Smithdown Road

A pleasant sunny day, and with engineering works disrupting the train service I chose a destination accessible by bus and headed to Smithdown Road, starting in the wonderful Willow Bank:

What a great pub!  I don't often get here, in fact I haven't been since 2003, but if it was walking distance from my home I'd be in every other day.

The small front room was deserted but I could hear chatter from the larger back room.

I ordered a pint of Rum Porter which came out pale.  Before I could say anything the barmaid realised this was wrong and disappeared through to the other room, soon emerging with a delicious black pint.  10% off for CAMRA members!

I noticed, too late, that they have their own house beer called Salix for some reason.  (Mr Google tells me it's the Latin name for willow, of course.)

Other customers were dining, the food looks good, or drinking, and ranged in age from a family with young children to the old boy sitting at the bar.

The decor in here is a mix of classic architectural features including some leaded glass in the partitions, and modern tiling.  The overall effect is very appealing.

Just down the road is Kelly's Dispensary:

This shop conversion opened as a pub in 1999, a member of the small chain of Cains pubs.  (Dr Duncans and the Dispensary in town, the Dispensary in Birkenhead, etc.)  I don't know who owns it now.

I selected a pint of Melwood's Father Ted from the four operational handpumps.  I didn't like it much but to be clear that's purely my taste, there was nothing wrong with it.  It was only two quid!

Inside, the decor remains deliberately tatty "rustic".  (I think I'm supposed to say distressed rather than tatty, but you know what I mean.)

The large windows onto the street were all folded back creating a cool breezy open feeling, but allowing the noise of the incessant traffic in.

There were, I think, two staff plus me in the place.  On reflection, perhaps one of the staff was actually a customer.  Eventually more people came in and, just like in the Willow Bank, everyone knew everyone else.  Except me, of course.

Continuing along Smithdown, I noted the Craft Taproom, a new place not open on a Tuesday afternoon:

 I carried on to Frank's:

Last time I was here, in '03, it was called the Vine Inn, a three room boozer.  Today I found a pleasantly decorated (Perhaps too much pale green?) corner house knocked through into one open room (It's not a 90 degree corner resulting in some oddly shaped areas.) with plenty of regulars cheerfully chattering and watching the racing on the tellies.

There were a couple of handpumps on the bar but I decided not to risk them, and had a pint of lager instead.

Relaxing in a comfortable booth, my eye turned to the telly.  Where is Bangor on Dee, I wondered?  I've been to Bangor in North Wales, and Bangor, County Down, but neither are anywhere near either of the Dees.  I consulted Google Maps to learn that it's near Wrexham.

My mind continued to wander randomly:  Is the Kelly serving behind the bar the one after whom Kelly's Dispensary was named?  Probably not, but you never know.

Next, I crossed the road to tick off a new one to me, the Handyman's Supermarket:

The Handymans Supermarket was, I'm told, a famous local institution, and the pub has retained the external appearance, in fact for a moment I thought I'd misunderstood and it wasn't a pub at all!

Inside, another deliberately tatty - I mean distressed - place, this former hardware shop now has rough bare brick walls and a brewery on a mezzanine above the counter.  I joined a handful of other customers.

As I enjoyed my tasty pint of their own Pale I mused on the layout.  Surely a brewery must eventually suffer a spillage, of beer, or wort, or water, so I hope the mezzanine's floor is well waterproofed and drained!

Behind the counter and brewery is an event space where live music is on offer regularly.

Coming soon: St Helens again, and another trip to Smithdown Road to tick the new ones not open on a Tuesday afternoon.