-Thames and Leicester did not become a bishopric again until the Church of St Martin became Leicester Cathedral in 1927. The settlement was recorded under the name Ligeraceaster in the early 10th century.

Following the Norman conquest, Leicester was recorded by William's Domesday Book as Ledecestre. It was noted as a city (civitas) but lost this status in the 11th century owing to power struggles between the Church and the aristocracy and did not become a legal city again until 1919.
Geoffrey of Monmouth composed his History of the Kings of Britain around the year 1136, naming a King Leir as an eponymous founder figure. According to Geoffrey's narrative, Cordelia had buried her father beneath the river in a chamber dedicated to Janus and his feast day was an annual celebration.
During the C14th the earls of Leicester and Lancaster enhanced the prestige of the town. Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and of Leicester founded a hospital for the poor and infirm in the area to the south of the castle now known as The Newarke (the "new work"). Henry's son, the great Henry of Grosmont, 4th Earl of Lancaster and of Leicester, who was made first Duke of Lancaster, enlarged and enhanced his father's foundation, and built the collegiate Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady of The Newarke. This church (a little of which survives in the basement of the Hawthorn Building of De Montfort University) was destroyed during the reign of King Edward VI. It became an important pilgrimage site because it housed a thorn said to be from the Crown of Thorns, given to the Duke by the King of France. The church (described by Leland in the C16th as "not large but exceeding fair") also became, effectively, a Lancastrian mausoleum. Duke Henry's daughter Blanche of Lancaster married John of Gaunt and their son Henry Bolingbroke became King Henry IV when he deposed King Richard II. The Church of the Annunciation was the burial place of Duke Henry, who had earlier had his father re-interred here. Later it became the burial place of Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster (second wife of John of Gaunt) and of Mary de Bohun, first wife of Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) and mother of King Henry V (she did not become queen because she died before Bolingbroke became king). John of Gaunt died at Leicester Castle in 1399. When his son became king, the Earldom of Leicester and the Duchy of Lancaster became royal titles (and the latter remains so).

At the end of the War of the Roses, King Richard III was buried in Leicester's Greyfriars Church. The site of that church is now covered by more modern buildings and a car park. There was a legend his corpse had been cast into the river, while some historians argued his tomb and remains were destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. However, in September 2012, an archaeological investigation of the car park revealed a skeleton which DNA testing helped verify to be related to two descendants of Richard III's sister. It was concluded that the skeleton was that of Richard III because of the DNA evidence and the shape of the spine. In 2015 Richard III was reburied in pride of place near the high altar in Leicester Cathedral.

On 4 November 1530, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was arrested on charges of treason and taken from York Place. On his way south to face dubious justice at the Tower of London, he fell ill. The group escorting him was concerned enough to stop at Leicester. There, Wolsey's condition quickly worsened. He died on 29 November 1530 and was buried at Leicester Abbey, now Abbey Park.
Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry VII who reigned as England's uncrowned Queen Regnant for nine days in June 1553, was born at Bradgate Park near Leicester around 1536.
Queen Elizabeth I's intimate and former suitor, Robert Dudley, was given the Earldom of Leicester.
The Corporation of Leicester opposed the efforts of Charles I of England to disafforest the nearby Leicester Forest, believing them to be likely to throw many of its residents into poverty and need of relief. Sir Miles Fleetwood was sent to commission the disafforestation and division of lands being used in common. Riots destroyed enclosures in spring 1627 and 1628, following a pattern of anti-enclosure disturbances found elsewhere including the Western Rising.
Petitions challenging the enclosures were presented by the Corporation of Leicester and borough residents to the King and Privy Council. They were unsuccessful so petitioned the House of Lords in June 1628 who however supported Fleetwood but asked for proceedings made by the Crown against the rioters to be dropped. Compensation made to the legal residents of the forest was reasonably generous by comparison with other forests. The Corporation received 40 acres (16 ha) for relief of the poor.

Leicester was a Roundhead stronghold during the English Civil War. In 1645, Prince Rupert decided to attack the city to draw the New Model Army away from the Royalist headquarters of Oxford. Royalist guns were set up on Raw Dykes and, after an unsatisfactory response to a demand for surrender, the Newarke was stormed and the city was sacked on 30 May. Hundreds of people were killed by Rupert's cavalry and reports of the severity of the sacking were further exaggerated by the Parliamentary press in London.

The construction of the Grand Union Canal in the 1790s linked Leicester to London and Birmingham. In 1832, the railway arrived in Leicester in the form of The Leicester and Swannington Railway which provided a supply of coal to the town from nearby collieries. The Midland Counties Railway (running from Derby to Rugby) linked the town to the national network by 1840. A direct link to London St Pancras Station was established by the Midland Railway in the 1860s. These developments encouraged and accompanied a process of industrialisation which intensified throughout the reign of Queen Victoria. Factories began to appear, particularly along the canal and river, and districts such as Frog Island and Woodgate were the locations of numerous large mills. Between 1861 and 1901, Leicester's population increased from 68,100 to 211,600 and the proportion employed in trade, commerce, building, and the city's new factories and workshops rose steadily. Hosiery, textiles, and footwear became the major industrial employers: manufacturers such as N. Corah & Sons and the Cooperative Boot and Shoe Company were opening some of the largest manufacturing premises in Europe. They were joined, in the latter part of the century, by engineering firms such as Kent Street's Taylor & Hubbard (crane makers & founders), Vulcan Road's William Gimson & Company (steam boilers & founders), and Martin Street's Richards & Company (steel works & founders).
The politics of Victorian Leicester were lively and very often bitter. Years of consistent economic growth meant living standards generally increased, but Leicester was a stronghold of Radicalism. Thomas Cooper, the Chartist, kept a shop in Church Gate. There were serious Chartist riots in the town in 1842 and again six years later. The Leicester Secular Society was founded in 1851 but secularist speakers such as George Holyoake were often denied the use of speaking halls. It was not until 1881 that Leicester Secular Hall was opened. The second half of the 19th century also witnessed the creation of many other institutions, including the town council, the Royal Infirmary, and the Leicester Constabulary. It also benefited from general acceptance (and the Public Health Acts ) that municipal organisations had a responsibility to provide for the town's water supply, drainage, and sanitation. In 1853, backed with a guarrantee of dividends by the Corporation the Leicester Waterworks Company built a reservoir at Thornton for the supply of water to the town . This guarrantee was made possible by the Public Health Act 1847 and an amending local Act of Parliament of 1851. In 1866 another amending Act enabled the Corporation to take shares in the company to enable another reservoir at Cropston, completed in 1870. The Corporation was later able to buy the waterworks and build another reservoir at Swithland, completed in the 1890s.
Leicester became a county borough in 1889, although it was abolished with the rest in 1974 as part of the Local Government Act. The city regained its unitary status apart from Leicestershire in 1997. The borough had been expanding throughout the 19th century, but grew most notably when it annexed Belgrave, Aylestone, North Evington, Knighton, and Stoneygate in 1892.

In 1900, the Great Central Railway provided another link to London, but the rapid population growth of the previous decades had already begun to slow by the time of Queen Victoria's death in 1901. World War I and the subsequent epidemics had further impacts. Nonetheless, Leicester was finally recognised as a legal city once more in 1919 and, in 1927, again became a cathedral city on the consecration of St Martin's Church as the Cathedral. A second major extension to the boundaries following the changes in 1892 took place in 1935, with the annexation of the remainder of Evington, Humberstone, Beaumont Leys, and part of Braunstone. A third major revision of the boundaries took place in 1966, with the net addition to the city of just over 450 acres (182 ha). The boundary has remained unchanged since that time.

Leicester's diversified economic base and lack of dependence on primary industries meant it was much better placed than many other cities to weather the tariff wars of the 1920s and Great Depression of the 1930s. The Bureau of Statistics of the newly formed League of Nations identified Leicester in 1936 as the 2nd-richest city in Europe and it became an attractive destination for refugees fleeing persecution and political turmoil in continental Europe. Firms such as Corah and Liberty Shoes used their reputation for producing high-quality products to expand their businesses. These years witnessed the growth in the city of trade unionism and particularly the co-operative movement. The Co-op became an important employer and landowner; when Leicester played host to the Jarrow March on its way to London in 1936, the Co-op provided the marchers with a change of boots. In 1938, Leicester was selected as the base for Squadron 1F, the first A.D.C.C (Air Defence Cadet Corp), the predecessor of the Air Training Corps.
The years after World War II, particularly from the 1960s onwards, brought many social and economic challenges. Mass housebuilding continued across Leicester for some 30 years after 1945. Existing housing estates such as Braunstone were expanded, while several completely new estates – of both private and council tenure – were built. The last major development of this era was Beaumont Leys in the north of the city, which was developed in the 1970s as a mix of private and council housing. There was a steady decline in Leicester's traditional manufacturing industries and, in the city centre, working factories and light industrial premises have now been almost entirely replaced. Many former factories, including some on Frog Island and at Donisthorpe Mill, have been badly damaged by fire. Rail and barge were finally eclipsed by automotive transport in the 1960s and 1970s: the Great Central and the Leicester & Swannington both closed and the northward extension of the M1 motorway linked Leicester into England's growing motorway network. With the loss of much of the city's industry during the 1970s and 1980s, some of the old industrial jobs were replaced by new jobs in the service sector, particularly in retail. The opening of the Haymarket Shopping Centre in 1971 was followed by a number of new shopping centres in the city, including St Martin's Shopping Centre in 1984 and the Shire Shopping Centre in 1992. The Shires was subsequently expanded in September 2008 and rebranded as Highcross. By the 1990s, as well, Leicester's central position and good transport links had established it as a distribution centre; the southwestern area of the city has also attracted new service and manufacturing businesses.
Since the war, Leicester has experienced large scale immigration from across the world. Many Polish servicemen were prevented from returning to their homeland after the war by the communist regime, and they established a small community in Leicester. Economic migrants from the Irish Republic continued to arrive throughout the post war period. Immigrants from the Indian sub-continent began to arrive in the 1960s, their numbers boosted by Asians arriving from Kenya and Uganda in the early 1970s.
In 1972, Idi Amin announced that the entire Asian community in Uganda had 90 days to leave the country. Shortly thereafter, the Leicester City Council launched a campaign aimed at dissuading Ugandan Asians from migrating to the city. The adverts did not have their intended effect, instead making more migrants aware of the possibility of settling in Leicester. Nearly a quarter of initial Ugandan refugees (around 5000 to 6000) settled in Leicester, and by the end of the 1970s around another quarter of the initially dispersed refugees had made their way to Leicester. Officially, the adverts were taken out for fear that immigrants to Leicester would place pressure on city services and at least one person who was a city councillor at the time says he believes they were placed for racist reasons. The initial advertisement was widely condemned, and taken as a marker of anti-Asian sentiment throughout Britain as a whole, although the attitudes that resulted in the initial advertisement were changed significantly in subsequent decades, not least because the immigrants included the owners of many of "Uganda's most successful businesses."
Forty years later, Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby expressed his regret for the behaviour of the council at the time.
In the 1990s, a group of Dutch citizens of Somali origin settled in the city. Since the 2004 enlargement of the European Union a significant number of East European migrants have settled in the city. While some wards in the northeast of the city are more than 70% South Asian, wards in the west and south are all over 70% white. The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) had estimated that by 2011 Leicester would have approximately a 50% ethnic minority population, making it the first city in Britain not to have a white British majority. This prediction was based on the growth of the ethnic minority populations between 1991 (Census 1991 28% ethnic minority) and 2001 (Census 2001 – 36% ethnic minority). However Professor Ludi Simpson at the University of Manchester School of Social Sciences said in September 2007 that the CRE had "made unsubstantiated claims and ignored government statistics" and that Leicester's immigrant and minority communities disperse to other places.
The Leicester Multicultural Advisory Group is a forum, set up in 2001 by the editor of the Leicester Mercury, to co-ordinate community relations with members representing the council, police, schools, community and faith groups, and the media.

Leicester is a fine city with an extensive and diverse history and it was now time to see what gems could be found in a few of its drinking establishments. The day of our trip turned out to be Halloween and we were very much intrigued to see whether the real ale scene in these parts was one of magic or a thing of horror. We arrived in Leicester by train, just after 11.30am and it wasn't long at all until we'd located the first venue on the day's itinerary. Located right next to the station entrance, our day was to begin at The Parcel Yard.

This modest looking shop frontage leads into a spacious former sorting office and parcel yard for the adjacent station. Owned by Steamin' Billy brewery, this is a modern bar with contemporary furnishings and quirky features. There is a small seating area just inside the door and a small flight of steps leading into the larger lower level which houses the bar and more seating, including a row of booths opposite the bar with lights above made from old bowler hats. The bar has a strong beer focus, featuring craft keg taps and, more importantly, 6 handpulls, 4 of which are in use during our visit. Our choices to start the day were Steamin' Billy 1485, Steamin' Billy Billy, Butcombe Adam Henson's Rare Breed and Charnwood Black Hen. We opted for the Billy (4.3%), contract brewed for the pub chain by Belvoir Brewery. This is a light, golden three hop English bitter with a pronounced floral flavour and aroma followed by a lingering aftertaste. It's a very nice beer on which to begin and the venue itself is brilliant and considerably bigger than it looks from outside!

To continue our trip, we now headed towards the city centre proper, which is only a short walk away, in search of our next location. Located on a main thoroughfare through the shopping precinct, is the Barley Mow.

This is a traditional town centre boozer that operates as part of the Everards estate. A refurbishment in early 2013 took away the much loved pool table in favour of an ale house theme which now boasts 13 handpumps in banks of 5, 3 and 5. As it is part of the Everards chain, I was holding high hopes for the Barley Mow. The interior is long and a study in bare wood floors with seating arranged around the edge, the bar along one wall and a couple of TVs, both on mute, at opposite ends of the room. Whether it was due to the time of day or it being a relatively quiet midweek afternoon, only 1 of the aforementioned handpumps was in use, offering Everards Tiger. Thankfully the beer quality made up for the disappointment in choice and this is always a positive sign. There was enough evidence on show that suggests that their is a wider choice at busier times so I'm prepared to extend the benefit of the doubt in this case.

Our next stop was the customary visit to a local Wetherspoons, in this case accessed after a short walk to The Last Plantagenet.

Named after Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, who stayed in Leicester prior to his death at Bosworth Field in 1485, this is potentially the largest pub floor space in the city. Typical Wetherspoons décor, complete with the obligatory trek to the toilets, features a curved bar to one side that utilises 15 handpumps, in 3 banks of 5. 14 of these are in use whilst we're there, offering an interesting choice. The beers to decide between are Doom Bar, Abbot Ale, Ruddles Bitter (all doubled up), Caledonian Trojan Horse, Fort Oatmeal Porter, Hogs Back Farnham White, Vale Steam Punk, Arcadia Autumn Wheat, Woodforde's Tundra, Theakston Pink Grapefruit and Atlas Nimbus. Matt, now sufficiently recovered from the hangover he was nursing, plumped for the Steam Punk. I was intrigued by the Woodforde's Tundra and so decided to give this a go. This proved to be an excellent choice. Billed as a white IPA, Tundra is a very drinkable, very refreshing pale ale with a nice hop balance and a dry, crisp aftertaste, all for just 4.6%! There were quite a few customers already in during the time of our stop which is perhaps no surprise given the general popularity of Spoons and the fact that it was lunchtime. This was a very nice pub in the chain with some excellent beer on offer too!

We veered slightly away from the city centre for our next location which takes pride of place on a street corner. Featured in the Good Beer Guide, our next stop was the Ale Wagon.

Originally the Queens Hotel, the pub was built in 1931 to replace a Victorian hotel on the adjacent corner It still retains its 1930s interior, including an original oak staircase, and has two rooms with tiled and parquet flooring either side of a central bar. Hops decorate the drainpipes. The pub was originally owned by Ansells then, after years of neglect and deterioration, it was acquired by the present owners, the Hoskins family, who opened it as their first tied house in 1999. Internally, the walls feature photos of the former hotel, the pub itself in the 30s and Hoskins Brewery. The bar itself features 12 handpulls, 11 of which are in use, offering for our delectation Thistly Cross cider as well as Tiny Rebel Cwtch, Hop Back Taiphoon, Hoskins Brothers Old Hoskins Porter, Belvoir Dark Horse and doubles of Hoskins Hob, Hoskins IPA and Hoskins Green & Gold. On this occasion, I decided on the Taiphoon (4.2%) from Wiltshire's Hop Back Brewery. This is a clean-tasting, light, fruity beer with hops and fruit on the aroma, complex hop character and lemongrass notes in the taste, slight sweetness balanced with some astringency in the aftertaste. It's a punchbowl of flavours and very refreshing, especially when enjoyed in the environs of this wonderful pub with its traditional charm and original features. A hidden gem indeed.

It was back into the Everards stable for the next pitstop. Making our way back into the side streets of the city centre, we soon arrived at The Globe.

A pub since 1720, ales used to be brewed here using water from the well under the pub. The current pub is a non-listed, late 18th century Georgian building that has been owned by Everards since the late 19th century. Until 2001, entry was into a congested irregularly-shaped lobby area with a small servery on the left hand side. A sympathetic remodelling has since taken place, creating a new, central island servery which retains some of the original bar features, with small rooms around. An interesting historical feature was the small snug to the right of the entrance, which has been retained albeit with some modernisation. There is an upstairs function which has its own bar and downstairs is decorated with local historical photographs and bricabrac. The gas lights have been restored and are used on special occasions. This was the first Everards pub to return to selling real ale. Whilst the building already has a long history and retains features of this, there are other aspects of the past that still remain. Prior to use as a pub, the building is believed to have been both a cattle merchants and accommodation for women awaiting execution at nearby Gallowtree Gate. This appears to have left an impression or two in the form of apparent hauntings. These take the form of a woman who appears on the stairs, two disagreeing brothers seen and heard arguing over the bar and a young boy in the cellar notorious for turning off the beer lines. Speaking of beer lines, the bar is fully equipped with 10 handpumps, divided across both sides of the bar, featuring a variety of regular and guest beers. On this occasion, the beers are Everards beers are Beacon Hill, Tiger (x2), Sunchaser, Old Original (x2) and Pumpkin Pie, accompanied by Wadworth Treacle Treat and two ciders, namely Rosie's Pig and Woodhall's Wizard's Sleeve. Whilst Matt mistakenly ordered Wizard's Sleeve thinking it was an ale, I went for the Old Original which was fantastic and tasting just as it should, no less than you'd expect from an Everards pub. Thankfully Matt rather enjoys cider so his mistake ended up being nothing of the sort by the end. This is a very old and yet very cosy pub that is definitely worth a visit!

It was something slightly different in order for our next stop. Whilst it was still an Everards property, it was significantly different in both style and atmosphere. Next up was the Rutland & Derby.
 

This Good Beer Guide listed pub has an open plan interior and a contemporary ambience. The long bar is directly opposite the front entrance while off to the left is a lounge bar styled area which leads to a restaurant area on a raised level. At the back is a brick-paved courtyard with a metallic spiral staircase that leads to a rooftop terrace. The bar features 5 handpumps, offering a choice between Lilley's cider, Everards Sunchaser, Greene King Grubber, Everards Tiger and Heritage Masterpiece. This time, I decided on the Masterpiece, courtesy of Burton's Heritage Brewery. At 5.4%, this is an IPA big on flavours. It features aromatic hops, cereal notes and hints of smoke and spice enhanced by a fragrant, fruity character and a top note of fresh bread. A full, luxurious mouthfeel combines with a subtle peppery flavour. It was certainly an impressive tasting beer! As well as a good choice of beer, the bar also featured a barmaid who was unmistakably from the West Country, Bath as it turned out. Only Matt could travel to the Midlands and bump into someone from his neck of the woods in a pub he's never been to! It certainly made this pub even more memorable!

There was a bit more walking involved now, which took us past the Leicester branch of Brewdog, sadly too soon for it to open, and along to our next stop. We now visited the Bowling Green.
 

Originally dating mostly from the 18th century, this is a Grade 2 listed building that has existed under a number of different incarnations. One of the oldest pubs in Leicester it was previously owned by Ansells under the name the Old Bowling Green. Following spells as the Fullback & Firkin and the Scream-branded Polar Bear it was given a makeover in 2015 by current owners Stonegate which has resulted in a more traditional pub, a return to its original name and a blending of older features with modern tastes. Two original fireplaces were uncovered during this refurbishment and load bearing truss in the front entrance dates to the 14th century. The front parts of the building are old and beamed with panelling. The rear areas have been opened out and are more modern with music, games and sports TVs. The rear features an enclosed courtyard seating area. 5 of the bars 8 handpumps were in use, featuring Lilley's Mango cider, Lilley's Crazy Goat, Robinson's Dizzy Blonde, Robinson's Delilah and Caledonian Deuchars IPA. Despite exposing myself to a lot of Robinson's beer during my recent Stockport trip, Delilah was a new one on me so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. This turned out to be a very delicious pale ale with a good balance of hops and citrus flavours and a smooth, dry backbone. It was now an opportune time to have some food and we both enjoyed a very good burger whilst perched on stools at a high table near the bar.

Suitably nourished, we continued on our way. Our next stop wasn't too much further away and we now arrived at the Sir Robert Peel.

Another Everards pub in their traditional heartland, the pub is named after the man who was twice Prime Minister between 1788 and 1850 and who is largely responsible for creating the concept of modern policing thanks to the introduction of the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829 whilst home secretary. This has been an Everards house since 1901 and was refurbished by them in a traditional style in 2013. 9 handpumps are located on the bar here, 7 of which were in use whilst we were there. Our options were Orchard Pig Hog Father, Everards Tiger (x2), Wadworth Treacle Treat, Everards Beacon Hill, Heritage Masterpiece and Everards Sunchaser. My choice of the Sunchaser was well founded and this was excellently kept!

We had 2 stops left on our day's agenda and our next was a short distance away at the Bricklayers Arms.

This Victorian corner pub was run by the Oakland family in the 1880s and owned by Beeston Brewery which was taken over by Shipstones of Nottingham in 1922. The pub was extended in 1983 to incorporate the adjacent shop and became an Irish bar in 1995 whilst under Greenalls' ownership. It then passed into the ownership of Scottish & Newcastle when it was refurbished and reverted to its original name. Having been closed for 2 years, it reopened in March 2015. The interior consists of one large open plan L-shaped room with a partially covered courtyard/smoking area at the rear. 4 handpumps sit on the bar, half of which are available offering a choice between St. Austell Tribute and the pub's own Welford Road Ale. Matt and I are both big fans of Tribute so it doesn't take us long to decide on this. The beer is in good condition and certainly helps detract from the couple having a 'disagreement' at the bar.

There was just time for one more stop before our return journey and this was the 3rd of the day's pubs to feature in the Good Beer Guide. The day was to conclude at the King's Head.

This pub started life as a tiny city centre local, owned by M&B which was extended to its current size in 1993. It was acquired by Black Country Ales and reopened after a refurbishment in 2012. Inside it boasts an open fire, whilst a roof terrace ensures that is popular with the local real ale community. 12 handpumps take pride of place, with 10 of these in use during our visit, offering an interesting variety of beers namely Black Country Pig in the Wall, Black Country Fireside, Black Country Blackcurrant, Black Country Black Rat Cider, Lister's Special, Peerless Jinja Ninja, Salcombe Gold, Lister's Limehouse and Swan Lily Little Legs. Brewed by Swan Brewery of Leominster, Herefordshire, Lily Little Legs (4.4%) is a traditional English pale ale with lots of hop flavour and fruity aromas that lead to a juicy hit backed up with a hint of malty bitterness. It's well balanced and a very nice way to end the day.

Leicester had been intriguing. It had been a pleasure being able to explore a city I've heard many good things about, in the company of one of my best friends. It didn't disappoint. The pubs in Leicester are typical for those of such an historic city being varied, interesting and numerous. The beer choice is excellent and allows for a wide variety of options even in the presence of a local brewery with as much clout as Everards, who are still very much a force and rightly so as their beers and pubs are largely responsible for ensuring that real ale still holds a presence in this particular part of the country. There are many more pubs to be explored in the city and so a return trip is a virtual necessity. Overall, this is definitely the best way I could have imagined spending Halloween. Lots of treats and very little trick.

Tis the Season

It's that time of year again. The nights are beginning to draw in, X Factor is well underway and the weather remains unseasonal and unpredictable. That also means that it was time for the annual trip to the Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival at Nottingham Castle. Joining me on this year's crusade were my eternal drinking partner Amy, a particularly excitable George and Chris, back for a week from his Iceland sabbatical and looking to get as drunk as possible, along with his friend Paris. Amy and I arrived just after the doors had opened and promptly exchanged our tickets for glasses and tokens. We were both very excited. This is always one of our highlights of the year and I was interested to see what new beers were to be found amongst the hundreds on offer.

Whilst we waited for the others to arrive, we decided that a palate cleanser was required and so we started off at the lower area of the festival, near to the bandstand. Whilst there were many new beers on offer, we started off with a renowned classic to get us in the mood. Our first stop was the Everards Brewery bar where we both opted for Tiger (4.2%), currently being brewed at Robinsons in Stockport. For those unfamiliar with the beer, it is a clean, malty best bitter with a hoppy aroma. It was a good way to start the festivities although Amy was less keen! Chris and Paris arrived shortly after this so, after collecting them and a festival program, we were ready to get properly stuck in! We had once again this year arrived at the festival on the Thursday, meaning that it was fairly quiet early on and unseasonably warm for mid October. The pleasant weather encouraged us to stay at the lower area initially, at least whilst we waited for George. To pass the time, we headed into the smaller of the 2 marquees that hold the majority of the beers. There seemed to be a big emphasis on fruity and unusual flavours at this year's event, which is by no means a bad thing and I was immediately drawn to an intriguing candidate. From Church End Brewery, based in Atherstone, Warwickshire, I selected Rhubard & Custard (sic). At 4.4%, this is a pale ale with all of the flavours of rhubarb and custard without being too sickly or overly sweet. It was an interesting beer indeed and one I can happily recommend. We headed back outside to wait for George and to allow Chris and Paris to get some food. Upon George's arrival, we took the opportunity to investigate some of the tents and brewery bars that were nearby. I decided, out of pure curiosity, to explore the bar of locally-based Shipstone's Brewery, resurrected in Old Basford a few years ago. Amongst their core range brewed under the Shipstone's name were a couple of beers brewed under the Hollow Stone label and it was one of these that I decided on this time. Their Pale Ale (4.2%) prides itself on containing all British ingredients as well as Jester hops and cultured yeast. It's a refreshing and hoppy beer with citrus undertones and goes down very well.

George was determined to further investigate the marquee that we'd previously visited in hopes of finding some unusual beers. He'd also been intrigued by the rhubarb and custard beer that I'd had and so went to seek that out whilst the rest of us decided on our next beverage. I was drawn to an interesting sounding beer from Welbeck Abbey, another local brewery. Billed as an Australian-style IPA, I chose Claire's High Koalaty (5%). This was very crisp and uplifting with a host of big, hop flavours. I'd never heard of an Australian-style IPA but, based on this example, it's a beer style worth seeking out! The time had come to explore the much larger marquee at the top of the site for the first time, to see what hidden gems we could discover amongst the stillages and brewery bars. It didn't take long to track down something very unusual indeed. Having seen it listed in the program, I sought out the beers of Errant Brewery, based in Newcastle, in hopes of trying their beer called Crystal Skull (4.4%). This is a five-hop ruby red ale, brewed with the addition of Rooibos tea. This provides additional fruity notes and the noticeable flavour of tea! It's a strange but very tasty concoction! The Blue Monkey brewery bar was our next port of call, itself a regular on the beer festival agenda. I instantly decided on the Infinity IPA (4.6%), a satisfying golden ale with a great big hit of Citra hops, which produces a nice, heady beer with a zesty aftertaste. It's very tasty indeed and almost goes down too easily. Another brewery bar got a visit a few minutes later and this was one that I'd never seen with their own bar at the festival before, although the brewery itself is well established. At the other end of the tent was the bar belonging to Nene Valley Brewery, out of Oundle in Northamptonshire. They had a large number of beers on offer and it took a while to decide before I eventually went for Big Bang Theory (5.3%). This is a pale ale with a huge hop aroma, malty sweetness and a gentle, bitter finish. Nene Valley are developing a good reputation for a differing mixture of beer styles and strengths and hopefully their beers will start appearing a bit more locally soon.

It was time for the obligatory purchase of more vouchers before the beer exploration continued and once these had been successfully procured, the drinking recommenced in earnest. My next beer was courtesy of Langley Mill based Abstract Jungle. Sturdy IPA (5.6%) does exactly what it says on the tin. It's brewed as a classic IPA with big hitting American hops that give it a hell of a kick! It was another interesting name that allowed me to choose my next beer, namely Loch Lomond Brewery's Lost in Mosaic (5%), an American pale ale that, in case it wasn't obvious, features Mosaic hops. This was another very hoppy, very refreshing beer and came with a very nice hit of citrus in the aftertaste. I decided that it was time for something a bit darker now. To that end, I selected Dark Secret (5.6%), from Monty's brewery, based in Montgomery in Powys. This is a full bodied oatmeal stout with strong flavours of chocolate and coffee. It's big, heavy and delicious with a delightfully smooth, almost treacly feel and a distinctive smoky aroma. I was very pleased to have chosen this beer as it really stood out. Amy and I decided that some food was now in order so we made the move back down to the lower area in search of sustenance which was much appreciated and very nice indeed. Before long, it was back to the beer and the afternoon continued with a visit to the bar belonging to Magpie Brewery. I decided on the Jay IPA (5.2%), a classic take on an IPA, brewed with all British hops. It's punchy and hoppy with lots of classic IPA flavour and a very smooth, refreshing finish. I'm a big fan of Magpie beers and I don't drink them nearly enough. That will soon change! Another perennial favourite of mine has always been the beers and Steampunk-themed bar of Elston's Funfair Brewery. It was about time that it got its annual visit! Amongst the beers on offer, one in particular stood out, namely Through the Looking Glass (5%), a big brother to Tea Cups which is another of their beers. Both of these are cloudy, traditional ginger beers but the one I've chosen is both stronger and has a fruity twist which makes it truly unique. It was also served from a pump disguised as a retro teapot, adding to the quirkiness of the whole thing.

It was back to the smaller marquee now, where I was eager to try a beer I'd earmarked earlier, due to its fascinating name. Molten Universe (5.8%) comes via Torrside Brewery based in New Mills, Derbyshire. This beer is full of big flavours as it comes heavily equipped with both US and European hops, all jammed into the appearance of a red IPA which boasts a lot of fruity hits on the palate. I wanted something darker again to follow this and this meant another wander up to the main tent in search of just the right thing. I found it in the form of P51 from Northants based Kings Cliffe. At 5.1%, this is brewed with 6 different malts to provide distinctive flavours of both coffee and dark chocolate. This had an almost syrupy quality that worked wonders in the aftertaste with lots of complex malt flavours. A very tasty beer indeed! Another excellent brewery with its own bar in the main tent was Thornbridge and it would have been almost rude to not sample some of their wares whilst the opportunity arose. Crackendale (5.2%) was a good choice. It's a single-hopped pale ale, hopped with Citra and providing a whole host of tropical fruit aromas that lead to zesty and citrusy flavours and a smooth finish. There was time for a couple more beers before we decided to call it quits for another year. The penultimate beer of choice was Wolf Bite (4.8%), from Crafty Little Brewery in Brough, East Yorkshire. This is a classic take on an APA with a heady citrus aroma and a little touch of pine which makes for an interesting, dry aftertaste. Our one for the road, as it were, was to be sourced from the lower area so we could enjoy it on the walk out. I decided I'd make my last beer another from one of the brewery bars and this time I went to the bar belonging to Thorley & Son, from Ilkeston. Their Ruby Ale (5.2%), has a nice amount of spice from the use of Willamette hops and essences of both fruit and floral aromas. It's a cracking combination and a great way to end an excellent day!

So, how does this year's Robin Hood Beer Festival stack up against previous years? I have to say that this may have been the best one yet. I've been every year since 2012 and can honestly say that I don't think I remember such a range and quality of beers from both near and far, served so well and tasting so good! All of the brewers here, even the ones I haven't mentioned, deserve recognition and praise for the work they have done and continue to do in plying their trade to deliver fantastic beers in so many different styles. This is by far one of the best festivals of its type and long may that continue. Next year sees the event relocate to the Forest Recreation Ground so that renovation work on the Castle can begin. It will be interesting to see how a (currently temporary) move to a bigger site will affect things but, if this year is anything to go by, I fail to see that much will change. Following this year's fantastic festival will certainly be a tough ask but I have no doubt they'll try!

Taking Stock of Stockport

I'd first read about the ale scene in Stockport in an article many years ago and made a point to visit as I wanted to see if a place I never would have associated with a diverse real ale scene really lived up to the hype. In the years since this article piqued my interest, I've learned a lot more about the place including it's history as the home of Robinson's renowned Unicorn Brewery. The time had finally come to me to pay the place a proper a visit and see what else I could uncover. I picked a surprisingly nice September Wednesday to make my way to Greater Manchester and what followed had been well worth the wait.


Stockport  is a large town in Greater Manchester, 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Manchester city centre, where the River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey. The town is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name.
Historically, most of the town was in Cheshire, but the area to the north of the Mersey was in Lancashire. Stockport in the 16th century was a small town entirely on the south bank of the Mersey, and known for the cultivation of hemp and manufacture of rope. In the 18th century the town had one of the first mechanised silk factories in the British Isles. However, Stockport's predominant industries of the 19th century were the cotton and allied industries. Stockport was also at the centre of the country's hatting industry, which by 1884 was exporting more than six million hats a year; the last hat works in Stockport closed in 1997.
Dominating the western approaches to the town is the Stockport Viaduct. Built in 1840, the viaduct's 27 brick arches carry the mainline railways from Manchester to Birmingham and London over the River Mersey. This structure featured as the background in many paintings by L. S. Lowry.

Stockport was recorded as "Stokeport" in 1170. The currently accepted etymology is Old English port, a market place, with stoc, a hamlet (but more accurately a minor settlement within an estate); hence, a market place at a hamlet. Older derivations include stock, a stockaded place or castle, with port, a wood, hence a castle in a wood. The castle probably refers to Stockport Castle, a 12th-century motte-and-bailey first mentioned in 1173.
Other derivations are based on early variants such as Stopford and Stockford. There is evidence that a ford across the Mersey existed at the foot of Bridge Street Brow. Stopford retains a use in the adjectival form, Stopfordian, for Stockport-related items, and pupils of Stockport Grammar School style themselves Stopfordians. By contrast, former pupils of Stockport School are known as Old Stoconians. Stopfordian is used as the general term, or demonym used for people from Stockport, much as someone from London would be a Londoner.
Stockport has never been a sea or river port as the Mersey is not navigable here; in the centre of Stockport it has been culverted and the main shopping street, Merseyway, built above it.

The earliest evidence of human occupation in the wider area are microliths from the hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age, about 8000–3500 BC) and weapons and stone tools from the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age, 3500–2000 BC). Early Bronze Age (2000–1200 BC) remains include stone hammers, flint knives, palstaves (bronze axe heads), and funerary urns; all finds were chance discoveries, not the results of systematic searches of a known site. There is a gap in the age of finds between about 1200 BC and the start of the Roman period in about 70 AD, which may indicate depopulation, possibly due to a poorer climate.
Despite a strong local tradition, there is little evidence of a Roman military station at Stockport. It is assumed that roads from Cheadle to Ardotalia (Melandra) and Manchester to Buxton crossed close to the town centre. The preferred site is at a ford over the Mersey, known to be paved in the 18th century, but it has never been proved that this or any roads in the area are Roman. Hegginbotham reported (in 1892) the discovery of Roman mosaics at Castle Hill (around Stockport market) in the late 18th century, during the construction of a mill, but noted it was "founded on tradition only"; substantial stonework has never been dated by modern methods. However, Roman coins and pottery were probably found there during the 18th century. A cache of coins dating from 375–378 AD may have come from the banks of the Mersey at Daw Bank; these were possibly buried for safekeeping at the side of a road.
Six coins from the reigns of the Anglo-Saxon English Kings Edmund (reigned 939–946) and Eadred (reigned 946–955) were found during ploughing at Reddish Green in 1789. There are contrasting views about the significance of this; Arrowsmith takes this as evidence for the existence of a settlement at that time, but Morris states the find could be "an isolated incident". The small cache is the only Anglo-Saxon find in the area. However, the etymology Stoc-port suggests inhabitation during this period.

No part of Stockport appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. The area north of the Mersey was part of the hundred of Salford, which was poorly surveyed. The area south of the Mersey was part of the Hamestan hundred. Cheadle, Bramhall, Bredbury, and Romiley are mentioned, but these all lay just outside the town limits. The survey includes valuations of the Salford hundred as a whole and Cheadle for the times of Edward the Confessor, just before the Norman invasion of 1066, and the time of the survey. The reduction in value is taken as evidence of destruction by William the Conqueror's men in the campaigns generally known as the Harrying of the North. The omission of Stockport was once taken as evidence that destruction was so complete that a survey was not needed.
Arrowsmith argues from the etymology that Stockport may have still been a market place associated with a larger estate, and so would not be surveyed separately. The Anglo-Saxon landholders in the area were dispossessed and the land divided amongst the new Norman rulers. The first borough charter was granted in about 1220 and was the only basis for local government for six hundred years.
A castle held by Geoffrey de Costentin is recorded as a rebel stronghold against Henry II in 1173–1174 when his sons revolted. There is an incorrect local tradition that Geoffrey was the king's son, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, who was one of the rebels. Dent gives the size of the castle as about 31 by 60 m (102 by 197 ft), and suggests it was similar in pattern to those at Pontefract and Launceston. The castle was probably ruinous by the middle of the 16th century, and in 1642 it was agreed to demolish it. Castle Hill, possibly the motte, was levelled in 1775 to make space for Warren's mill, see below. Nearby walls, once thought to be either part of the castle or of the town walls, are now thought to be revetments to protect the cliff face from erosion.
The regicide John Bradshaw (1602–1659) was born at Wibersley, in the parish of Stockport, baptised in the parish church and attended Stockport Free School. A lawyer, he was appointed lord president of the high court of justice for the trial of King Charles I in 1649. Although he was dead by the time of the Restoration in 1660, his body was brought up from Westminster Abbey and hanged in its coffin at Tyburn.

Stockport bridge is documented as existing since at least 1282. During the English Civil War the town was supportive of Parliament and was garrisoned by local militias of around 3000 men commanded by Majors Mainwaring and Duckenfield. Prince Rupert advanced on the town on 25 May 1644, with 8-10,000 men and 50 guns, with a brief skirmish at the site of the bridge, in which Colonel Washington's Dragoons led the Royalist attack. Rupert continued his march via Manchester and Bolton to meet defeat at Marston Moor near York. Stockport bridge was pulled down in 1745 and trenches were additionally dug in the fords to try to stop the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart as they marched through the town on the way to Derby. The vanguard was shot at by the town guard and a horse was killed. The army also passed through Stockport on their retreat back from Derby to Scotland.
One of the legends of the town is that of Cheshire farmer, Jonathan Thatcher, who, in a 1784 demonstration against taxation, avoided Pitt the Younger's saddle tax on horses by riding to market at Stockport on an ox. The incident is also celebrated in 'The Glass Umbrella' in St Petersgate Gardens, one of the works on Stockport's Arts Trail.

Hatmaking was established in north Cheshire and south-east Lancashire by the 16th century. From the 17th century Stockport became a centre for the hatting industry and later the silk industry. Stockport expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, helped particularly by the growth of the cotton manufacturing industries. However, economic growth took its toll, and 19th century philosopher Friedrich Engels wrote in 1844 that Stockport was "renowned as one of the duskiest, smokiest holes in the whole of the industrial area".
Stockport was one of the prototype textile towns. In the early 18th century, England was not capable of producing silk of sufficient quality to be used as the warp in woven fabrics. Suitable thread had to be imported from Italy, where it was spun on water-powered machinery. In about 1717 John Lombe travelled to Italy and copied the design of the machinery. On his return he obtained a patent on the design, and went into production in Derby. When Lombe tried to renew his patent in 1732, silk spinners from towns including Manchester, Macclesfield, Leek, and Stockport successfully petitioned parliament to not renew the patent. Lombe was paid off, and in 1732 Stockport's first silk mill (indeed, the first water-powered textile mill in the north-west of England) was opened on a bend in the Mersey. Further mills were opened on local brooks.
Silk weaving expanded until in 1769 two thousand people were employed in the industry. By 1772 the boom had turned to bust, possibly due to cheaper foreign imports; by the late 1770s trade had recovered. The cycle of boom and bust would continue throughout the textile era.
The combination of a good water power site (described by Rodgers as "by far the finest of any site within the lowland" [of the Manchester region]^]) and a workforce used to textile factory work meant Stockport was well placed to take advantage of the phenomenal expansion in cotton processing in the late 18th century. Warren's mill in the market place was the first. Power came from an undershot water wheel in a deep pit, fed by a tunnel from the River Goyt. The positioning on high ground, unusual for a water powered mill, contributed to an early demise, but the concept of moving water around in tunnels proved successful, and several tunnels were driven under the town from the Goyt to power mills. In 1796, James Harrisson drove a wide cut from the Tame which fed several mills in the Park, Portwood. Other water-powered mills were built on the Mersey.
The town was connected to the national canal network by the 5 miles (8.0 km) of the Stockport branch of the Ashton Canal opened in 1797 which continued in use until the 1930s. Much of it is now filled in, but there is an active campaign to re-open it for leisure uses.
In the early 19th century, the number of hatters in the area began to increase, and a reputation for quality work was created. The London firm of Miller Christy bought out a local firm in 1826, a move described by Arrowsmith as a "watershed". By the latter part of the century hatting had changed from a manual to a mechanised process, and was one of Stockport's primary employers; the area, with nearby Denton, was the leading national centre. Support industries, such as blockmaking, trimmings, and leatherware, became established. Stockport Armoury was completed in 1862.
The First World War cut off overseas markets, which established local industries and eroded Stockport's eminence. Even so, in 1932 more than 3000 people worked in the hatting industry, making it the third biggest employer after textiles and engineering. The depression of the 1930s and changes in fashion greatly reduced the demand for hats, and the demand that existed was met by cheaper wool products made elsewhere, for example the Luton area.
In 1966, the largest of the region's remaining felt hat manufacturers, Battersby & Co, T & W Lees, J. Moores & Sons, and Joseph Wilson & Sons, merged with Christy & Co to form Associated British Hat Manufacturers, leaving Christy's and Wilson's (at Denton) as the last two factories in production. The Wilson's factory closed in 1980, followed by the Christy's factory in 1997, bringing to an end over 400 years of hatting in the area. The industry is commemorated by the UK's only dedicated hatting museum, Hat Works.

Since the start of the 20th century Stockport has moved away from being a town dependent on cotton and its allied industries to one with a varied base. It makes the most of its varied heritage attractions, including a national museum of hatting, a unique system of underground Second World War air raid tunnel shelters in the town centre, and a late medieval merchants' house on the 700-year-old Market Place. In 1967, the Stockport air disaster occurred, when a British Midland Airways C-4 Argonaut aeroplane crashed in the Hopes Carr area of the town, resulting in 72 deaths among the passengers and crew.
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has embarked on an ambitious regeneration scheme, known as Future Stockport. The plan is to bring more than 3000 residents into the centre of the town, and revitalise its residential property and retail markets in a similar fashion to the nearby city of Manchester. Many ex-industrial areas around the town's core will be brought back into productive use as mixed-use residential and commercial developments. Property development company FreshStart Living has been involved in redeveloping a former mill building in the town centre, St Thomas Place. The company plan to transform the mill into 51 residential apartments as part of the regeneration of Stockport.

I arrived in the town in early afternoon after a very scenic journey through some picturesque countryside. Getting my bearings from the station I began to make my way to my first destination which was a few minutes walk away from the railway station area. Making my way up Wellington Road South, I made my way through some back streets before I arrived onto Middle Hillgate where my first stop was located. My journey through Stockport would begin at the Sun & Castle.

This is a good example of the traditional style of décor favoured by Holt's, the current owners. A long vault, a large lounge and snug, an attractive bar and an excellent use of mirrors and dark wood both on the walls and around the bar, contribute to this being a very clean and well-upholstered premises. There are two entrances, although the pool room cum vault is only accessible via the corridor that leads to the gents toilet. The pub was previously a Tetley's owned property for many years, several of which meant an absence of cask ale. Holts are responsible for replacing most of the inter-war fittings with a mock Victorian interior, including a spectacular 1890s bar back. The current arrangement certainly fits this building well. The traditional pub feel is carried off with lots of dark wood and red, brown and cream fixtures and fittings. The right hand side, where I enter, has a cosy lounge and behind that, a bigger rambling room complete with a small stage. The left hand side boasts the spacious and well used vault. The pub has been run on and off by the same married couple since 2000 with Ronnie having 30 years experience at several nearby pubs and husband Harry looking after the cellar to such good effect that he's been entered into Holts' Best Kept Cellar competition this year. This is an impressive looking and comfortable feeling pub and a good place to start the day. There are 2 handpumps on the bar, one of which is in use offering Holt's Bitter. I opted for this as my opening beverage. At 4%, this is a copper-coloured beer with malt and hops in the aroma, malt, hops and fruit in the taste and a bitter and hoppy finish. I took a stool at the impressive bar where the beer went down a treat and the barman engaged me in conversation about the upcoming ale trail and their quantity of bottled beers, all from the Holts range and all very cheap (as was the draught it has to be said). Stockport had started off well after one pub and the second was just down the hill.

My attention now turned to the Red Bull.

This is an imposing pub with a white exterior and well-worn front steps providing access to the building. It has long been popular with locals as well as being a favourite on the so-called 'Hillgate Stagger'. This is a Good Beer Guide listed Robinson's pub which underwent a substantial refurbishment in 2008 meaning that the formerly outside toilets became a thing of the past. The few concessions that have been paid to twenty-first century trends have done nothing to detract from the building's feel of a proper pub. There has been an extension into the adjacent building on the left that has allowed for a more significant eating area. The entrance leads to a long corridor that comes out in the central area in front of the bar. This is one of 6 different areas, some of which have signs such as 'The Old Cottage', 'The Snug' and 'The Courtyard'. Various kinds of seating is available throughout with pictures of old Stockport and rural scenes adorning the walls and a TV screen to the right of the bar. The bar itself features 5 handpulls, 4 of which are in use, all offering, unsurprisingly, beers from the Robinson's range. My choice is between Unicorn, Trooper, Dizzy Blonde and Wizard. I opted for the Unicorn (4.2%), an amber beer with a fruity aroma. The taste is of malt and hops with a dash of fruit leading into a bitter, malty finish. I took a seat at a high round table underneath the aforementioned TV and took in my surroundings. There is a very higgledy-piggledy layout here with lots of rooms off of the central area which is raised slightly above the adjacent dining area and a separate snug area to the right. The beer is excellent and as well-kept as you'd expect it to be in a flagship Robinson's house.

I had a bit more of a walk to reach my next stop. Heading down the hill and past the famous Robinson's brewery, I took a right and climbed a suspiciously steep alleyway that leads up to St. Mary's Church and, exactly opposite, The Cocked Hat.

 

Previously known as the Pack Horse, this Good Beer Guide listed pub reopened in September 2013 following a redecoration and a name change along with a change of management. Now owned by Chester-based AtWill Pubs, the Cocked Hat is located just behind Stockport's famous indoor market with its front door facing the main entrance of St. Mary's church, the churchyard of which was used as a filming location in A Taste of Honey. The entire AtWill estate is up for sale as of September of this year so the future here may change but fingers crossed that a buyer can be found who plans to keep the pub's values the same. To the left of the entrance is the bar and a standing drinking area and to the right is a large room, previously two, where plenty of seating is available. Many old photos of Stockport and its market adorn the walls throughout. The bar features 6 handpulls, offering an interesting choice of beers usually from breweries within 30 miles of Chester. Available during my visit are Moorhouse's Black Cat, Salopian Oracle, Moorhouse's Pride of Pendle, Cross Bay Little Nipper IPA, Dunscar Sessh! and Dunscar Gold. I had a few minutes to decide here as the barmaid was elsewhere. I eventually decided on the Pride of Pendle (4.1%), a beer I've previously had in a bottle but never on draught. It proved to be a good choice, a well-balanced best bitter with fresh, initial hoppiness and a mellow, malt-driven body. I sat in the large seating area to the right hand side as I enjoyed this beer which definitely benefits from not being bottled. I hope to see this on draught more often elsewhere.

From here, I headed down the road towards the indoor market before turning right where my next location is next door to a supermarket car park. This is the renowned and Good Beer Guide listed Arden Arms.

Former Stockport CAMRA branch pub of the year in 2009, this Grade II listed building is featured on CAMRA's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. Amongst its distinctive features are a curved, glazed bar, a hidden snug that is accessed by going through the bar itself (believed to be one of only 4 such snugs in the UK), chandeliers and a grandfather clock, giving the pub a Victorian ambience. The pub is conveniently close to the market and Peel Street shops. The cellar retains body niches in the walls, testament to the building's former use as a mortuary. A recently added smoking lounge and a courtyard which hosts live music also provides view of the old stables and outbuildings. It's a wonderful reminder of a bygone era, emphasised by the ghost of a young boy that has been sighted on the premises, believed to have died falling from a tree when an orchard stood nearby. In February 2017, a blue plaque was attached to the outside of the building to honour Elizabeth Raffald: her nephew built the Arden Arms and she is buried in the nearby churchyard. She was known as a tremendous innovator and produced the first town directory for Manchester and Salford in 1772, amongst other things. I was already overwhelmed by this place before I'd even got to the beer. 6 handpumps feature here, unusually positioned on the back bar with the taps facing the customer, offering beers from the Robinson's range, on this occasion Double Hop, Wizard, Unicorn, Trooper, Dizzy Blonde and Yippee IPA. I decided on the Yippee IPA (4.2%), an American style IPA brewed with a heady mix of Nelson Sauvin and Galena hops. It has an intense hop character and a hint of citrus zestiness and it's very very nice indeed!

It was a real shame to have to leave the Arden Arms. It had been the standout pub so far but I had many more to visit and the day was still relatively young. My next stop wasn't far away. Just around the corner is the Boars Head.

Yet another Good Beer Guide listed premises in the vicinity, this is a multi-roomed pub with a cosy, town-centre feel. Owned by Samuel Smith, a fair amount of money and time was spent some years ago to restore the pub to how it may once have looked. The front room is divided into a sparsely furnished public lounge on the right and a more substantial, comfortably furnished room to the left. Cushioned pews, high-back chairs and stools fit out the latter. A second lounge, previously a music room, is to the rear with a decked, outside area leading off. The Boars Head tends to attract a mature clientele as evidenced by the fact that I'm roughly 20 years younger than the next youngest person in the building, which seems surprisingly busy in comparison to the other pubs I've visited so far. One beer was available on hand pump, Samuel Smith Old Brewery Bitter, spread over all 4 of the bars handpulls. This is a full-bodied, malty, toffee-ish tasting beer with a creamy character and lots of flavour for an ABV of 4%. This was a nice reminder of a brewery that often gets overlooked and also a reminder that not all beer is priced over the odds!

My next stop was just opposite. Another entry in the Good Beer Guide, next up was the Bakers Vaults.

This Grade II listed building, originally known as the George & Dragon, was built around 1775 on the foundations of the old Stockport Castle. Demolished in the late 19th century, it was renamed the Bakers Vaults and rebuilt in the style of a 'gin palace'. The current style is the result of a reinvigoration in 2014 by a trio who are renowned for their work in the pub trade across Greater Manchester. The layout is that of a large, single room with a bohemian feel and impressive architecture, including high ceilings, feature arch windows, and the grey and dark blue colour scheme. The central, island bar is towards the back of the building, adding to the sense of space. Behind this bar is a small, lounge-type area with low leather sofas. This is a Robinson's house but one of the few that offers guest beers, supplied through Titanic Brewery in Burslem. 9 of the 10 handpulls are in use during my visit with one bank strictly Robinson's (Double Hop, Dizzy Blonde, Trooper, Wizard and Unicorn) and the others given over to guests, namely Titanic Plum Porter, Hop Back Hallertau Blanc, Titanic Stout Stout and Old Rosie cider. I'd never tried the Hallertau Blanc so this seemed like a good option. This is an August seasonal from Salisbury-based Hop Back brewery. It's brewed with a new German hop variety which has a bouquet of tropical fruit and flinty grapefruit on the palate which gives a complex structure with an underpinning of English bittering hops. It's only 4.2% as well which makes it very drinkable and refreshing. This is certainly a spacious and impressive building but also a very comfortable one. It also has a dark side. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the age of the building, ghostly activity has been reported in both the cellar area and the adjacent corridors. The origins of this activity are unknown but it continues to this day.

The next stop is a newcomer on Stockport's real ale scene, having opened just less than a year ago. Soon celebrating it's first anniversary, I was now at The Petersgate Tap.

 

Run by an enthusiastic father and son, the pub opened in September 2016 in a former betting shop premises. The pub is based over two floors with downstairs having a fairly modern style and continental feel. Recycled, solid oak-topped tables and a mix of seating sit under posters and breweriana that adorn the walls. In addition to 6 handpumps, the bar also boasts four keg fonts, a cider fridge and a variety of specialist gins, as well as a good choice of red and white wines. The upstairs function room has a capacity of 60 and is ideal for meetings and parties and even has a small stage at one end. A monthly poetry and prose night takes place on the first Wednesday of the month. Of the aforementioned 6 handpumps, 5 of them are in use during my visit offering Hawkshead Windermere Pale, Lancaster Admiral Archer, Deva Oatimus Prime, Shiny Huell Melon and North Riding Tiramisu Porter. The name alone was enough to draw me to the Oatimus Prime (4.2%), an oatmeal pale ale from Deva Brewery, based near Chester. This is a very sessionable pale ale with a plethora of juicy tropical hop notes, balanced with a rich, full malt profile and a very creamy head due to the use of flaked oats instead of torrefied wheat in the brew. It's an uppercut of juicy hops and an absolute belter of a beer to go very well with the pub as a whole, which started playing Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden, as if the day couldn't get any better. This pub deserves to do very well indeed and I'm confident that will become a staunch member of the local ale scene for many years to come.

More walking was to come now as I made my way towards the Merseyway shopping precinct where the next pub is located amongst the shops. Another entrant in the Good Beer Guide, it was time to visit the Swan With Two Necks.
 

This is a narrow-fronted property with a mock Tudor façade that was thankfully saved from a failed shopping scheme and then rejuvenated in 2008. It is impressively panelled throughout in light oak to a familiar Robinsons style with labelled doors to match. From the door, there is a vault, then a bustling bar corridor, a cosy, button-back seating snug with a feature skylight and the rear a further small lounge-cum-diner. The bar is small and serves both the corridor and the vault, boasting 5 handpulls, 4 of which are in use, featuring Robinson's Unicorn and Old Tom as well as Old Rosie and Rosie's Pig for the cider drinkers. It was about time for something stronger so Old Tom was to be my drink of choice. At a whopping 8.5%, this is a full-bodied, dark beer with malt, fruit and chocolate on the aroma. There is a complex range of flavours that includes dark chocolate, full maltiness, port and fruits, leading to a long, bittersweet aftertaste. This is a monster of a dark beer that ticks all of the boxes and I thoroughly enjoyed it sat in a comfortable snug with a view out into the corridor. I'd decided by this point that I've become a big fan of Robinson's pubs and there are still a couple more to come on what was becoming a highly successful trip.

I left the shopping precinct now and made my to Wellington Road North, the northern extension of where I'd initially begun my journey. The next trio of pubs are all in close proximity and the first of these was The Railway.

 

Confusingly, there are two pubs in Stockport called The Railway and both make an appearance in the Good Beer Guide. This particular one features two front rooms, both of which are tidily decorated with a central bar between them that serves both sides. The left hand room, where I enter, has a feature fireplace and photos of old Stockport whilst the right hand room is more contemporary in feel with a raised stage area and a TV projector. There is a games room to rear with a pool table and a leather sofa. There is also an upstairs function room available to hire. A successful CAMRA campaign is responsible for the pub's conversion to real ale and it was branch pub of the year in 2010. 4 of the 5 handpulls are available on the day, featuring Holt's Bitter, Dancing Duck Nice Weather, Nottingham Legend and Nottingham EPA. I went for the Nice Weather which was in excellent condition. I enjoyed this in the more modern of the rooms where a small handful of regulars were enjoying Sky Sports News with sound on the large projector screen.

The next location on the day's itinerary stood almost opposite The Railway. In the shadow of the famous viaduct which is impressive at any time of day, is The Magnet.

 

Named for the shape of the giant arches on the nearby viaduct, the Magnet was rescued from failure a few years ago and within 22 months had been completely rejuvenated, to the extent that it won CAMRA Regional and Branch Pub of the Year in both 2011 and 2015. Unsurprisingly, the pub is GBG listed. This is a family-run establishment that focuses on quality and choice. To the left is a bustling vault which leads down to a lower pool room where the in-house micro-brewery (opened in 2014) can be viewed. To the right are a series of rooms separated by arched doorways. An extensive outdoor area, part-covered and part-open allows drinkers views of the magnificent viaduct. The upstairs beer terrace and function room are well used and popular as are Monday cheese nights. Live music sessions take place on the first Friday evening of the month. 14 handpulls are on the bar, arranged in banks of 2, with 11 of these in use whilst I'm there. The choice is extensive featuring, Neptune Tamesis, Track Sonoma, Dent T'owd Tup, Tickety Brew NZ Gold, Dent Baas & Stripes, Tiny Rebel Cwtch, Saltaire Decennium, Furnace Milk Stout, Durham White Gold and Salopian Oracle. After a moment of indecision, I eventually plumped for the Decennium from Shipley-based Saltaire. Brewed to celebrate 10 years of brewing success at Saltaire, this is a pale ale brewed with 10 hops to provide a massive amount of zest. At 4.6%, this is a cracking mid-strength pale!

I had 2 pubs left to go, both of them Robinson's houses and the first of these was just down the hill from The Magnet, once again in the significant shadow of the viaduct. The penultimate stop of this fantastic trip was The Pineapple.

This is an unusual little place. Despite sitting a stone's throw from the busy A6, it feels as if it should be tucked away into a quiet area of town. The two rooms to the front of the pub have been opened out but are clearly separate and the walls are decorated with plates brought back from foreign lands by regulars as gifts for the licensee who has been here for a long time. Down a short flight of steps to the rear is a more basic games room with an array of trophies with the entrance to the smoking area leading off. The building itself was originally a coaching house prior to conversion to a pub in the early 20th century, at which time it was the headquarters of the local botanical society. I was confused by this pub. I entered to silence and only ambient lighting and wasn't sure initially if the pub was open. The landlord quickly appeared though and I wandered to the small bar tucked into one corner. 2 of the 4 handpulls were in use, offering Unicorn and this was in excellent condition as you'd expect from yet another GBG listed property. No sooner had I paid for my drink, then the landlord disappeared into the back and I was left to enjoy the atmosphere of this warm and cosy little place with only the sound of the ticking clock on the wall for company. I can imagine that this place does very well of an evening, as a distraction from the busy world outside.

It was almost time for me to depart. Before that though, I had time for one more stop. Heading back in the general direction of the station, I located my final destination, at a busy road junction on the edge of the Edgeley district. Last up for this week: The Armoury.

This Victorian pub is named for the adjacent Army Reserves Centre and the Mortar Battalion of the Mercian Regiment. It remains largely intact since a 1920s refit and still boasts original fittings and evidence of the original Bell's Brewery ownership in the interior glasswork. There is a bright lounge, a drinking lobby with its own bar counter, a darts room at the back and an excellent traditional vault that is up there with the rest in town. A cask of the formidable Old Tom is often visible on the bar counter. Memorabilia of the Cheshire Regiment adorns the walls. A secluded beer garden is located at the rear. The pub has a strong link to the local community and a mature clientele is in very close to Edgeley Park, home of Stockport County FC. Occasional live music nights are held in the upstairs room. The pub is Good Beer Guide listed and was Branch Pub of the Year runner up in 2007. This is a welcome smack in the face to those who say that pubs like this do not survive. The 4 handpulls inside feature beers from Robinson's, specifically Dizzy Blonde, Yippee IPA and doubled up Unicorn. I went for the Dizzy Blonde to end the day and this was a good choice. This is a straw-coloured summer ale with a distinctive hop aroma. It is a light and refreshing beer with a clean and zesty palate, dominated by hops and complemented by a crisp, dry finish. It's an excellent way to end what has been a fantastic day.

Prior to my arrival, I was apprehensive that what I'd read about Stockport wouldn't reflect reality or that things had declined since that article was written. I was very pleased to learn that, not only was this not the case, but the real ale is amongst one of the best I've seen for a while. As well as the considerable presence of Robinson's and their excellent range of beers, there are plenty more pubs and breweries doing a great job to promote and maintain real ale in this particular area of Greater Manchester. Whilst it may not be a place that automatically triggers thoughts of real ale and cracking pubs, it has both, in absolute shedloads.