I passed both pubs early this month (April 2021) on my way to walk round Ogden and Piethorne reservoirs, a mile further up the road, and it looks like the Bird in Hand has permanently closed, possibly a casualty of the pandemic. The front door and ground floor windows are tightly boarded up. I didn't notice the date stone when I first visited. It seems this is the newer of the two pubs. To find out if there are any plans for it, you'd need to look up the planning department of Rochale council.
Pubs were still closed at the time, so I wasn't able to drop in to the Bird in the Hand, but on peering through the window, I could see that all the furniture and bar fittings were still intact and there were bottles of condiments lined up on one table, so I'm assuming that it has either now re-opened, or will reopen on 17th May.
UPDATE April 2023: The Bird in Hand is still closed. The Bird In The Hand is still open, I got a friendly welcome when I dropped in there.
There are a few pubs called 'Bird in the Hand' or 'Bird in Hand', but I know of nowhere where there are two of such similar names within 100 yards of each other on the same street.
Huddersfield Road, Newhey, Rochdale OL16 3QZ
They are known locally as the Top Bird and the Bottom Bird. The Bird in the Hand looks like the older of the two, as the building has the long, low windows that are common in former weaver's workshops, of which there are a lot in this part of the county. They date from the 17th or 18th century. But I have not been able to find out about the history of either pub. Both are Samuel Smiths, and both are essentially locals' pubs, Since they are so similar, they've got the same rating:
Ambience - 3
decor - 3
comfortable seating
service - 4
friendly
Real ales - 1
features - 3
real fire
pub games
dog friendly
toilets - 4
Score 18 out of 30
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