Wigan CAMRA Branch - Local Pub News

Local Pub News

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AUGUST 2008

The Lychgate in Standish has a varying real ale on sale though at a breathtaking £2.70 a pint !
The Horseshoe in Standish is currently closed.
The Red Lion in Hindley (our best new cask outlet winner for the 2007/8 year) has recently had periods when cask was available – this may be a temporary supply problem but will be investigated.
The Spinners Arms in Castle Hill, Hindley is under a joint ownership with The Cumberland also in Hindley. Both are free of tie. The Cumberland sell 1 cask at a time, often Jennings Cumberland. The Spinners sells 2 varying beers and is hoping to start doing bar meals by the end of the month.
The White Lion in Upholland is up for lease (Thwaites). Alan & Tracey will be leaving on 8th September.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green is now doing food from 11:30 to 9pm Monday to Saturday & 12 to 6 on Sundays. Special deal 2 main courses for £6.49. At least 2 beers on often Copperdragon Golden Pippin.
The Black Diamond in Ince is closed for a refurbishment programme for 4 weeks.
The Wayfarers in Parbold is increasing the range of handpumps

JULY 2008

The Station in Orrell –at present this is open but has no real ale.
The Forresters in Billinge is all keg.
The Masons in Billinge is however selling up to 5 cask beers at any time.
The Lychgate in Standish is now open and initially displayed a sign that they had real ales. The sign has been covered up and only keg is currently available – unless of course you know different ?
The Spinners Arms in Castle Hill Hindley has been re-opened and is advertising cask ale – the branch would welcome some feedback on this.
Also in Hindley, the branch are getting good reports on the quality of the ale in The Cumberland.
The White Lion in Wrightington recently held a beer festival – shame we missed it and if anyone goes in there regularly, or even occasionally, and sees that they are advertising another one please let us know.
The Anvil is closed for refurbishment from 6pm 20th July until 28th.

JUNE 2008

The Station in Orrell – can anyone tell us what is happening at this pub as it seems to be open and then closed, then open then closed again ?
The Hare & Hounds in Billinge is also shut
The Unicorn in Billinge is no longer doing food and rumour has it it may be snapped up as an Indian restaurant.
The Anderton Arms in Ince is now re-open under new management and is still selling cask (4 beers when we called). The new managers are aiming for the family end of the market with plans for a children’s play area. Children are welcome until 7:30pm (so you are safe if you only go out at 8 !). They also hope to do food later in the year.
The Lychgate in Standish is rumoured to have been bought by Chadwicks of Standish however a sign has been noted stating that it will be selling real ales
The Belle Vue in Woodhouse Lane has re-introduced cask beer and is running a special promotion for the whole of June currently offering Hook Norton ‘Hooky Gold’ (4.1%) for £1.50 and once this runs out the offer cask will be Charles Well ‘Bombardier’. Get down there and try it !
Just outside our borders the Boars Head in Leigh is selling Phoenix beers and a special beer called Boars Head.
The former licensee of the Pendle Witch in Atherton has now taken over Old Isaacs just around the corner and is offering a varying range of 3 guest beers at all times at a phenomenal £1.60 a pint (worth investing in a train fare !)

MAY 2008

The Anderton Arms in Ince has now been sold and is under the ownership of the licensees of the Red Lion in Ladies Lane, Hindley. Plans are to continue and possibly extend the existing range of real ales perhaps with regular beers from Copper Dragon and Pheonix as well as guest beer(s) and we believe food will be available.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green has a new landlady, Leanne. Currently she is offering 2 cask beers but hopes to build the custom and demand back up.
Lychgate Tavern in Standish is boarded up
The Crown at Worthington now has 6 handpumps
The Rigbye Arms in Wrightington has replaced their usual Old Speckled Hen with Black Sheep Bitter
The Windmill in Parbold is now selling Lees Bitter; Bombadier and Tetleys Bitter
The Pit Pony in Ashton has Thwaites Original, Thwaites Nutty Black Dark Mild plus a Thwaites Monthly Special
The Boars Head in Standish is now under the management of the licensee of the Cherry Gardens and is reported to be selling 3 cask beers all in good form when our reporter visited.
The Pagefield in Springfield is now selling Thwaites Lancaster Bomber.
Licensees of the Black Horse in Moss Bank, St Helens have given up the tenancy and returned to their former property at the Sutton Oak in St Helens (Liverpool and Districts Pub of The Year 2006). They plan to re-open on 2nd June.

APRIL 2008

The Pit Pony in Ashton has extended its food service doing meals from 12noon – 2pm & 5pm – 8pm Monday to Friday, and from Noon to 7pm on Saturday & Sundays and late night home made pizza to order from 8:30pm to 11pm every evening.
The Royal Oak in Standishgate, Wigan has re-opened
The Dog & Partridge in Standish has re-opened. During the renovation following the fire last year it seems to have lost handpump and is no longer selling cask mild and has gained TVs covering mainly sports channels.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green is now under new management having re-opened on Good Friday. Currently only offering 2 varying cask beers but hoping to increase this as demand picks up. Opening hours are currently 12 noon to 12 midnight 7 days a week. At present the licensee Leanne is doing a ‘pie and pint’ offer at £3 but she hopes to develop a wider range of snacks in the next few weeks
The Anderton Arms in Ince is up for auction but continues to trade as usual in the meantime.
The Hindley Arms (AKA ‘the Fingers’) in Market Street, Hindley is now selling Cask Hydes Bitter and a Hydes Seasonal.
Kirkless Hall Inn in New Springs is boarded up and is for let

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008

The Red Lion in Ladies Lane, Hindley have now extended their range of beer with Copperdragon Golden Pippin or Black Sheep Bitter as regulars with another varying beer
The Old Pear Tree in Wigan has recently been closed for a facelift and has now increased the range of cask bitters to 4 from the Marston selection.
The Pit Pony in Ashton is now reporting a significant increase in cask beer sales since it opened just before Christmas and is now doing meals from 12noon – 2pm & 5pm – 8pm Monday to Friday, and from Noon to 7pm on Saturday & Sundays . We also have a correction to our previous report as the quiz is on Thursday nights.
The Dog & Partridge in Standish has now re-opened.
The re-opening of the Royal Oak in Standishgate has been further deferred and is now not expected to be before Easter at the earliest
The Bulls Head in Goose Green is expected to close this weekend after a brief spell of opening just at weekends.
The Anderton Arms in Ince is trying to put together an email list of customers interested in receiving weekly updates from the pub providing details of the beers available, offers and events etc. Email address for anyone wishing to join the mailing list: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The pub has regular live music every weekend when 4 cask beers are usually available (they have 3 during the week) including the
house bitter (usually Classic) at £1.30 per pint

JANUARY 2008

The Red Lion in Ladies Lane, Hindley is now doing cask beers – currently 2 Thwaites but the landlord is free from tie so members should encourage him to be a little more adventurous. Apparently the food is also very good and reasonably priced.
Georgia Browns in Hindley is now down to one cask beer and quality is inconsistent
Last Orders in Hindley has cask Cains bitter
The Market Tavern in Wigan has started to do real ale – Allgates reportedly being served.
The Old Pear Tree in Wigan currently serving 2 cask beers from the Marstons range but expect to increase the range to 3 beers very shortly.
Madisons (previously Orange House), King Street, Wigan occasionally has Boddies on handpump but are allegedly keen to offer cask and open to suggestions from CAMRA members.
The Millstone in Wigan Lane now has Thwaites Bomber in addition to the Thwaites Bitter.
The Anderton Arms in Ince is doing well with their new discount beer and is also offering live music on Saturday 19th and 26th January.
The Royal Oak in Wigan is expected to remain closed until St Patricks Day.
The Boulevard in Wigan is currently up for sale but will remain open until a buyer is found.
The Pit Pony in Ashton has been bought by Kev, one of the owners of the Boulevard. It is tied to Thwaites and is currently offering original bitter and a seasonal beer but all smoothflow pumps removed and hopes to increase the range of real ales as demand increases. Ken and Carol Wortington called in a couple of days ago and were pleasantly surprised – the venue was done up recently and is nicely furnished open plan with pool table etc, unobtrusive TV screens. Kev also hopes to be able to offer lunchtime and early evening food in the near future. He holds a quiz on Wednesday nights.

DECEMBER 2007

The Navigation in Gathurst, our informants tell us that there has been a major refurb and according to the sign outside it is to be called Baby Elephant and has become an Indian/Tapas bar and restaurant
The Old Pear Tree in Wigan has recently re-opened under new management. Lynn & David are assisted behind the bar by their daughter Katie and tell us that they were asked by the brewery to get the pub reopen before Christmas, hence the fact that they have been unable to do much to the pub other than clean and restock but they do plan to close for a short time in February to do some refurbishment. They are not doing cooked food at the moment as the kitchen is need of upgrading but they do have hot pies and a selection of freshly prepared baps for hungry customers. Currently they are only serving 2 cask beers from the Marstons range (Pedigree and Jennings when we called, both well kept) but hope to get custom back and increase the range they can offer after the February closure.
The Royal Oak in Wigan has been closed since about 10th December (which has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was much frequented by CAMRA National Executive and Regional Directors on their visit to Wigan over the weekend immediately beforehand ! ) Apparently there has been a major collapse of the drains which will take until the New Year to repair.
The Dog & Partridge in Standish is expected to be closed until around the end of January/early February after the fire they had a few weeks ago.
The Crown at Worthington stepped in to salvage something from the fire at the Dog & Partridge, taking on the beers from the cellar amongst which was a quantity of Tetleys which Dan is offering a discount price of £1.89 per pint.
The Horseshoe in Standish has had a change of landlord and is now owned by a partnership of local residents. We wish them the best of luck and hope that standards can be maintained.
The Unity Club in Standish (apparently near the Lychgate) is now selling a cask beer.
Last Orders in Hindley - one benefit of the sale of Honeycombe Leisure to Cains is that 2 of the Last Orders pubs in our area are now selling cask ales. The Hindley outlet is selling Cains Bitter at £1.30 per pint
Last Orders in Ince (formerly The Squirrel) is the newest acquisition has an unmarked handpump selling Theakstons at £1.50 a pint.
The Guardians in Frog Lane - rumours are that it may be due to re-open. Any further news would be gratefully received.

NOVEMBER 2007

The Cherry Gardens in Wigan Lane has recently re-opened following a refurbishment and offers real ale lovers a choice of Pedigree and 2 ever changing guests from the Marstons range. The pub is also doing food (carvery, salad bar and main food menu) from noon until 9pm 7 days per week.
The Stag in Garswood has also re-opened and is selling Jennings Cumberland and Allgates Bright Blade.
The Hare & Hounds in Billinge has recently changed hands and is currently being refurbished. At present they are offering Tetleys, and Boddingtons bitters as regulars, and Youngs and Wychwood Hobgoblin cask bitters as guests so may be worth a trip.
Squires in Billinge is currently serving Black Sheep Emmerdale which was commended by our reporter for the quality.
The Unicorn in Billinge has Courage Best; Wychwood Hobgoblin; Black Sheep bitter, again excellent quality.
Bispham Recreation Club this pub previously served only Tetleys cask but has slightly varied its range and was recently serving Moorhouses Premier bitter.
Holts Arms in Billinge is currently serving Banks's bitter; Marstons Pedigree; Jennings End of the World; Wychwood Hobgoblin however the quality is variable.
The Hind's Head in Wrightington was due to open on 8th November as a Spanish Tapas bar allegedly serving Tetley bitter and Deuchars IPA on handpump.
The Tudor Inn in Wrightington has been refurnished and renamed the White Lion. It's now a Marstons house, with four cask ales: Banks's bitter, Jennings Cumberland Ale, Hydes Jekylls Gold and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber.
The Bold Hotel in Poolstock, although there are 3 handpumps they only appear to be selling Jennings bitter.
The Belle Vue Inn in Woodhouse Lane, Springfield is also now serving one rotating cask beer with Black Sheep and Jennings bitter being recent offerings.
Whelley Ex-Servicemens Club which is now serving Hydes bitter.
The Running Horses in Orrell is still serving excellent beer and have asked us to help promote a charity night they are holding on Sunday 16th December. Proceeds go to WISH FM Christmas appeal providing Christmas presents for underprivileged children in the Wigan and St Helens areas. The event kicks off at 8pm with a Christmas Quiz which is free to enter. There will be numerous prizes including free meal vouchers, IPods etc. There will also be an Open the Box competition with cash prizes.

OCTOBER 2007

The Bush in Higher Ince is currently closed.
The Belle Green in Higher Ince is currently closed.
The Hingemakers in Ashton is another recent closure (10th October). This had in the past been a cask ale outlet though it has only served keg for about the last 4 years.
The Stag in Garswood appear to have closed recently – as far as we were aware this pub was doing fine so any info as to why it is closed would be welcome.
The Prince of Wales in Pemberton is currently closed for refurbishment.
The Delph at Tontine now has a new floor in the back room and an additional pool table and TVs.
The Raven in Wallgate is now selling Courage Directors after many years without cask beer.
Gems in Dicconson Street has been renamed Winstons and is now advertising B&B accommodation. At the time of our visit only one cask beer was available. More info from www.winstonsofwigan.co.uk
The Hare & Hounds in Billinge has recently changed hands and are set to feature cask ale.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green is having a Firework display and BBQ on Sunday 4 November, contact the pub for more info 01942 234945.
The Crown at Worthington is doing a Friday evening offer with 5 Cask Ales available at just £1.89 from 5pm to close (this started on 12 October, but is not valid 8 December to 3 January or 11 January).

SEPTEMBER 2007

The Anvil – the long-term building works in the beer garden is not, as has been rumoured, an extension to the pub but is eventually going to be a covered smoking area.
The Silverwell – this pub is one of a select number of pubs which is going to feature Holts monthly special beers Septembers beer is called Golden Boot.
The Mechanics in Hindley Green is still boarded up.
The Moon Under Water has merited scores of complaint of poor quality of beer recently.
Leigh Rugby Club (just out of our area but possibly of interest to those who work or visit the area) is now under the management of Sarah formerly of Sarah’s Hophouse in Golborne. Obvioulsy now doing excellent cask beer and Sarah hopes to have some beers brewed locally to her old recipes by either Boggart or Bank Top which will then be available at the club.
Georgia Browns in Hindley (formerly the Imperial) surprisingly is doing 3 beers from the Milestone range and a cask mild.
Various local real ale pubs are currently on the market including the Royal Oak in Wigan, Lychgate in Standish, and the Oak Tree Root in Atherton.

AUGUST 2007

Park Lane Club in Bryn is currently selling a reasonable cask Tetley at £1.60 a pint and aims to have a guest beer from local micro breweries soon.
The Hare & Hounds in Hindley (ladies Lane) has now reopened as the third Allgates pub in the area follow a minor refurbishment. There are 3 beers on handpump including a cask mild.
The Old Dog in Upholland has recently changed its opening times and is now open for those who fancy a good pint from 2pm on Saturdays.
The White Lion in Upholland is reported to now be all keg beer.
The Foresters in Billinge is reported to be selling cask Cains and a guest beer.
The Anderton Arms in Ince has extended its range of cask beers to 3 plus a cask cider.
The Gerard Arms in Aspull which had seemed to be in a bit of a decline recently is now faring better and serving 3 cask ales.
The Owl at Abbey Lakes - excellent reports of beer quality - Timothy Taylors Landlord, Abbey Lakes (Ruddles County)
The Mason Arms at Chadwick Green - excellent reports of beer quality
Georgia Browns Café Bar in Hindley (the former Imperial in Market Street) is reported to be serving cask ale.
The Seven Stars at Seven Stars Bridge/Pottery Road has recently closed – future of the pub is unkown.
The Raven in Wallgate is undergoing a refurbishment – no news yet as to whether they will feature cask ale upon re-opening.
The Griffin in Standishgate is now under the ownership of Paul Smith, who used to own the Bowling Green. It is currently undergoing a refurbishment and is expected to open some time in August and sell real ale.
The Freemasons in Clapgate Lane, another recent new cask outlet, is now under the ownership of the landlord of the Fox & Goose. There are 3 handpumps, though these are not very prominently displayed, and currently only Black Sheep bitter is available

JULY 2007

The Raven Hotel in Wigan - after going downhill for a few years, this once-mighty boozer in Wigan town centre has finally closed.
The Scholes Tavern in Scholes, Wigan - having been beset with problems in recent years, this local pub has been bought by Khalique Miah who has plans to turn it into the Bangla Bar and Lounge. The Indian restaurant, due to open in August, will be the largest in Wigan Borough.
The Bridgewater Arms in Hindley - open once again but only offers fizzy beers.
Spinners Arms in Hindley - a keg emporium for many years is currently closed and boarded-up.
The Pendle Witch in Atherton - just outside our area, this pub has undergone extensive refurbishment and is reported to be selling excellent beers to match its new enhanced surroundings.
The Oak Tree Root in Howe Bridge - reported to be selling excellent Black Sheep bitter and a rotating guest beer for a very reasonable £2.05 per pint.
Mortimers (formerly the Orange House) in Wigan - has 2 handpumps but so far is not doing cask beer.
Park Lane Club in Bryn - currently selling cask Tetley but is in the process of having a second pump fitted for the sale of micro brews.
Standish Golf Club in Standish - visitors to this venue, which won our club of the year award recently, should be aware that the club is mainly open in the daytime for golf club members or for functions. As such, it may be best to phone ahead if you are planning to visit as the recent poor weather has meant reduced opening hours. Also, there is not always a turnover for cask beer so this is not always available.JUNE 2007
The Amberswood Tavern in Ince – the landlord tells us he is free from tie to any particular brewery for his real ale and that he intends to keep a regular cask bitter on one of his 2 handpumps. Feedback from anyone who tries the pub and its real ale would be most welcome.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green has undergone some slight changes over recent weeks. They no longer do Sunday lunches and food is now only offered on Friday and Saturday. Monday – Thursday the real ale range is limited to 4 cask beers but they will be offering the full 7 beers at weekends. More info on the Bulls Head is available on their website www.bullsheadwigan.co.uk
The Victoria in Aspull has had a change of management but is reported to be still serving the excellent Anvil range of beers.
The Moorgate in Aspull is also under relatively new management and is reported to be serving 2 real ales with the landlord keen to encourage CAMRA support.
The Anderton Arms in Ince is proving to be well worth waiting for with a surprisingly traditional interior and a pleasant atmosphere though real ale sales are sluggish at present with only a choice of 2 beers though reports are that whatever is on offer will be in excellent condition and at £2 per pint is probably one of the cheapest pubs around. The pub also offers Old Rosie cider.
Wetherspoons have opened another pub in Leigh – although slightly out of our area we know some of our members work or drink in Leigh on occasions – any feedback on the pub would be welcome.
The Beer Engine in Poolstock – now known as Jaydees – are promising to resume offering a cask ale – have not heard if they are doing this yet though.
The Swan & Railway in Wigan – new landlord has a 3 year lease and is reported to be doing well with his cask beer – a bit of stability in management is what this pub (and it’s regulars) really deserves !

MAY 2007

The Amberswood Tavern in Ince which opens and closes with some startling regularity (perhaps they don’t have a dishwasher and close the pub when they run out of clean glasses ?) is open again and reported to be serving a cask mild – comments from anyone who visits would be helpful.
The Anderton Arms in Ince (aka the ‘Longneck’) is ready for business ! They are
opening on Bank Holiday Monday though may only have 3 real ales on for the time being (they have 5 pumps if there is sufficient demand). As well as real ales they will stock traditional cider and a range of bottled continental beers. So why bother facing the bank holiday traffic on Monday when you can pop along and show your support for Wigan’s newest real ale venue.

APRIL 2007

The Old Pear Tree in Wigan - we have received several reports recently of better range and quality of beer on offer.
The Boulevard in Wigan - now offering 5 beers. Hours recently changed to close on Monday. Music most of the week.
The Red Lion in Hindley – due to re-open soon.
The Belle Green in Ince has recently re-opened – no cask ale though
The Hare & Hounds in Hindley – shortly to become an Allgates managed pub. Lets hope this sees a significant improvement in the real ale on offer as we have had many disappointing reports that only one beer has been available from this current GBG pub of late.
The Running Horses in Orrell – reports that this Marstons pub regularly features 3 cask beers in excellent condition
The Sandbrook in Orrell – has had 2 managers in 3 months – no cask ale available.
The Lathom House in Orrell has also had a change of landlord but conversely the cask beer is now even better
The Swan & Railway in Wigan – has recently seen 3 changes of manager in 1 week – the branch is keen to know if the new manager maintains the quality of cask ale we have recently seen.
The Anderton Arms in Ince (aka the ‘Longneck’) is still undergoing refurbishment but is now ‘looking like a pub’ – it is expected to open some time in May.

MARCH 2007

The Anderton Arms in Ince (aka the ‘Longneck’) still undergoing refurbishment – apparently even the cellar is being gutted so there can be no excuse for bad beer once it opens.
The Tippings in Poolstock is under compulsory purchase order as part of the new development of this area.
The Edington Arms in Hindley has acquired the premises next door and plans to extend to provide a dining area. More news soon.
The White Swan in Pemberton, which has been closed for a few months for a refurbishments, has been re-opened and now features 3 handpumps though long term whether these are all constantly occupied will depend on the public demand for cask beer

FEBRUARY 2007

The Fox & Goose in Wigan is reported to have extended its range of cask beers. Until recently they only sold Holts beers but added Black Sheep and Green King IPA or Abbot.
The Kirkless Hall Inn in New Springs has a new licensee and is not selling cask ales at present.
The Victoria in Up Holland has been refurbished and now serves cask ales from the Marstons range.
The Bridgewater Arms in Hindley is closed and boarded up
The Victoria in Aspull - now open – 5 handpumps, 3 of which will be dedicated to Allgates beer range whilst the other 2 will be for guest beers.
The Anderton Arms in Ince (aka the ‘Longneck’) some refurb work has been observed to be underway – we hope to have more news soon

JANUARY 2007

The Amberswood Tavern in Ince - this pub is again boarded up for what must be the sixth time in the last 12 months – let us know if you know what is happening – we assume that they don’t put the boards up every time the window cleaner comes late !
The New Inn in Aspull – now re-opened after refurbishment, sources say it’s even better than before.
The Victoria in Aspull - due to re-open in early February following a major refurb under the ownership of Ian Thorpe and Donna Orme of the Anvil, managed by CAMRA enthusiast David Gleave. The pub will feature 2 Allgates brews, Thwaites mild, and 1 guest beer.
The Anderton Arms in Ince (aka the ‘Longneck’) has apparently been bought by the owner of the Turks Head (GBG2007 pub in St Helens) who plans to feature 3 cask beers plus bottled continental beers. As the pub has been quite run down we expect it will be some time before we are in a position to report on the opening date.

DECEMBER 2006

The Unicorn in Orrell – now re-opened following a major refurbishment with sadly redundant hand-pumps
The New Inn in Aspull - closed for refurbishment, lets hope they do not change the standard or range of beers on offer !
The Forresters in Billinge – appears to be under new management and not currently doing any cask ale.

NOVEMBER 2006

The Bulls Head in Goose Green held a very successful festival over the Bonfire weekend. The landlord Ben tells us he has already started preliminary planning of his next festival !!!!
The Victoria in Aspull – we reported last month that All Gates brewery were rumoured to be interested in purchasing it – the latest news is that the sale is nearing finalisation. Ian and Donna plan to do some significant improvements to the premises so as yet it is not certain whether they are going to open up for Christmas and then start the work or if they undertake their renovations before formally opening the pub.
The Strangeways Hotel in Hindley has been refurbished and renamed the Paddock, unfortunately the improvements do not stretch to putting on real ale !
The Halfway House in Pemberton is now boarded up.
The Berkeley in Wigan recently gained Cask Marque accreditation with virtually top marks in all categories and is only one of 2 outlets in their parent company to have achieved this status. Congratulations to all the team at the Berkeley – recognition which is well deserved !
The Miners Lamp in Pemberton – apparently recently under relief management but under new tenancy from 8th November so hopefully cask Thwaites beers will return.
The Royal Hotel in Hindley, has been demolished.
The Mount in Orrell – reduced beers now on offer – just Green King IPA and one guest from the Hardy & Hanson range.
The Balcarres in Haigh – now has 2 handpumps though there was only Crag Rat on offer when we called on our survey trip.
The Mechanics in Hindley Green is now featuring cask ale as a direct result of customer demand. We became aware of the fact that it was selling the real stuff after a chat with one of our members (Martyn of the Berkeley) as by pure chance he had been on a course with the landlord. It was the first visit of our recent survey trip and we found it to have been recently sympathetically renovated and offering a choice of Spitfire or Ruddles County. The landlord indicated that real ale has become such a popular seller that he is to get a third handpump very soon.

OCTOBER 2006

The Griffin in Wigan is still closed.
The Unicorn in Billinge is boarded up and rumours have been heard that it is to be made into a trendy eatery.
The Wheatsheaf in Appley Bridge re-opened following refurb and now selling Tetleys and Jennings Cumberland.
Gems Bar in Wigan. Reports that the Sunday meals are bringing in a lot of custom. Various entertainment on at weekends with the excellent Spider Monkeys on on 21st October.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green is going to do a Christmas menu which should be in print early next week – no details known at present but if the meals are anything like the quality of the Sunday lunches then they should be worth having. On Friday 20th they are having a soul party with well known CAMRA member ‘Deano’ as DJ. The landlord is also currently speaking to Archers brewery about the possibility of a beer festival featuring Archers beers in early November – details of exact dates and beers available to be sent when confirmed.
The Cross Keys in Stubshaw Cross is a pub we do not mention very often although it has featured in the Wigan GBG selections for 2005, 2006 and 2007, is to hold a mini beer festival 20th – 22nd October. Beers featured are Elgood’s Golden Newt (4.1%), Jennings Cumberland (4%), North Yorkshire Brewery Fools Gold (4.6%), Spring Head Round Heads Gold (4.2%), Tom Woods Old Timber (4.5%), Wychwood Hobgoblin (5%). The festival runs from 12noon to 1am Friday and Saturday and noon till 11:30 pm on Sunday. There will be entertainment with an Irish Folk duo on Friday evening, Karaoke on Saturday evening and 60s music through the day on Sunday. Hot food is available throughout the festival.
The Globe in Standish is up for let.
The Victoria in Aspull is up for sale – rumour has it that All Gates brewery are interested in purchasing it – watch this space !
The Holts Arms in Billinge (aka The Foot) has changed hands and apparently the quality of the beer has taken a significant turn for the better.
Swans in King Street, Wigan - This pub has had a name change and is under new ownership. We were told that the handpumps are tucked away at the end of the bar but that when our informant visited Moorhouses Black Cat Mild, Premier bitter, Blonde Witch, and Pride of Pendle were on offer. We have not had the chance to try it out ourselves yet but it is a refreshing change to see cask beer return to King Street (members may recall that the Orange House dabbled with cask when it first opened) … lets hope it encourages more young members to try the real stuff instead of the bland chilled fizz that all the rest of King Street bars specialise in.
Rock Ferry Hotel in Lower Ince : Looks set to reopen (for a little while, anyway) as Vivo, an Italian restaurant, although a sign for the pub still hangs over the door.
Queen's Arms in Platt Bridge - now closed and boarded up.
Strangeways Hotel in Hindley - pub closed for refurbishment but, according to the sandwich board outside, will reopen on Friday 27th October, renamed the Paddock.

SEPTEMBER 2006

The Griffin in Standishgate, Wigan - has had a sign in the window stating "closed until further notice" for the few weeks.
The Derby Arms in Hindley has been spruced up, no news as yet to whether it features cask beer.
The former Minstrel in Hindley is now an Italian restaurant with the very original name of ‘La Cava’.
The New Inn in Aspull - Jennings Cocker Hoop, Crag Rat were featured recently. Both beers were in very good nick.
The Balcarres Arms in Haigh - Wranghams Grand Old Duke. Apparently the pub has been back on cask for two months or so.
Gems Bar in Wigan. Some changes to the beers on offer. Now doing lunchtime food 12noon to 2:30pm Monday to Sunday with a special childrens menu of main course and ice cream for £2.95, a Sunday Carvery 1pm to 5pm @£5.95 for 2 courses and free meals for accompanied children under 12 between 1pm and 3pm. To continue the family theme they are launching a monthly family night in the upstairs function room which will feature a childrens entertainer. This will normally be on a Saturday evening but the first family night will be on Friday 6th October. Other entertainment planned are an Irish night on Friday 29th September and the famous Spider Monkeys on Saturday 30th September. Gems is also featuring a Curry night Mondays and Grill night Thursdays both from 7:30 till 10:30. The upstairs function room is also available free for parties (Weddings, Christenings, Divorces or Funerals) of 25 or more.
The Bulls Head in Goose Green has now extended the range of food available to serving a range of snacks and meals (from toasties, jackets etc to, pies and mushys, stew and curry with rice) from 12noon to 2pm and 4pm till 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all costing under £4. They also have resumed doing their excellent Sunday lunches (£5.95 for 2 course, £7.95 for 3 courses) following the 2 weeks disruption due to our BBQ and another function all accompanied by a range of good beer or Old Rosie Cider.
The Crown in Worthington has a new fixed price menu which may well be worth trying out, especially when they have their forthcoming beer festival.

AUGUST 2006

The Cumberland Arms in Hindley this pub has a 'For Let' sign from a company called Provence on the exterior, advertising for an enterprising, go-getting pub manager, and appears to be closed at present.
Bridie Donnelly's in Lower Ince is the subject of an application has been made to convert into offices.
The Old Pear Tree in Wigan. As we say goodbye to Gregg Liptrot (as licensee though we hope this means we see more of him as an active member of the Wigan CAMRA branch !) we hear the incoming landlord aims to keep everything at TOPT just as when Gregg ran it. We can but hope that this commitment extends to the quality and variety of the beer on offer … Clearly the branch will be taking a keen interest on the progress of the pub so watch this space !!!!
Gems Bar in Wigan. This outlet has recently changed hands and is now managed by David Gleave, the son of our branch treasurer and a long-standing volunteer at our branch beer festival. Currently David has 3 beers on offer (when we called this was Tetleys, Black Sheep, and Deuchars IPA – all found to be in excellent condition) but has ambitions to add an additional hand-pump and extend the range if sufficient demand can be demonstrated. The pub’s location makes it ideal for anyone doing a town centre crawl taking in the Anvil, Old Pear Tree (hopefully if standards are maintained), Gems, The Royal Oak, and The Bowling Green, also for anyone in town needing liquid refreshment during a shopping expedition or for diners at the nearby Le Frog who having sampled excellent food need to enhance their evening by finishing off with a few pints of decent beer. The branch therefore hopes that whatever excuse you can find you will all pop into Gems when you can and help David get that 4th hand-pump very soon !

JULY 2006

The John Bull in Wigan. Whenever this outlet has cask beers available (3 Thwaites’ brews) they are reported to be of excellent quality. Unfortunately they seem to sell so well that the landlord cannot currently keep enough beer to meet demand but we believe he is exploring the possibility of racked stillage which may resolve the problem.
The Mount in Orrell. Following refurb and resumption of its traditional name the cask ales on offer are reported as H & H bitter, Olde Trip and Unity all of which passed our informants stringent quality tests !
The Wheatsheaf in Appley Bridge. Recently re-opened and currently only doing Tetley bitter which is however served in excellent condition.

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