Clock Face

What's this? Another pub survey - three in five days? Actually, no, the main reason for my trip out on a sunny Thursday was to have a look at Dream, St. Helens' version of the Angel of the North, which is located on a wooded hill, the former site of Sutton Manor Colliery. Pity about the worker's van, spoiling my photos.

Having enjoyed a stroll in the sunshine round the park I might as well check out a pub so I headed to Clock Face and the never before visited Clock Face pub. Inside the impressive building I found a very nice pub comprising a bar, a lounge with a couple of side areas, and a restaurant. I entered the lounge side and found two hand pumps, one with a clip so I ordered a pint. It was immediately obvious that these hand pumps were purely decorative, as the barmaid disappeared to the bar side to fetch my beer. She returned with a pint with an enormous head on it, plus a half pint glass for topping up! I forget what the beer was but it was very good. The decor in the lounge side included a good collection of clocks, as you might expect. The place was quiet on a Thursday afternoon, with one regular sat at the bar, and a few people heading for the restaurant. I think there were more people in the bar side.

I also took a quick look at the rather fine building that contains the Green Dragon but unfortunately the place appears to be closed.

Greasby

Another day, another excursion. Sunday's sunshine was long gone as I set off on a cold grey Monday, my destination this time being Greasby, reached via a bus ride under the river from central Liverpool.

I headed along a country road through the fields to the tiny village of Frankby and the Farmers Arms, finding a rather fine large multi-roomed pub in which the majority of the customers were dining. There weren't many people there on a Monday afternoon. The interior decor was old beams and plasterwork. A good selection of real ales was on offer, and I enjoyed a delicious pint of Hawkshead Bitter.

I strolled back to the centre of Greasby itself, where there is a cluster of three pubs, all deserving of a visit. The Coach & Horses is, perhaps, not much to look at from the outside, but inside is a wonderful cosy antique multi-roomed pub, served from a small counter. I repeated yesterday's mistake and ordered Guinness before spotting the single hand pump which was not on the counter itself but secreted to one side, so I missed out on a pint of Landlord.

Across the road to the strangely named Greave Dunning, a member of the Ember Inns chain. Inside I found well done contemporary decor and a menu at the up market end of food-oriented pubs - For example, the day's specials included venison steak. Decent beer was not neglected, with a small range of real ales, and I had something good called Old Leg Over, I think.

Finally, to the Red Cat. Another chain food pub, a little less posh than the Greave Dunning but still very comfortable, and serving a couple of real ales, I had Greene King IPA.

All in all a very pleasant trip out to four good pubs, and all four never before visited. 1,131 and counting! I have been thinking for some time that there are no more clusters of un-visited pubs left, but I keep finding them.

Rainhill

A beautifully sunny if somewhat chilly Sunday saw me on a train to Lea Green where I bypassed the Bull and Dog and headed off along Elton Head Road, soon reaching the Boar's Head, a pub I've never visited before. My first impression was of a somewhat down at heel establishment and my opinion was not enhanced by the gang of smokers round the door, but once inside I found a rather pleasant and comfortable two sided boozer, sadly not offering real ale. The Liverpool match was on the TVs but no-one in the lounge side was watching the 3D screen, they all seemed to have chosen 2D. That gimmick didn't last very long, did it!

I strolled on through open countryside towards Rainhill, where I aimed for the Coach and Horses. This was packed with footie fans so not wishing to stand in anyone's sight line I quickly ordered a pint of the black stuff at an accessible corner of the bar and then retreated to the snug. Too quickly as it turned out, because I'd missed the two hand pumps further along the counter. No chance to explore but it would seem that the large back room I described last time I was here has become an Indian restaurant.

My final pub on this short excursion was a firm favourite of mine, the beautiful Commercial. This was also full of football fans and I had to stand to drink my pint of Sharp's Doom Bar and watch Liverpool's goalie being sent off.

Grey Egremont

Perhaps I should have taken the hint from the chilly grey weather and stayed at home, but I headed under the river again with high hopes, aiming this time for Egremont and four pubs never before visited. Merseyrail took me to Birkenhead Park to connect with a bus along Brighton Street towards my selected pubs. The first, the Brighton, was unfortunately shut. It showed every sign of being operational, just not on a Monday afternoon.

I stayed one more stop on the bus for my next attempted pub, the Vaults. Fortunately this one was open and I joined a handful of locals in a bright and cheery room with a bar counter at one end. The place was very quiet as you might expect, but the array of disco lights suggests it's a lot more lively on a Saturday night. The building looks like it used to be a bank, and you can just about see the former night safe in the picture.

Next, down the hill to the shoreline and the Egremont Ferry. First impression was of a slightly down at heel and tatty pub as I walked to the door, and the inside was similar, although spotlessly clean. I approached the bar and did a double take as I spotted a hand pump offering Higson's Stout.

I thought they'd gone long ago! Of course, this is one of the resurrected Higsons brews produced by the Liverpool Organic brewery.
A pub with four hand pumps but only one working doesn't bode well, and the Cask Marque certificate dated 2008 didn't exactly boost my confidence, but I needn't have worried as the Stout was excellent. I settled on a high stool and admired the view of the Liverpool shore from Seaforth to the Pier Head.

It was only a short walk away from the waterfront to my next destination, the King's Arms. Unfortunately this one was shut as well, and looked to have been out of action for some time. Drat! What to do now? Obviously I should get the map out of my bag and go and find some more pubs to visit, but at this point fate intervened in the form of a 433 bus heading for Liverpool so I wimped out and headed back under the Mersey for a nice pint in Doctor Duncan's before heading home.

Sunny Tranmere

A sunny Friday provided another chance to fill in some of the gaps in my guide, so I hopped on the Merseyrail to Birkenhead Central and then walked up the (steep) hill towards Tranmere.

My first port of call along Church Road was the Beehive where I found a plain well cared for two-sided pub. No real ale, of course, but I settled down in comfort to enjoy a pint of the black stuff and eavesdrop on the cheerful regulars who were discussing a birth in the family, in between popping outside for a smoke.

A little further along Church Road is the Black Horse. Externally I found a rather fine free standing pub dating from 1931 and still looking fairly original. Inside, somewhat plain decor in a well cared for two-sided boozer, with a small gang of lively locals sat at the bar bickering over whose round it was.

Round the corner and on to the Sportsman - a rather good 1920s/30s building I would guess, with a "bullnose" facing the road. Actually, having said that, they were building pubs that look like this as late as the 60s, so I could be miles off. Anyway, as I negotiated the gaggle of smokers at the door I was surprised and pleased to spot a Cask Marque plaque. Only one real ale was available, and I had a spot on, and cheap, pint of Marston's EPA and sat down to examine my surroundings. The interior consists of two large open pleasantly decorated rooms, with windows all round making it very light. Food is under the My Local Pub brand, which I haven't met before, and it looks like good value standard pub fare. They were selling a decent quantity of it, anyway. Incidentally, the pub's web site calls it The Sportsman's Arms, but the large signs on the exterior of the building definitely say Sportsman.

Further research on arriving home shows that mylocalpub.com is one of the Stonegate brands, which also include Slug and Lettuce, Yates's, Scream, Classic Inns and so on.

I continued my beer-fuelled excursion in the direction of Tranmere Rovers' ground, and the Prenton Park pub located at the corner of the ground. Annoyingly I failed to spot the new-fangled Bombardier hand pump and so had another Guinness. This is a pleasantly styled large open pub with two rooms round an L-shaped counter. The upholstery is a bit mauve for my taste, but it's comfy all the same. The place was very quiet on a Friday afternoon, with only a couple of other customers.

Time to head for home, but not without some further research as my walk back to the station included spotting one pub I wasn't previously aware of, and finding another to be boarded up. An excellent day's results, four pubs never before visited taking my score to 1,124, and one new pub discovered taking the total to 1,758.

Down Market in Kirkby

The rain had stopped by 11:30 this morning so I headed out for a bus to Kirkby. (We've got no trains at Huyton this weekend, for electrification works.) The bus ride earned me an unexpected bonus when I spotted a brand new pub, the Copper Pot, on the East Lancs Road at the top of Knowsley Village. Pub number 1,756 in the guide, one to visit next time I'm in the area.

Arriving at Kirkby I started in the Wetherspoon's Gold Balance where I enjoyed a pint of Cotleigh's Barn Owl - very nice - in the usual Wetherspoon's surroundings. The toilets here are well overdue for refurbishment.

The weather was now bright sunshine as I headed down market and away from the centre into the vast council estates that make up this town, aiming for unexplored territory - The three pubs on Whitefield Drive. First came the Johnny Todd. I crunched through the broken glass on the pavement and entered a plain well cared for open interior with grubby wood panelling on the bar front. No sign of anyone behind the bar, until one of the locals shouted on my behalf. No chance of any real ale, of course, so I had a pint of Carling. The place was pretty empty, with just a few regulars sat at the bar chatting. Something you don't see very often nowadays, the pub has an off-licence attached.

By the way, Johnny Todd is an old sea shanty, an arrangement of which was used as the theme tune for Z-Cars, some of which was filmed in Kirkby. It is also the signature tune of Everton Football Club.

The next pub on this road is the Fantail. Another standard council estate pub looking a little tatty inside and out. It retains the traditional two room bar and lounge layout and as always I arrived in the empty half. The only indoor connection between the two is via the gents, so I nipped through and ordered another Carling. The "busy" side of the pub had about half a dozen customers in, watching two different racing channels on the TVs and popping out to put a bet on every now and then. The heating was apparently out of action, so I kept my coat on. Leaving by the other door, I discovered another thing you don't see very often now - the pub has a bookie's built in.

The final pub of the day was the Mariners, a third example of the council estate boozer, but this one's a bit nicer - definitely the best of the three, with a spotless well maintained comfortable interior which has been knocked through into one room. I had a pint of Guinness for a change, and the pub filled up with footie fans while I settled down to watch the build up to the Everton match on the large screen, courtesy of Al Jazeera! I headed for home once Everton were two nil up.

Three pubs never visited before, taking the total to 1,120, plus one new one discovered, is an excellent score for a day out, and it's nice to see that the down market end of the business alive and well.

Prescot

I braved the chilly weather this afternoon and headed out for a survey of a few pubs in Prescot, starting with the Grapes up on St Helens Road. This old-looking building with a pleasant interior with some dark wood panelling doesn't seem to have changed at all since I last visited, some fourteen years ago. I nearly missed the two hand pumps which were hidden round the corner, but found them just in time and had a good pint of Bombardier. The place was completely deserted when I arrived, but there was a gradual trickle of customers arriving as I drank my beer. Most seemed to have come for the food - "Fayre and Square" is a new one on me, but the menu looks the same as all the other pub food chains.

Next, a short walk to the Wellington, another pub which doesn't seem to have changed since I was last there, in 1998. Once again I found two hand pumps, and I had a spot on pint of Sharp's Doom Bar. Everyone was watching the "sport" on the telly, which seemed to involve some spoiled brats throwing tantrums because one of them had refused to shake another's hand. I think there was probably some football involved as well, but the half time analysis was all about the non-handshake so perhaps I'm mistaken.

In to Prescot centre next, for a visit to the new Wetherspoon's Watch Maker. Here I enjoyed a good pint of something I've now forgotten in comfortable modern surroundings. That's a first visit for me, number 1,117.

The Deanes House is an enormous house converted into a multi-room pub. I was pleased to discover they've gained real ale - at least to some degree - the Brains IPA was unavailable so I had Brains Dark which was excellent. The place had suddenly emptied because of the end of the match, and I sat down to watch more replays, comments and interviews about shaking hands on the big screen.