Ale Cry 133

Chairman’s Welcome

Branch Contacts

Chairman

ADRIAN SMITH

t: 07495 448555

e: chairman@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Membership Secretary

POST VACANT

e: membership@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Treasurer

DAVE WOOLCOCK

e: treasurer@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Secretary & Webmaster

GORDON SMALL

t: 01772 746118

e: secretary@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Pubs Officer

RICHARD LANGFORD

t: 07974 799224

e: pubsofficer@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Pub Protection Officer

POST VACANT

e: pubprotection@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Cider Officer

EDD FLETCHER

e: cider@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Social Media Officer

STEWART GRIEVE

e: socialmedia@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Another three months have flown by. The weather is warmer and brighter and pub beer gardens are beckoning. Despite the doom and gloom all round the industry, many of our local pubs seem to be remarkably busy. Beer festival season is upon us and thoughts are turning to trips out to see what is on offer outside our branch area.

Over recent months, CAMRA has been conducting a review of its regional structure. Although this is unlikely to directly impact the operation of this branch to any great extent, it has led us to think a bit about what we do and how we do it. When CAMRA started, the main aim was to try and generate interest in real ale: brewing it, selling it and drinking it. It’s fair to say that we did this rather well, but somewhere along the way we seemed to get rather stuck in a rut – with meetings, minutes, agendas etc. –all rather formal and (dare I say it) boring. It’s perhaps no wonder that very few members attend our meetings. Well that is all about to change. Starting from now, we will only be holding one formal meeting every two months. All other meetings will be socials –getting together to talk about beer and pubs and ‘having fun’ – which is what CAMRA should be all about. We will be looking to do some different things that will appeal to our members – so if you have any suggestions of what might tempt you to come to a meeting or social, please get in touch and let me know.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across an article in one of the tabloids, where CAMRA was accused of being full of “old, boring, white, straight men”. In parts that is true – 80% of the membership is male, and

it does appear that whiteness prevails! In many branches, the active members are older – often people do not find the time to volunteer until they retire or the family has grown and left home. Boring is rather unfair and what our sexuality has to do with anything is beyond me. What I do know, is that if you wish to join us for a meeting, come on a trip or get involved more fully –you will be made welcome. The only things you need to be part of our branch are a love of decent beer and the pubs that serve it.

As ever, if you have any thoughts, comments or feedback (about Ale Cry, the local branch or CAMRA nationally) please get in touch with us via email. You will find a contact list in this magazine, or better still, come along to one of our forthcoming meetings or events. Please also remember to visit our website www.centrallancs. camra.org.uk for all the latest information and local news and if you are on Facebook, please search for CAMRA Central Lancs and like our page. In addition, you can now follow us on Twitter, search for CAMRA Central Lancs.

We also produce a monthly newsletter which is emailed to Branch members on the 1st of each month. If you are not receiving this, it might be because we do not have an up-to-date email address for you or perhaps because your membership options need changing. Please go to https://camra.org.uk log in and go to edit membership details/ marketing preferences in the members’ area to amend your details and options.

Kind Regards

ADRIAN SMITH Branch Chairman

Ale Cry Editor

ADRIAN SMITH

t: 07495 448555

e: editor@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Social Secretary

POST VACANT

e: social@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Young Members

POST VACANT

e: youngmembers@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk @CAMRA_CentLancs

CAMRA Central Lancashire Branch camra_central.lancs

All material copyright © Central Lancs CAMRA No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this magazine are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor, Branch Committee or CAMRA nationally. Central Lancs CAMRA accepts no liability in relation to any advertisement or article and recommends the reader make their own enquiries. It should also be noted that inclusion of an advertisement in this magazine should not be deemed an endorsement of quality by Central Lancs CAMRA.

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Dog friendly

Red Lion

196 Blackburn Rd, Wheelton PR6 8EUU

A warm and friendly atmosphere with great beers, wines & spirits.

CAMRA pub of the season - Autumn 2021

8 hand pumps. large range of Gins food served 7 days a week

Sky & BT sports

Live music

Real fire

Ben’s Tap & Bottle Shop

CAMRA pub of the season - Autumn 2021

Beer garden Car park

Our bar features six hand pulls from our own brewery and selected guest ales, five traditional ciders, quality imported lagers and much more.

CAMRA pub of the season - Autumn 2021

The bottleshop stocks over 100 ever-changing British and International beers. All at great prices and refrigerated to drink in or take away.

Chorley Chatter

Since the last issue quite a lot has been happening in and around the Chorley area, some good news and some not so good, so we’ll start with the negatives…

Demolition finally started on ST PETERS CLUB on Eaves Lane in Chorley after a lengthy period of closure. The club has been there for over a century serving the community, but the writing was on the wall when a planning application for demolition and redevelopment of the site as a Co-op store was approved earlier in the year.

There was great disappointment when the EUXTON MILLS closed in March amid rising costs, and it was reported Admiral Taverns were looking for new tenants.

at the FLAT IRON has increased the cask ale offering with the installation of another handpump, guaranteeing a permanent pale and blonde ale will be served.

On a more positive note, the HALFWAY HOUSE in Clayton-le-Woods, which closed back in February was reopened in March by a new partnership between the Cavendish Arms in Brindle and Esteban Tapas who are running the food side… initial reports are very positive and JW Lees cask ales continue to be served.

Eccleston has also seen something of a revival in recent months as the BROWN COW, a Thwaites pub has reopened under new management in April after a long period of closure, and the village’s micropub, Greenhaus was also sold and quickly reopened under the new name, TOP O’T’ GREEN

news that Twisted Wheel brewery had moved to Chorley, working out of Ben’s but this has been a short-lived arrangement, and they have moved on once more, we believe to Pickering in Yorkshire.

On a positive note, a recent planning application has been made for a new bar to open in the old Greenwood’s clothing store on Chapel Street following a smart renovation. ‘THE CHAMPIONS LOUNGE’ sports bar will provide further variety to the bar scene in the town centre if approved, but at this stage it’s unclear if there would be a cask ale; the consultation ends on 1st May so we should know more next time.

Landlords, Paul and Lisa had really brought the old pub back to life over the last few years, but after just two months, the good news is, they are returning to run it once again, reopening on 4th May.

VAULTS BAR in Chorley town centre closed back in February and early hopes of a quick reopening have not come to fruition, as the premises remain for let. LOST BAR around the corner on Chapel Street is in a similar situation and is now up for sale through Peter Gilkes estate agents for £300,000.

Despite the building going up for sale at the start of the year it was still a surprise announcement when BOOTLEGGERS closed in March due to a significant rent hike by the landlords making the business unviable. However, just before going to press we learnt that the pub had just reopened although details of who is involved and what is on offer are not yet known just yet.

The DOG INN in Whittle remains closed with Thwaites seeking new tenants and the BEAUMONT in Clayton-le-Woods is up for sale, with future plans for the pub and site unclear.

Both the MITRE and SAM’S BAR in Chorley have stopped selling cask ale in recent months, which is sad but hopefully just temporary. In contrast to this, Matt Rees

Nearby in Croston, the GRAPES has been purchased by a private buyer who is reportedly looking for a new tenant to take on the business. So a small piece of positive news here, but just up the road, the CROWN on Station Road remains permanently closed. Thwaites have sought new tenants for a considerable time but to no avail. The site has now been purchased and awaits demolition to make way for another Co-op store. It’s sad that this historic pub is set to disappear from the village, but one suspects in the current climate that a village the size of Croston can only support a limited number of pubs and something had to give… on a positive note this will hopefully result in an increase in footfall for the remaining pubs.

Last time we were encouraged by the

Finally, our congratulations go to all those involved in the recent Chorley Pub Festival, which again attracted large numbers of drinkers to the town centre and let us sample a huge variety of ales sourced from around the country, many of which have not been seen here before. A huge amount of work went into making the weekend a success by both the organisers and the fourteen venues involved, and hopefully their efforts were well-rewarded by the turn out… long may this remain an event on the Chorley calendar we can look forward to each year.

RICHARD LANGFORD

FLAT IRON’S INCREASED CASK OFFERING

BOB INN’S EXTRA BAR DURING CHORLEY PUB FESTIVAL

Bay Horse, Heath CHarnock

This magnificent stone-built pub stands proudly at the top of Babylon Lane at its junction with Long Lane in Heath Charnock. In the height of summer there can be few better places to while away a few hours, with its superb panoramic views across West Lancashire and to Rivington Pike and Winter Hill to the east.

Make no mistake about it, this is a rather special place that has served the local community for nearly 200 years and despite its rich history, these are rather exciting times at the Bay Horse, with the pub experiencing something of a renaissance under new management. Current landlady, Sam Holl and her husband Alan took over the pub in April 2021 and reopened in May that year. This is her first venture into running a pub, but her background in engineering, attention to detail and passion for real ale have certainly proved invaluable…in all aspects, the place has simply gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years.

The building dates from the 1750s and was originally a farm, which was extended in the late 1700s to include a blacksmith’s shop at the rear. Old maps mark the area as “Turner Smithy” from around 1805, which makes sense, due to the presence of the smithy, which at that time was being used by the Dickinson family to run their fire brick manufacturing business, as well as the farm.

James Dickinson was the Bay Horse’s first landlord, selling beer at the farm from around 1839, whilst his older brother William ran the smithy. In 1843, he was granted a full licence and it became a public house, operating as a coaching inn, providing running repairs to the many horses that stabled there during that time. These days the smithy is long gone, leaving behind a traditional multi-roomed pub with loads of character, old wooden beams, exposed stonework and open fires for those winter months.

The community spirit at the pub is fantastic and the picture above, taken around 1883 when James Glover was the landlord reflects this; one hundred and forty years on and little has changed. After taking over the pub Sam and Alan have undertaken many renovations, both inside and out and have not finished yet. There is a fabulous bowling green to the rear of the pub that has been in regular use for the last century or so, and the Bay Horse Bowling Club is also thriving, now having six teams playing in three separate local leagues. There has been significant investment in the venue, which has been massively improved after they demolished and rebuilt a new pavilion, renovated the pathways around the green and enhanced the beer garden, which sits alongside, but separate to the bowling green.

Sam tells us that one landlady, Ellen Mayoh personally financed the making of memorial boards for members of the bowling club that fought in the First World War, and to this day, these are displayed inside the pub. She is pictured here on the bowling green c.1920 with the boards.

Remarkably, Ellen’s granddaughter Barbara still lives a few doors away and is a regular. However, she’s not the only one who’s remained a loyal and permanent feature, as barman Derek has been serving here for the last 31 years and is not calling last orders yet. There is even an oil painting portrait of him by a local artist hanging on one of the chimney breasts!

Back to the business at hand then. Up to four cask ales are served on handpump, which invariably include beers from local brewery Wily Fox (Wigan) alongside traditional beers such as Boltmaker from Timothy Taylor’s and occasionally another from Moorhouse’s. Excellent

home-cooked food with a modern twist is served every day and walkers and their four-legged friends are always made most welcome.

To the rear is a decent-sized car park, and down the side and in the courtyard there is plenty of outdoor seating between the pub and the old coaching stables which have also stood the test of time.

The Bay Horse is a deserving recipient of the Central Lancashire CAMRA Pub of the Season for Summer 2023, and our congratulations go to Sam and all the team. Why not come along and join us at the presentation evening on Thursday 27th July to find out for yourselves.

We wish them all the very best for the future.

RICHARD LANGFORD

The Orchard

Craft Beer Bar

10 Craft beers and lagers

2/3 cask ales

Select Gins & quality spirits

Fine wines

Outdoor German style seating

Free Wifi

Background music

Live music Saturday during summer

Open Tue–Sun from noon till late

Preston Market, Earl Street, PR1 2LA

GUILD ALE HOUSE

– 7 rotating cask ales

– Craft beers and lagers

– 3 real ciders

– Large range of Belgian ales

– Wine & Prosecco

CAMRA CENTRAL LANCS BRANCH AND ... A CHRONOLOGY 1973–2023

I’ve been harping on about it in Ale Cry for the past year - that 2023 sees the 50th anniversary of the formation of CAMRA Central Lancashire branch. To commemorate this landmark occasion I have compiled a year-by-year chronology of significant (and some not so significant) events that have taken place during the branch’s existence.

1973 CAMRA West Lancashire branch (as we were then known) is formed at a meeting held at the Moorbrook in Preston.

1974 The first commercial edition of the Good Beer Guide is produced. CAMRA West Lancashire branch is ably represented with 22 pub entries.

1975 CAMRA West Lancashire branch produces its first pub guide. The Preston & District Real Ale Guide was priced at 20p and listed 116 pubs that were known to be selling real ale.

1976 A brewpub is established at the New Fermor Arms in Rufford (no longer part of our branch area). Fettlers Ale – sometimes a real ale, but more often a beer stored under pressure.

1977 Travellers-Fare promote the availability of real ale in their station buffets by producing Travellers Guides. The Guild Bar at Preston Railway Station has Boddingtons Bitter and Thwaites Bitter on sale.

1978 The first edition of Ale Cry is produced. Ale Cry Number 1 is a single A4 sheet printed on both sides. It was priced at 2p, but since the second edition there has been no charge.

1979 The West Lancashire Real Ale Guide is produced. This was a joint venture in conjunction with a number of neighbouring CAMRA branches.

1980 The Beer Festival that never was. Preston Beer Festival was advertised to take place at Preston Polytechnic, but a change of regime at the Students Union saw it cancelled at the last minute.

1981 Named after the branch’s first Treasurer, the George Lee Memorial Trophy award is introduced. The first winner was the Olde Blue Bell in Preston, while the most recent winner was the Black Horse in Preston. The award was retired in 2020.

1982 Longridge Beer Festival takes place, organised by CAMRA with the Longridge Lions Club. Jokingly dubbed the ‘Munich of the North’, there were more different beers available at Longridge than at the German event.

1983 Leyland Brewery is established by local CAMRA member Ian Bignell. A shortlived affair; who now remembers beers like Tiger Bitter and Old Cross Ale?

1984 CAMRA West Lancashire are regularly organising brewery trips. This year there were visits to Matthew Brown, Everards, Burtonwood, Hydes, and Hartleys.

1985 A ‘Special War Edition’ of Ale Cry is produced. This was financed by Matthew Brown Brewery in an attempt to fight off

the unwelcome advances of predators Scottish & Newcastle.

1986 It is agreed that Ale Cry should be expanded to cover all Lancashire branches rather than just cover local issues, although this idea seems to have been dropped fairly quickly.

1987 Scottish & Newcastle are at last successful in their takeover of Matthew Brown. The brewery whose pubs and beers had previously dominated the branch area is very soon just a memory.

1988 The Black Horse in Preston becomes a listed building. It has since gained much admiration, and its interior was featured on the cover of a Britain’s Best Real Heritage Pubs book.

1989 The branch produces ‘Real Ale In Preston’, a comprehensive guide to those real ale pubs in the built up area of Preston. All told, 71 pubs were listed.

1990 CAMRA produces a second edition of the Good Cider Guide. Our branch area had no entries in the first edition, but this edition included the New Britannia and the Real Ale Shop, both in Preston.

1991 The branch’s George Lee Memorial Trophy winner is Gastons (now Baker Street) in Preston. The following year the on-site Little Avenham Brewery was established at the pub.

1992 St Teresa’s Parish Centre in Penwortham is put forward by the branch for CAMRA’s annual awards. It achieves great success and is chosen as the national Club of the Year winner.

1993 The Corn Exchange opens in Preston on the former Public Hall site. A few years later it became the Flax & Firkin, but it was one ‘Firkin’ pub that did not brew its beers on the premises.

1994 The first St Walburges Beer Festival takes place with CAMRA West Lancashire the joint organisers. Subsequently these Beer Festivals were run for many years with no official CAMRA involvement.

1995 The first Ale Cry Distribution Crawl takes place, visiting Leyland, then something of a beer desert in the branch area. There have since been another 86 Ale Cry Distribution Crawls.

1996 A Pub of the Season award is introduced. The first winner is the Guild (then known as the Hogshead) in Preston. The current holder (and the 97th different winner) is the Bay Horse at Heath Charnock.

1997 Two CAMRA landmarks this year –CAMRA membership reaches 50,000 for the first time - the Good Beer Guide produced

this year is the Silver Anniversary edition. 1998 Preston is chosen to feature in a forthcoming CAMRA publication ‘Fifty Great Pub Crawls’. A few years later Croston is featured in the sequel ‘Fifty More Great Pub Crawls’.

1999 The branch’s first Ale Trail is produced. This was for the Preston-LongridgeChipping bus route and was produced by Lancashire County Council in conjunction with CAMRA.

2000 The latest proposal for the former TSB Bank building in Preston is that Bass want to make it an ‘Edwards’ theme pub. Eventually in 2005 it would be opened as the Twelve Tellers, Preston’s second Wetherspoons pub.

2001 The Royal Oak at Whittle-le-Woods is rewarded for 25 consecutive years in the Good Beer Guide with the presentation of a specially engraved CAMRA Mirror.

2002 The Ashton Institute & Social Club is successful in winning the Lancashire Club of the Year award. Now demolished, this club was regularly nominated by the branch for CAMRA’s regional awards.

2003 The CAMRA West Lancashire 30th Anniversary Branch AGM takes place. It is held outdoors at the Moorbrook in Preston, with special guests invited including a representative from Thwaites Brewery.

2004 The Central Lancashire Real Ale Guide is produced. This is the most recent comprehensive Real Ale Guide produced by the branch – with Ale Trail leaflets now having seemingly taken their place.

2005 A Real Ale Pub Festival ‘Six of the Best’ takes place in Preston. The six participants are the Black Horse, the Fox & Grapes, the New Britannia, the Old Black Bull, the Old Vic, and the Stanley Arms.

2006 The Bitter Suite opens in the former Strettles Bar premises in Preston. Later the Ale Emporium, it was three times a winner of the George Lee Memorial Trophy award.

2007 Thwaites Brewery celebrates its 200th anniversary. A constant during the branch’s existence – in 1973 it had been one of three breweries based in Blackburn, now it is located just outside our branch area at Mellor Brook.

2008 The Continental in Preston re-opens after being closed for over 18 months. Under new ownership it is a great success, and that year hosts the first of its many successful Beer Festivals.

2009 Ale Cry enters the 21st century by including colour for the first time. It took some time for this to become commonplace with colour mostly being used for advertisements initially.

2010 A change in branch boundaries with pubs in the Hesketh Bank, Rufford, and

Tarleton areas becoming the responsibility of CAMRA Southport & District branch. A later change would see pubs in Bispham Green and Wrightington handed over to CAMRA Wigan branch.

2011 CAMRA West Lancashire branch is re-named as CAMRA Central Lancashire branch. Thankfully no geographical relocation is necessary.

2012 A bad year for pub closures, with 15 pubs calling it a day. The Fox & Grapes in Preston, once a regular Good Beer Guide entry, is converted into the Beachcomber, a ‘South Californian Surf Bar’.

2013 The Market Ale House opens in Leyland, becoming the first micropub to open in the branch area. Highly successful, in 2021 the pub expanded to take over the next door shop premises.

2014 The Shepherds’ Hall Ale House opens, becoming Chorley’s first micropub. With the number of micropubs in Chorley now in double figures it appears to have started a trend.

2015 Two new branch awards are introduced. Our Lady & St Gerard’s in Lostock Hall becomes our first Club of the Year, and the Bob Inn becomes our first Cider Pub of the Year.

2016 The Guild Ale House opens in Preston. Immediately popular with local CAMRA members, two years later its sister pub the Orchard is opened on Preston Market.

2017 A devastating fire at the Grill & Grain at the Boatyard leaves the Riley Green pub in ruins. Only the previous year it had been established as the first Thwaites pub with its own on-site brewery.

2018 Perhaps belatedly CAMRA Central Lancashire branch introduces a Pub of the Year award. Decided by a branch members vote, the first winner was the Guild Ale House in Preston. 2019 Ale Cry is recognised by being named the CAMRA Lancashire Branches Magazine of the Year. This was the second successive year it had been successful in CAMRA’s regional awards.

2020 After 47 years of face-to-face meetings in pubs and clubs the Covid lockdown necessitates that CAMRA Central Lancashire branch arranges its first online Zoom meeting.

2021 Despite the lengthy Covid lockdown, perhaps surprisingly this was a great year for pub openings, with 14 new pubs and bars opening in the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch area.

2022 CAMRA Central Lancashire branch helps with the organisation of the first Chorley Pub Festival, with 14 pubs involved in providing a weekend of good beer and entertainment.

2023 CAMRA Central Lancashire branch celebrates its 50th birthday – on June 25th to be precise.

Here’s to the next 50 years!

PRESTON PARADE

Firstly, an apology: In the last issue I told you of the reopening of Winckley Street Ale House and I said that it was card payment only. I was mistaken, they have accepted cash payments ever since it reopened. I am happy to set the record straight.

Now, it may seem that little happens in Preston, unlike say Chorley, where new bars seem to open every issue, and things just go along merrily, but some things do change, and not necessarily for the better. For example, Preston has recently lost two real ale outlets. The STANLEY ARMS on Lancaster Rd. has ceased to sell the one cask beer that had lingered on for the past few months. Apparently, they were not selling enough and consequently throwing too much away, making it uneconomic. I know the last couple of times I went in, the beer was on the edge, so it’s better than giving real ale a bad name, but another one is lost to the cause. The pub remains open thankfully and I know it is very popular on Friday nights so we should be glad of that.

Unfortunately that can’t be said of the ROPER HALL on Friargate, which despite

not more student accommodation!!

Another pub put up for sale is the WELLFIELD on Adelphi Street, which recently had some issues with anti-social behaviour. It had sold cask ale up until recently, so we will see what happens there too, but Plungington has gone from having a variety of pubs including the very popular Boddingtons’ Royal Oak to almost a beer desert.

There must be some good news. Well, the GOLDEN CROSS on Lancaster Rd has reopened after a bit of a makeover, but there is no sign that it will be selling any real ale anytime soon, but it is still there. We do have another real ale outlet in the town in the form of the GENTRY BAR which has opened in the entrance to the former National Football Museum at the Deepdale ground of Preston North End, the NFM having been taken away from founder member PNE and given to Manchester in a reverse evening-up act. It opened over Easter and had one cask ale in the form of Gentry Pale Ale on sale before and after the match. It was rumoured that it is brewed by Bowland, but this has as yet not been confirmed nor has projected opening times. What is known is that payment is definitely by card only.

The PLAU has had fewer cask ales on recently due to problems with the handpumps. Four brand new Angram pumps have been installed and there should now be four cask ales to supplement the extensive craft selection. Better still, the pub is now offering a 50p a pint discount to card-carrying CAMRA members. There will also be extended opening hours from early June, with the plan to be open from 9am daily for brunch.

Any more good news? The CHAIN HOUSE BREWERY TAP on Market Street West has recently been selling its own cask Citra Pale Ale (4.2%) and by all reports the beer tasted excellent. More please.

Not quite in our branch area but near enough, is news of another microbar opening in Garstang. The GIN AND BREWS is on the High Street almost opposite The Kitchen Tap, the other Micro in town. It opened on March 3rd and is owned by the lady who makes the Spirit of Garstang Gin, who decided to open a bar in addition to the bottle shop she was already running. She moved into the new premises on High St. where besides the gin and other spirits on sale, there are now also three real ales. They are changing beers, but on my visit these were Pennine Millie George (4%), Smooth Hoperator, a 4.1% New Zealand Pale specially brewed for them, and a Twisted Wheel stout, Wouldn’t it be Nice at 5%. There are artisan craft beers and a large selection of foreign and GB-brewed cans and bottles available. The gins and spirits produced come in various sizes to take away or enjoy on the premises and there is even coffee and hot chocolate on sale. The bar furniture consists of high stools and tables. It is also dog friendly. Closed on Monday and Tuesday, it is open 12–9 Wed/Thur, 12–10 Fri/Sat and 1–8 Sun. It is a welcome addition to the Garstang scene and is not seen as a threat to other outlets, but as another reason to go to Garstang that will boost the footfall for all. I agree.

We mentioned in the last Riley’s Ramble that the micro Hoppy Days had closed and we didn’t know what was planned for the venue. Well, we now know. I don’t think Peace, the former owner of the wellregarded real ale bar would have approved, but it is to become a tattoo bar. I know which bar I would prefer.

being close to the thousands of students at the university, has closed its doors and has been put up for sale by owners Stonegate, who also own the nearby Adelphi pub. Unlike the Adelphi, Roper Hall did sell real ale until recently, so is another permanent loss to the real ale scene. Formerly a social club with an upstairs room that could be hired for weddings and private parties; in 2000 it transformed into a go-to venue with loud music, sports TV, food, and proved popular with many of the 30,000 students that apparently attend the nearby university. Let us see who buys this large site and what they plan to do with it. Surely

Finally, a little quiz for you. The picture here is of an interior window of a very popular Preston Pub that was closed soon after its installation much to the chagrin of its many patrons and is still greatly missed. What is the name of that pub? The answer will be in issue 134.

PAUL RILEY

SOUTH RIBBLE SCENE

After reporting the demise of Crankshaft Brewery in the last edition of Ale Cry, it is with some regret that I now have to report the demise of South Ribble’s other brewery - Beer Brothers. Fortunately this is not as bad as it sounds, for although Beer Brothers may have ceased to exist, in its place we now have the HOPWORKS BREW COMPANY

Beer Brothers was founded in 2015, and was originally based at a farm in Walmer Bridge. Two years later the brewery was re-located to an industrial unit at Walton Summit, and in November 2017 an on-site brewery tap was established. In 2020 the original Beer Brothers partnership was broken up, with co-owner David Reece withdrawing from the business.

Beer Brothers had continued to function for another three years, but at the beginning of April the remaining ‘Beer Brother’ Phil Leyland, issued a statement of mixed sentiments. He said that sadly he was laying the Beer Brothers name to rest, but that to take its place he was launching the new Hopworks Brew Company. He indicated that this new brewing company would be run with a new team, and would be producing new beers, but otherwise it would be taking over the equipment and facilities of the old company.

The transition to the new name has not been easy, with HMRC managing to lose their application to register as a brewery! This has led to a delay in getting their new beers out but the first brews are now underway and should be ready shortly. It seems likely that all the old beer names will disappear; cask ales such as Golden Sky, Indigo Blue, and their craft-keg offerings like Interstellar and Gunslinger. Phil had hoped to be able to showcase some of the new range at the four day Springfest 2023 event, which took place at the beginning of May, but this was not possible so we’ll just have to wait a bit longer. The tap-room at Walton Summit remains open, and in the short-term at least, we are likely to find guest beers on sale.

Some mixed news from Leyland. The

Christmas-themed Winter Wonderland on Hough Lane has now been transformed into the BIERHAUS HOUGH LANE, a bar selling ‘German beers on tap served in real steins’ alongside keg Wainwrights Gold Incredibly it would appear that this new bar may not have a long lifetime, as just a month after it opened, South Ribble Council approved plans for a new Church Place development to go ahead. This would see both the Bierhaus and the No. 55 bar being demolished to be replaced by a three storey building, although indications are that this new building could possibly include a pub and a restaurant.

In Penwortham the three neighbouring microbars on Liverpool Road have, since the beginning of May become four neighbouring microbars, with the opening of FAIRHAM’S BAR. This new bar has been established primarily to promote the sales of Fairham’s Gin which originates from Penwortham, but on opening there was no sign of any real ale being available.

While Liverpool Road prospers, the Leyland Road area of Penwortham has become something of a beer desert for real ale drinkers in recent months. Going back a year or so it all seems to have started when the PEAR TREE stopped selling real ale. Then, last year as reported in a previous Ale Cry, it was found that VERNON CARUS SPORTS CLUB having undergone a £265,000 refurbishment had opted to remove the handpumps, but these have now been restored.

On a recent visit it was found that the BARREL & BEAN CO micropub had also stopped selling real ale, with its handpumps having been removed. Nearby the MIDDLEFORTH ROYAL BRITISH LEGION CLUB and the PENWORTHAM SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB both still have a handpump, but these appear only to be in use on special occasions.

That leaves PENWORTHAM CRICKET

CLUB which does usually have a handpumped beer available for spectators on matchdays. Unfortunately the clubhouse bar has been closed for a lengthy period due to severe water damage, although with the cricket season now underway the bar facilities should by this time be back available.

Six months ago I wrote that the longclosed NABS HEAD at Samlesbury Bottoms may still have a future as a pub. Early in 2022 Thwaites Brewery had put the pub up for sale with an asking price of £450,000, but later in the year they had a change of heart with them instead opting to look for new tenants. Vonnie Brookshaw and Shaun Stewart have now come forward to take on the licence, and with the pub re-opening in May, it is hoped that it can again be successful. Indications are that the food side will be important, but as the Thwaites pub in our branch area that is nearest to the brewery, it would be good to see it selling a range of their cask products.

Another pub reported in the past to have had an uncertain future was YE OLDE ORIGINAL WITHY TREES on Station Road in Bamber Bridge. Put up for sale last year with an asking price of £395,000 it was advertised that it ‘may suit alternative use’. The situation was not looking too promising, but in April it was announced that the

pub had been bought by Craig Ashcroft, whose Ashvestments Ltd company had been behind the re-establishment of the nearby Lancs & Yorks pub. As I write Ye Olde Original Withy Trees is undergoing a major refurbishment, with the intention that it will be re-opening at the end of May. A former Burtonwood pub, which later became a Robinsons outlet, it is now understood to be free of tie.

Elsewhere in Bamber Bridge the WA BAR & BISTRO on Station Road has now been given the go-ahead to officially become a micropub. It will continue to provide food for its customers, but hopefully there will be an increase in the number of handpumped beers available.

The Beer Festival season is now well underway, and already there have been a couple of events held in the South Ribble area.

The first of these was the NEW LONGTON BEER FEST which took place

at the New Longton Sports & Social Club over the weekend March 24th–26th. This was the seventh New Longton Beer Festival, with those from 2015 to 2019 having been held in October, while those in the last two years have been held in March. Always extremely well attended, and with live entertainment for much of the time, there is also plenty of room outside for those wanting to brave the variable weather conditions. This year there was the usual good selection of beers, with dependable breweries like Blackedge, Deeply Vale, and Wily Fox being joined by newcomers like Nuttycombe. Interestingly also on sale was Rats the way Uh Huh Uh Huh I Like It, the beer specially brewed for the Guild Ale House by Rat Brewery. All told there were 20 beers available plus three ciders, while for those wanting something different there were also gin bar and prosecco bar facilities.

Just a week later it was the GIN AND BEER FESTIVAL taking place at Bamber Bridge Football Club. By my reckoning this was the tenth Beer Festival to be

hosted by the Briggers. Their first Beer Festival was as long ago as 2002, then came 2007 and 2008, while from 2015 it has mirrored the years of the New Longton event. The Bamber Bridge Beer Festival always takes place towards the end of the football season, and this year with a Saturday game against South Shields which attracted an attendance of 998, there was a bumper turnout at the Beer Festival itself. Here the breweries represented included Abbeydale and Wigan Brew House, while Rat Brewery was again present with two of their beers. In total there were 20 beers and 7 ciders on sale, but reflecting that this was not just a Beer Festival there were over 50 different gins available!

CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2022

GORDON SMALL

Cycle Ale Trail 3

West of Preston / Fylde loop

We’ve done North West (AC129) and North East (AC130) rides – here’s a very pleasant western ride of about 16 miles taking in 6 pubs. As it’s on the Fylde it is pretty flat and there are no big hills. So as the evenings get nice and light, wait for some good weather and get out on your bike and sample some country pubs – mostly foodie pubs so you can check them out for possible future food visits. Reckon on about 3.5 to 4 hours. All the beers I tried were in good condition – don’t forget to score them on Whatpub.

Usual disclaimers apply – riding whilst inebriated is not a good idea, and street lighting is not available all the way around.

We start this adventure at the westmost point of the Guild Wheel – the bridge over the A583 Blackpool Road and right next to the new roadworks for the Western Distributor Road.

Leg 1: 1.5 miles to JIMBREW

Head west on the cycle path adjacent to the A583 and branch left towards Freckleton on the A584 dual carriageway. There is a narrow cyclepath of sorts all the way to Freckleton – parts have been recently upgraded but other parts are overgrown and pretty rough. Look out for a sign to the Courtyard Café after about half a mile down the A584 and then turn left down the lane. This leads to a car park and small commercial estate. Turn right and right again and you should find the JIMBREW BREWERY TAP (1) opposite the Courtyard Café.

This is a new brewery to the area (opened late 2022) and is normally only open on Fridays and Saturdays at the moment, although Jim is considering opening on Sundays as well during the summer. Pizza vans and entertainment often turn up – check their Facebook site for details. Jimbrew doesn’t yet brew any cask ales and all beers are glutenfree. Regulars are Sesh Bomb, My Haus and Back to Black. There may

be picnic tables outside if it’s sunny otherwise it’s upstairs to the bar over the brewery. Jim is probably behind the bar.

Leg 2: 2.3 miles to the SHIP Head back out onto the A584 and on towards Freckleton – choose the separate cycle path or the one painted on the road. As you approach Freckleton look out for a sign on the left to the Ship Inn – for that is

where we are going. Turn left on to Lower Lane and follow the road down until the road bears right, then ignoring “Poolside” take the next left (Bunker Street) and the SHIP INN (2) is 100 yards on the left. 3 cask beers on when I called – Pride of Pendle, Bradfield Farmers Blonde and Wainwright The beer garden is out the back with a great view over

SHIP HAND PUMPS

the marshes. It is also just under the flight path for aircraft landing at Warton (if they are flying).

Leg 3: 2.2 miles to the BIRLEY ARMS

Go back up Bunker Street and turn left toward the centre of Freckleton then turn left on to Lytham Road heading towards Warton. Navigate the lights on to the A584 main road via the cycle path and continue on to Warton. Look out for “Foodie Fusion” on the RHS just before a set of lights,

the right. This is another foodie pub and always pretty busy. Only Greene King IPA was on cask when I called in but it was in good condition. Outdoor seating is available to the front and rear.

Leg 5: 1.9 miles to the TAP & VENT

and turn right. This is Church Road but I didn’t spot the sign. About half a mile up here on the RHS is the BIRLEY ARMS (3). This is another foodie pub with the added bonus of a caravan site and motel attached. There were two cask ales on when I called – Timothy Taylors Landlord and Farmers Blonde

Leg 4: 1.7 miles to the GRAPES

Continue up the road (Bryning Lane) through the hamlet of Bryning and into Wrea Green. Just past the famous green you will see the GRAPES (4) straight ahead and to

Bear left out of the Grapes and head past Ribby Hall to the main road (A583) roundabout and turn right towards Preston. Then immediately bear left past Kirkham Grammar School and ride down into the centre of Kirkham. Over the hill (it’s not that big!) on your left is the TAP AND VENT (5). This is an “XL” micropub with pavement seating too and was very busy when I called in. They had 5 cask ales on – Oscars Cheers to Charles, Kirkham Brewhouse Blonde, Fuzzy Duck Golden Cascade, Reedley Hallows New Laund Dark, and Westgate Loose Head. Extensive roadworks were in operation when I called in so I chained my bike to the barriers.

Leg 6: 2.9 miles to the HAND AND DAGGER

Carry on towards Preston and over another small hill then turn next left on to Carr Lane towards Treales. Go through the village past the sadly defunct Derby Arms and keep going cross country until you arrive at the HAND AND DAGGER (6). Yes it’s a foodie pub and we’ve been here before. It still has a great beer garden out the back and with chickens too. Two cask ales were on offer when I called – Tetleys Original Cask and Bowland Boxer

Leg7: 3 miles back to the Guild Wheel bridge

Leave the pub by the road directly opposite and follow the canal for a while, then pass by Salwick station, Springfield works, the defunct Windmill pub, Clifton village and rejoin the A583 and cycle path on the “wrong” side of the road.

I think this was my favourite cycle trail so far – probably due to it being flat and easy to ride and visiting some pubs I’ve not been to for years.

DAVE WOOLCOCK

HAND AND DAGGER BEER GARDEN

HAND AND DAGGER HAND PUMPS

TAP AND VENT HAND PUMPS

HALL

WE ARE 50

In June this year, the Central Lancs branch of CAMRA celebrates its 50th birthday. One of the current committee, Dave Marsden has been involved with CAMRA from before the start of our branch and has served on the committee continuously since it was formed. In the Summer of 2003, we were celebrating our 30th birthday, and Dave wrote a short piece for inclusion in the summer edition of Ale Cry. Ten years later he wrote another to celebrate our 40th birthday and I have taken the opportunity to combine these two pieces to form a look back on the early years of our branch.

The Conception and Birth of the West Lancashire branch of CAMRA (now Central Lancashire) I joined the Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale in late 1972 after getting the address from the magazine published by the British Beer Mat Collectors Society. For some time I had been concerned about the way breweries were being taken over and closed down without any reference to the consumers. This has happened locally in 1970 – when Greenalls closed the Bolton brewery of Magee Marshall and again in 1972 when they closed the Salford Brewery of Groves & Whitnall.

After joining CAMRA, I was appointed area organiser for Lancashire by Graham Lees, one of the four founders of the Campaign. My job was to enrol members and to start up branches. At the time there were no CAMRA branches in the north of England; one had been started in Huddersfield but had subsequently folded.

I decided to base our campaigning headquarters at the Moorbrook in Preston, which served Thwaites beers from handpumps, the handles of which I had spotted from the top deck of a passing bus. On my first visit to the pub, after explaining what as far as I knew were the objectives of the campaign to the landlord, the late George Lee, I was surprised to be taken seriously by George and not treated as a complete idiot.

One Sunday night Graham travelled to Preston from his home in Salford and we went on a pub crawl round the town. We ended up at the Moorbrook Inn and Graham had to be driven back to the station by one of the barmen to catch his train. By this time, I had already built up a good relationship with George Lee, who recruited many people to membership of CAMRA.

I too had encouraged people with whom I worked and assisted by Graham Lees we were ready to launch the branch on Monday 25 th June at the Moorbrook Inn.

I was elected Chairman, Ken Hargreaves was Secretary and George Lee was Treasurer. There was no committee at this stage, this was a later refinement after CAMRA had changed its name to the Campaign for Real Ale and revised its constitution. I believe the West Lancs

PICTURES OF DAVE MARSDEN ARE RELATIVELY RARE, BUT WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE FOUND THIS ONE SHOWING THREE FORMER BRANCH CHAIRS: FROM L-R ALAN THOMPSON, DAVE MARSDEN AND DAVE LINLEY. IN TYPICAL HOLIDAY MODE SAMPLING LOCAL DELICACIES IN THE

branch is the oldest in the north of England. As far as I know, the current Huddersfield Branch does not claim continuity with the branch that folded there in 1972.

After the West Lancs branch, soon came Blackpool (now Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre), Lunesdale, East Lancs and South Lancs (now split between Wigan and SE Lancs) branches.

The first branch brewery trip was to Jennings in Cockermouth in September 1973. Everybody got a bit merry on what to us was a completely unknown brew and a few complaints were later made. Since then our brewery trips have been comparatively sober events. We also organised a coach trip to CAMRA’s national day of protest at the closure by Bass of the Joules Brewery in Stone in Staffordshire.

So cheers to CAMRA Central Lancashire branch and here’s to the next 50 years.

DAVE MARSDEN

Editorial comment:

50 years is a significant milestone and much has changed in the pub and brewery landscape during this time. It is amazing to think that Dave has been part of this branch since its inception; his contribution towards our activities has been immense. Elsewhere in this magazine you will find an article looking back over those 50 years, and detailing the landmarks that have occurred during this time. None of these things would have happened without the efforts of the CAMRA volunteers past and present. Over the years the branch has had its ups and downs; years when things were going well and others when it was a bit of a struggle. The cast of characters has changed, and my thanks go out to each and every one of them for their contribution. Certainly when I look at other CAMRA branches, I see that we are in pretty good shape, with an active committee, a popular magazine and a number of campaigning initiatives. With nearly 1300 members, we have a great base, but it is a shame that so few of our members are involved at a local level. We will be having plenty of social get-togethers over the coming months, so why not join us. You can guarantee we have plenty in common – a love of good pubs and great beer.

TOONE BAR IN BRUSSELS IN 2008.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: LES PARKER; PATRICK NEARY; STEWART SARGEANT; PETE DARBY; ALAN WOODS; BRIAN MONKMAN; DAN RIGBYE; KEN HARGREAVES; DAVE MARSDEN; MICK CLARK THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN BY SYDNEY WORDSWORTH WHO CLAIMED TO BE A RELATIVE OF THE POET.

RILEY’S RAMBLES: St. Helens

Every now and again our branch organises a trip out somewhere to try the pubs and beers of a different town. We often organise a bus and these prove very popular and are well subscribed. Sometimes we use public transport and these are not as well supported, thus only a small group of us met up on Preston Railway Station for a day out to St. Helens. Well, let’s hope that others can use this as a guide to the excellent pubs that can be found there and go and visit St. Helens. It is only a short train journey away with a regular service every hour and it is not so expensive. I did a Riley’s Ramble here in 2015 and things can change in eight years, so it merits an update. We actually found out that the best things need not change and can even improve without losing the thing that makes them great.

has a warm atmosphere. It serves food 9am–9pm all days, shows sports TV (St. Helens is a big Rugby League place) and has the added bonus (one that more pubs should have), a disabled WC. Five cask beers were available, including Weetwood Best at 3.8% and £3.70 a pint, Fullers London Pride and Oakham Green Devil at 6%. The pub opens at 9am until 11pm except Fri/ Sat when it stays open until 1am.

When we last came here at Christmas 2014, we had heard of some fantastic local pie maker called Burchall’s whose pies were so good that they sold out quickly. We tried them and they were truly delicious. Having ascertained that they were still in existence, me and Susan decided to go and get some and eat them on the way to the next pub. If you come out of the Sefton and go diagonally across the road, the pie shop is just down Westfield St. Lucky for us they still had some, which we purchased and declared them to be as good as they were eight years ago. Unfortunately for the others in our group, as they got to the shop a woman went in before them and bought up all the pies that were left. Lucky for them that the next pub we went in served these pies but at a 50p mark up, £2.50 as to £2 at the shop. Still worth it.

cider and a selection of spirits. Besides Burchall’s pies, stone baked pizzas and cheese boards are available. It has its own on site brewery, Howzat, and ticks all the boxes with it being dog and child friendly, upstairs room, garden, real fire, sports TV and CAMRA discount. It’s ever-changing range of real ales of every colour and style ran from Northern Monkey’s Supera Moras, a light beer of 3.8% and at £3.30, through to Loch Lomond Silkie Stout, a dark one at 5% and only £3.50 a pint. There was something for everyone. Needless to say, it was very busy, but the friendly staff were quick and efficient and we were soon served. Everyone was very friendly and we even had a conversation with a man who used to deliver beer to our very own Guild Ale House. He told us of the nightmare of getting to it through Preston’s chaotic one way systems and we of course agreed. Opening hours are 2–11 Mon–Wed (Thur 12), otherwise it opens at noon till midnight (11pm Sunday). Food is available Wed–Sun 4pm–8pm.

Alighting at St. Helens Central, our first pub, the ROYAL ALFRED is immediately opposite. Recently refurbished, it is a traditional pub serving up to five real ales, which on this visit included Weetwood Cheshire Cat and Ossett Nectaron, both 4% and £3.50 a pint with the CAMRA discount. It has an unusual method of dispense, in that the handpumps deliver the beer into the glass in half pint measures. Dog and family friendly it opens at 11am through till midnight and has sports TV. Coming out of the Alfred, go straight up Bickerstaff Street, past the bus station and cenotaph until you see Cotham St. on you left. Go down and on the corner of Baldwin St. you will see the SEFTON. It is a comfortable pub with one large room with the bar down one side and

This next pub was the award-winning CRICKETERS ARMS. To get to the Cricketers, carry on along Westfield St. to a large roundabout and head for the opposite side of the junction where you can see a church steeple. On the right there you will find Peter St. and the Cricketers. This was an outstanding pub back in 2014, having won the local branch Pub of the Year competition and going on to win the National award in 2017, and it still is. It is a family run community pub with 13 handpulls, real

For our next pubs, go back to the big roundabout and head up the A571 with the Asda to your left side to reach Lowe St. on your left. Go right up there to the T junction with Duke St. and on the left is what was going to be our next pub, the NEW TALBOT ALEHOUSE. It was called the Sportsman when we visited in 2014. It was shut then and this time it was in the middle of a renovation, so instead of the usual 6 beers, there was only one, so we quickly moved on, like last time to the magnificent TURKS HEAD. To reach it, go up Crab St. opposite and up Oxford St. on the left to Cooper St. where you will find this half timbered gem of a pub with its etched windows. Inside this split-level pub you will find an ever changing range of beers from the fourteen handpumps, plus cider and spirits. Too many to mention but they ranged from

a 3.8% beer from Orkney brewery up to Outlaw Brewery’s Full House IPA at 6%. High quality home-made food is available all days from noon until 8pm. Again, this pub is dog and child friendly, has a garden area, sports TV and a CAMRA discount. In fact, all pubs seem to do the discount, and in fact, most ask if you are a member, rather than you having to ask them. Open from noon till 11pm (12 Fri/Sat), the Turks Head is another unmissable stop on any trip to St. Helens. Note, however that payment is by card only, cash is not accepted.

Next door is the Turks’ sister pub the COWLEY VAULTS. Here six changing real ales are available, including on our visit, Hopback Citra and Salopian Lemon Dream

It was a lot quieter than the Turks and had a more relaxed feel, so is well worth the visit, it being a friendly local community

set of armour. It was also the home of the short lived Evening Star Brewery, but that, along with the shining armour, is long gone. To reach it from the Cowley, go left on exit to reach North Road, where you turn right and go down the road to come to another big roundabout. Looking to your right, you should see the Lamb on the corner of Corporation Street. The Lamb is now a friendly town centre pub with a changing range of up to six interesting real ales. It is a traditional two room pub with vault and lounge and was quite busy with people enjoying the range, which consisted on our visit two from Hophurst brewery: Cosmati American Pale Ale (4.2%) and Campfire Mild (3.9%) plus beers from Wigan Brewery, Salopian and Ossett White Rat. Other features here are a garden, real fire and sports TV. It is open from noon to midnight all days. There are many other pubs to visit in St. Helens, but we had drunk our fill by now so we headed back to the station to catch our train home. Coming out of the Lamb, go down Baldwin St. where you go past the Sefton which you visited earlier and retrace your steps by turning right down Cotham Street, then right down Bickerstaff St. which leads directly back to the station.

St. Helens is easily reached from Preston by train, with direct services every hour going to Liverpool at approx 28 minutes past the hour with return trains leaving St. Helens at approx 5 minutes to the hour. A day return is currently £13.60, but if two people are travelling together, a Duo ticket is available for £20.40, saving just short of £7 on buying two separate returns. It takes only just over half an hour to get there, so makes an ideal place to go for a ramble round some excellent pubs and the natives are really friendly. PAUL RILEY

[Ed’s comment: it is really refreshing to visit somewhere where traditional town centre pubs have survived and appear to be thriving. While micropubs are great and offer choice in many places where it would otherwise be lacking, St. Helens really scores with a great selection of ‘proper’ pubs. You can add to the list the GEORGE (on George Street), a tworoomed basic locals pub with three real ales usually from Wigan Brewhouse. We did manage to find one micropub, THE NEWS ROOM, which also offered three changing beers, and while excellent, it did feel strangely different compared with its more traditional neighbours.]

pub with traditional pub games. It also has a garden area and meals can be ordered from the Cowley Grill and from the Turks Wed–Sun 4–11pm. The pub is open noon until midnight throughout. Like next door it is card only.

Next pub is the LAMB. When we came in 2014 this pub was known as the Old England and had an interesting collection of artefacts in the lounge, including a full

THE POTTERS ARMS

BROOK STREET, CHORLEY

Black Sheep, Doff Cocker & Guest Beer

FREE

A real pub with darts, dominoes, and a real fire

REAL ALE TRAILS

We started our series of local Ale Trails in January 2018, with the launch of the first Chorley Ale Trail, followed by one for Preston. Both these trails have proved extremely popular and have been regularly reprinted and updated since then.

For some time we have been looking to do a similar trail for the South Ribble part of the branch. This has proved slightly tricky as the best pubs are well spread out, and with the exception of Leyland, there is no real centre with an accumulation of good real ale pubs. We eventually hit on the idea of creating three separate trails in the area, each one served by a particular bus route.

• 2/2A Preston – Penwortham – Longton

• 111 Preston – Lostock Hall – Leyland

• 125 Preston – Walton-le-Dale – Bamber Bridge – Walton Summit

The new guide has a colour-coded route map, QR codes for timetables and 22 of the best real ale pubs in the area. Individual pubs were selected on the quality and variety of real ale served and their proximity to the bus route. A number of good pubs have not featured simply because they are too far from a bus stop. Our thanks to David Sherliker (our long time semi-official photographer) for the cover photograph of the Leyland Worker statue at the entrance to Leyland Market. Thanks are also due to South Ribble Council for funding this trail.

A couple of months ago we were approached by Chorley Council to see if we would be able to produce an Ale Trail for them to use in

connection with A Taste of Chorley in early June. This was a timely question, as there have been a number of changes in the town pubs since then and the trail was in need of a reprint. So we are issuing a reprint of the Chorley trail at the same time. Similar in format to the previous ones, it will again feature a picture of the iconic Astley Hall, which was taken by local photographer David Airey. The trail has, once again, been funded by Chorley Council, and we thank them, not only for this but for their support of the ‘nightime economy’ in the town whenever this has been possible. It is a shame more councils cannot show similar levels of support.

These trails are now available from the pubs that are featured in them and online on the branch website. Information on individual pubs is limited by space, but a QR code is included, which links to the WhatPub page for each pub, giving you all the up-to-date information you need. We hope you find these trails useful and any feedback would be welcomed.

ADRIAN SMITH

SUNDAY NIGHT QUIZ WITH CASH JACKPOT

THE OLD VIC

Serving breakfasts, lunchtime specials and all traditional pub food. Also sandwiches, salads and delicious home made pies.

Private area available for Parties and Functions

• 7 Handpumps revolving up to 25 cask ales including many local brewers each week

• Sky/BT showing all major sporting events

• New enlarged covered and heated outdoor area with large screen TV

• Live music – 1st Saturday of the month

• Real fire

Preston Railway Station 01772 828519

• Included in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide

• Upto 20 gins on our new gin menu

• Live train arrival and departure times shown

Pubs and breweries are facing a perfect storm at the moment. Energy prices have soared, and this has hit businesses hard throughout the winter after the government removed support for their energy bills; breweries have seen raw material costs increase significantly and the cost-of-living crisis has impacted consumer habits, making spending on non-essentials less likely. A knock-on effect from lockdown has been changes to working practices, with more people working from home and this, coupled with ongoing rail strikes has had a particularly hard impact on pubs in major commercial centres. With reserves spent to see businesses through COVID, it is no wonder that we are now seeing more and more closures.

Pub and bar insolvencies have increased by 83% over the last year with 512 being reported. In addition, numerous tenants have simply thrown in the towel at the end of their lease; frustrated at working long hours and still being unable to turn a profit. Industry forecasts are equally depressing with the British Beer & Pub Association estimating a 9% drop in on-trade beer sales over the next year, equating to 288 million pints.

In general terms, the independent pubs

seem to be bucking the trend to some extent. Sadly, the bulk of our pub estates are owned by what are essentially property owners, who are willing to squeeze publicans for every penny they can, and when they can no longer afford it, are happy to close the pub and wait for the opportunity to redevelop it.

Brewery closures continue unabated and hardly a week goes by without another well-known name disappearing from the scene. Some of these are down to the current economic landscape, but some are still fuelled by the greed of the big brewers, with Jennings being a prime example; twice saved by Marstons in recent years only to be shut down now that Marstons is part of Carlsberg. Some things haven’t changed in the last 50 years. The big brewers still dominate the market in terms of volume, and access to market is difficult for all the smaller brewers. Attempts to remedy this have sadly backfired. Prompted by concerns about the lack of competition for consumers, the ‘Beer Orders’ of 1989 were intended to loosen the ties between pub retailing and brewing and to facilitate easier entry to the marketplace for smaller brewers. The industry responded by separating the brewing and pub owning companies and then doing deals between

them, and by so doing, effectively bypassed the legislation.

More recently a new option was made available for pub tenants – the Market Rent Option (MRO). In simple terms, the MRO means that tenants of large pubco public houses can opt to change to a freeof-tie lease removing the obligation for all the products sold on site to be bought directly from the landlord pub company, or their agreed supplier. The pubcos do not like these and tend to make negotiations difficult and charge significantly more for the privilege. There is also some evidence that tenants who go down this route are treated unfavourably by the pubco afterwards. CAMRA was in favour of both these initiatives, but hindsight has shown that they have had little impact.

There are people out there who claim that CAMRA has ‘had its day’ and that we have achieved what we set out to do. I say there is still a need for us; to support those breweries who produce great beer and to promote the pubs that sell it well. We may not be able to stem the tide of closures, as the moneymen will seemingly always get their way, but we should still be shouting from the rooftops when these things happen.

ADRIAN SMITH

CAMRA MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME

All over the country, hundreds of pubs are offering a discount to CAMRA members. All you need to do is to show your membership card. We used to list all the pubs operating this scheme in every Ale Cry, but stopped doing so when we came back out of lockdown – mainly because we were unsure who was still offering the discount.

Recently we have been contacted by members asking why we no longer promoted these pubs. There are one or two new entrants to the scheme, so, back by popular request, we have a list of those pubs we believe are offering a discount to members. We will not be

publishing the list in every issue of Ale Cry, but anyone wanting to know which pubs offer the discount facility can check at www.whatpub.com

Given the pressures being placed on pub operators at the present time, you might find that a pub has removed the discount, but that we are not aware. If this turns out to be the case, please do not complain to the pub, but do report the change to us.

If you are a licensee and are interested in joining the scheme, please contact pubsofficer@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

BEER FESTIVAL DIARY

These are the events we are aware of in the local area over the next few months. For full details, please refer to the festival websites/ social media. If you are holding an event, please let us know so we can promote in Ale Cry. There is no charge for this listing.

Bamber Bridge: Cuerden Beer & Gin Festival, Cuerden Valley Park, Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge. 16th–17th June

Stockport: Stockport CAMRA, Masonic Guildhall, 167171 Wellington Road South, Stockport. 22nd–24th June

Chorlton: St. Clements Parish Church, Edge Lane, Chorlton-cum-Hardy. 6th–8th July

Preston: Preston Grasshoppers ‘Hopfest’, Lightfoot Green Lane, Fulwood. 7th–8th July

Manchester: Manchester Craft Beer Festival, Depot Mayfield, 11 Baring St, Manchester 21st-22nd July

London: Great British Beer Festival, Olympia, London. 1st–5th August

Chorley: Chorley Cricket Club, Sandringham Road, Chorley. 25th-27th August (dates not confirmed)

Euxton: Euxton Cricket Club, Balshaw Park, Southport Road, Euxton. 25th-27th August

Branch Diary

Mon 5th June Branch Meeting

Market Ale House, Leyland

Thur 22nd June AGM

Black Horse, Preston

Sat 24th June Trip

Kendal

Thur 6th July Social

Meet at Shepherds’ Hall Ale House, Chorley

Sat 22nd July Trip

Otley

Thur 27th July Social & Pub of the Season Presentation

Bay Horse, Heath Charnock

Mon 7th August Branch Meeting

Guild Ale House, Preston

Thur 24th August Social

Meet at Flat Iron, Chorley

Thur 7th Sept Social

Meet at Chain House Tap, Preston

Thur 21st Sept Social

Meet at Golden Tap Ale House, Leyland

All meetings/socials start at 7.30pm unless stated. For full details of trips, visit the branch website or contact Adrian Smith on 07495 448555 or email chairman@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Advertising

With a print run of 5,000 and magazines available in pubs and clubs across the area and beyond, an advert in Ale Cry is probably the best value targeted advertising around.

Quarter Page £70

Half Page £115

Full Page £210

Back Cover £230 (not currently available)

If you are interested in advertising in Ale Cry, please contact editor@centrallancs.camra.org.uk for further details.

Publication Dates

The next issue of Ale Cry will be published on 1st September 2023 Deadline for copy and advert submission is 1st August 2023

Ale Cry online

Digital versions of this and previous Ale Crys are available at: https://issuu.com/clcamra

may be subject to last minute change. Updates will be posted on the branch website, and our social media channels.

Branch meetings

Please indicate whether you wish to receive BEER by email OR post: Email Post I wish to Opt-in to

Concessionary rates are available only for Under 26 Memberships. I wish to join the Campaign for Real Ale, and agree to abide by the Memorandum and Articles of Association which can be found on our website. Signed

Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send to: Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. 230 Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Herts AL1 4LW Email: membership@camra.org.uk Telephone: 01727 867201

The

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