Two in Chorley, the Flat Iron and Pearsons

 

Pearsons

72 Market Street, Chorley, PR7 2SE

TEL: 01257 273467

This pub has been through some name changes. It has been called the George, Yates's Wine Lodge, ID The Place To Be, The Blob. Then it closed for a while and reopened in 2013 under its current name. There's no information why it's been called Pearsons.

Decor - 3

muted colours, bit worn-looking

ambience - 4

lively, crowded

service -2

distracted, clumsy

The place was busy and the barman tried to serve three people at the same time, which

didn't quite work

real ales - 2

They had Lancaster IPA when I was there

features - 3

TV screens

live music and karaoke

dart board

large beer garden though completely plant and flower free, so I'm not giving it a point

toilets - 3

Score 17 out of 30

Two in Chorley, the Flat Iron and Pearsons

 

The Flat Iron

21 Cleveland Street, Chorley, PR7 1BH

TEL: none given

This nineteenth century pub was originally called the Market Tavern. It was closed for a while in the past two years and was renamed when it reopened. The Flat Iron is what locals used to call Chorley market. It featured in the first ever good beer guide in 1974. It is a relatively small pub, though not cramped, with one open room with the bar on the left as you go in.

decor - 4

tasteful charcoal greys, medium browns and gold detailing on the wooden panels.

ambience - 5

friendly

service - 5

friendly

real ale -3

sometimes they have four. On my visit they had Stone Edge and Monumental. They give a discount to CAMRA members.  

features - 1

TV screens

toilet - 3

Score 21 out of 30

The New Inn, Middleton

 

The New Inn

34 Long Street, Middleton, Manchester M24 6QU

No phone number listed

An unpretentious, friendly high street pub.

decor - 3

Blue, grey and white with wooden beams

ambience - 4 

very welcoming

real ales - 0

service - 4

welcoming

features - 4

pool table

darts

TV screens

live music at weekends

toilets - 3

Score 18 out of 30

The Harbord Harbord, the New Inn and the Ring O Bells

 

I made entries in 2022 for three of the six pubs in Middleton that host the Pace Egg players and said then I would review the remaining three at some time. I only got round to it this year. Here they are, with some photos of the Pace Egg players in between. 

    (For those who don't know, a Pace Egg play was a custom that first developed 700 years ago and was performed around local pubs at Easter, with the performers asking the landlord for beer and food. It has been revived in a few places in Lancashire, probably the most well known one now is performed in Heptonstall in West Yorkshire on Good Friday. The Middleton version is performed on Easter Monday and features St George and his supporters fighting the King of Turkey, with a doctor who revives St George when he is wounded in the battle. This year there were two doctors. And a horse, who belongs to the senior doctor and doesn't say anything. I'm relating this history because some of the people watching the players had no idea about it. The players don't demand free ale for their performance these days but collect money for charity. Look up Middleton Pace Egg Players on facebook and you might still be able to donate to this year's charity. )

The Harbord Harbord

17-21 Long Street, MIddleton, Manchester M24 6TE

TEL: 0161 654 6226

This is a Wetherspoons pub and delivers what you would expect from a Wetherspoons pub. It's a free house, has a good value pub menu and the company respects and emphasises the building's history. This was never built as a pub but was a shop, then became a branch of Burtons in the 1950s, then became a Woolworths, then was a series of independent supermarkets until it was turned into a pub in the 1980s. It is named after Harbord Harbord, who later became Lord Suffield. He became the local lord of the manor by marriage in the late 18th century, after marrying the daughter of the previous Lord, and was the first to consistently develop Middleton so that it changed from a village to a town. 

    Middleton has a lot of history. If you want to know more about it read

www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/the-harbord-harbord-middleton 

decor -2

Mostly drab browns

ambience - 4

lively

service - 2

Bit lackadaisical

Features - 1

Serves food

real ale - 5

Serves a wide range, like all Wetherspoons pubs

toilets - 4

Score 19 out of 30

Extra point for having good disabled access. the entrance is level with the street and the bar is all on one level and there is a disabled toilet.

The Alehouse, Clitheroe

 

The Alehouse

12-14 Market Place, Clitheroe BB7 2DA

TEL: 07547359853

Didn't get a picture, I may get one on a return visit to Clitheroe.

This place opened in 2015 and is not a traditional pub but is converted from a double shop premises. I'm all for new bars being opened since so many traditional pubs have closed down (and are still closing down) but the premises have to be suitable. This place is too narrow and cramped to make a good pub. What redeems it is that it serves nothing but cask ales. 

decor - 1

very few pictures or ornaments, wooden interior upstairs and down.

ambience - 2

Lively but both the upstairs and downstairs rooms are narrow and cramped, making it difficult to move around safely between the bar and your seat, and avoid being walked into  by male customers who have already imbibed a bit.  The small space  means there are few seats anyway. 

Service - 1

slow

Real ales - 5

Five taps on the downstairs bar that serve nothing but cask ales

features - 2

Does gift cards to give to family and friends

TV in downstairs bar

toilets - 3

Disabled access is almost non existent. Narrow entrance. The toilets are up a steep flight of stairs and there are none on the ground floor.

Score 14 out of 30

The Swan and Royal hotel, Clitheroe

 

The Swan and Royal hotel, 26 Castle Street, Clitheroe BB7 2BX

TEL:01200 423130

This was a 19th century coaching inn and is now a grade II listed building. Its famous visited include Mathatma Ghandi in 1933 when he was inspecting a nearby cotton mill, and Winston Churchill and the jet engine pioneer Frank Whittle in 1940 and 1941 when they were discussing agreements for the development of the jet engine. The Riot Act was read from the steps of the building during the Cotton Riots of 1861 to 1865. This was the period of the Cotton Famine during the American Civil War, when cotton exports from the Confederate states were blockaded by the Union navy. The shortage of raw cotton for the textile mills in Lancashire caused them to close or go to short time working, which caused loss of income and hardship to the mill workers.

decor - 3

drab teal and brown

ambience - 3

lively

service - 4

real ales - 1

Timothy Taylor

features - 2

dog friendly

accommodation

toilets - 3

Score 16 out of 30

The White Lion, Clitheroe

The White Lion, 11 Market Place, Clitheroe BB7 2BZ

TEL: 01200 426995

decor - 3

muted greens and browns

ambience - 2

underventilated and muggy

service - 2

slow

real ale - 0

features - 4

dog friendly

pool

darts

TV

toilets - 3

Score 14 out of 30

 

The Brown Cow, Burrs Country Park, near Bury

 

The Brown Cow

Burrs Country Park

Woodhill Road

Bury BL8 1DA

TEL: 764 3386

Ambience - 1

noisy

decor - 1

shabby, dark and unappealing

real ales - 2

service - 2

offhand

features - 4

bug beer garden

serves food

child friendly

dog friendly

toilets - 3

Score - 13 out of 30

Castello, Rochdale

 

Castello

415 Rochdale Old Road

near Bury

BL9 7TB

TEL: 0161 763 4754

It's a restaurant bar rather than a pub but it's a good one. You can stop for just a pint or a coffee.

Ambience - 4

decor - 4

Swish, nicely presented

Service - 5

Impeccable

real ale - 0

features - 4

serves food

well maintained flowery beer garden

child friendly

dogs allowed in the garden

toilets - 5

Score 22 out of 30

The George and Dragon, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire

 

The George and Dragon

Middlewich Road, Holmes Chapel, CW4 7EA

TEL: 01477 537785

There was previously a George and Dragon pub near this site from at least the 19th century but the original building was demolished to make space for the Knutsford Road to be widened to accommodate increasing traffic flow. This building dates from 1970. It looks plain and uninteresting on the outside but the inside is nicely designed with the dining area in a conservatory on one side and the other two rooms very spacious. The disabled access is quite good and there is enough space for wheelchairs to move between the tables in the room at the front.

decor - 3

taseful cream and brown colour scheme

Has the dining area in a conservatory

ambience - 1

spoiled by overloud piped musak

real ales - 3

Include Stormtrooper, Amarillo and Unicorn when I was there 

service - 2

Abrupt and not very friendly

features - 3

restaurant pub

very nice outdoor seating area at the front

dog friendly

toilets - 4

pristine and fully supplied

Score 15 out of 30

 

Reasonably good disabled access and has a disabled toilet

The Globe, Wardle, Rochdale

 

The Globe Inn

218 Ramsden Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 9NU

TEL: 01706 374500

A grade II listed building in the centre of the village opposite the church.

ambience - 3

friendly atmosphere

decor - 4

cream walls and dark timbers, blue and red carpest, comfy padded wall benches

service - 4

welcoming

ales - 1

Timothy Taylor Landlord

features - 3

child friendly

pool room

TV screen

toilets - 3

Score 18 out of 30

The Hare and Hounds, Wardle, Rochdale

 

The Hare and Hounds

76 Ramsden Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 0LQ

TEL: 01706 375389

There's not much to be found online about the history of this pub. It would be necessary to do some original research in local archives and newspapers. However, apparently the building was originally a farmhouse in the 17th century and was converted into a pub sometime in the 19th century. When the reservoirs were being built nearby the navvies working there made the pub their 'local', forming the major part of its custom. It was renovated and remodelled in 1925. That figures, it looks like a twentieth century building. But the next piece of information says that it was closed in 2002 and converted to residential accommodation. Well, it wasn't! It is still open as a pub, I had a drink in it just last week. I think the AI search has confused two pubs with the same name.

ambience - 3

decor - 3

dark and cosy

service - 3

ale - Timothy Taylor Landlord

features - 5

pub food

dog friendly

child friendly

live music

quiz night every week 

toilets - 5

pristine

Score 19 out of 30

The Prince of Orange, Ashton under Lyne

 

The Prince of Orange

109 Warrington Street, Ashton under Lyne OL6 6DW

TEL: 0161 459 1482

A prominent traditional high street pub near Ashton bus station. There was originally a pub built on the site in 1817 but it was rebuilt in 1026 after Robinsons took it over. It had a refurb late 2019 or early 2020.  Unusually it doesn't do hot drinks. Nearly every pub does them these days. 

decor - 2 dark blue and green theme, tiles, carpets and walls

ambience - 3

comfortable,  piped music not intrusive

service - 3

friendly but bar person forgot the order 

real ale - 0

A Robinsons pub

features - 3

TV screen

pub snacks, does barms with various fillings at a good value price. Some reviews from 2022 onwards says it does pub meals but there was no sign of that on the the afternoon I was there.

Nice beer garden

toilets - 3

Score 14 out of 30

The Ladysmith, Ashton under Lyne

 

The Ladysmith

54 Wellington Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6DD

TEL: 

Originally called The Railway. It was closed for a while but reopened in March 2024.

decor - 2

drab in grey and off-white

ambience - 2

Too loud piped music

service - 4

real ale - 0

features - 1

TV screens

toilets - 4

pristine

Score 13 out of 30

The Bridgewater, Darwen

 

The Bridgewater, 

9-10 Church Street, Darwen

This is not a traditional pub. The building was originally a cinema called the Palladium from 1920 to 1971. Then it was used as a shop until 2006, when it was converted into a pub. 

decor -2

a bit plain

ambience - 2

service - 3 

prompt

real ales - 6

I had the Wainwright

features - 3

serves food, big pub menu

TV screens

child friendly

toilets - 3

Score 19 out of 30

The Crown, Darwen

The Crown, 

24 Redearth Road, Darwen BB3 2AB

TEL: 01254 777010

 decor -1

shabby

ambience - 2

comfortable

service - 4

fast and friendly

real ales - 0

features - 5

pool table

dog friendly

karaoke

live music every week

toilets- 2

cubicles so tiny it's hard to squeeze in and out of them

Score 14 out of 30

The Cock, Darwen

The Cock,

210 Duckworth Street, Darwen BB3 1PX

TEL: 01254 707622

Nice traditional high street pub with very friendly and attentive service. Has no real ales though, and apparently children not allowed in.

ambience - 3

decor - 2

shabby

service - 5

very nice

real ales - 0

features - 4

TV

pool

darts

dog friendly

toilets - 3

Score 17 out of 30

 

The Millstone Hotel, Darwen

The Millstone, 

1-3 Bridge Street, Darwen BB3 1BT

TEL: 01254 702588

This was renamed the Bees Knees in 2023 but the original name is still prominent above the door. 

decor - 3

comfortable green velvet benches

ambience - 1

noisy, they had the TV and piped music on at the same time

service - 4

very friendly and fast

real ales - 0

features - 1

TV screens

toilets - 3

Score 12 out of 30 

 

The Old Chapel, Darwen

 

The Old Chapel, 

Railway Road, Darwen BB3 2RJ

TEL: 01254 778700

Originally a Methodist chapel built in 1866. In 1969 it was turned into a supermarket, later into a discount store. Wetherspoons converted it into a pub in 2014. It has a nice, spacious open bar.

ambience - 3

decor - 2

service - 1

offhand, surly, slow

real ales - 5

When I was there they included Theakstons Old Peculier, Abbott ale and Oden PA

features - 1

serves food

toilets - 3

decent condition

What can you say about  Wetherspoons pub? Cheap but good quality beer, extensive fast food menu, characterful building that retains its historic features.

The Brown Cow, Clitheroe

 

The Brown Cow

42-44 Moor Lane, Clitheroe BB7 1AJ

TEL: 01200 424193

A nice high street pub on the edge of Clitheroe town centre below the castle. It looks like an average high street pub but it's friendly, welcoming and seems to be getting enough customers to keep going.  I only had time for a brief visit in March 2025 so I'm not sure whether it is dog friendly. 

decor - 3

bit plain, brown and green  colour scheme

ambience - 3

relaxing

service - 4

real ale-2

two changing beers

features - 3

darts

pool table

karaoke at weekends

toilets - 5

Score 20 out of 30

Clitheroe, by the way, is worth a visit for the castle and it's famous specialist sausage shop.