Old working boat-folks pubs

[tonyreptiles]

Hi All.

 

I'm looking to make a list of the best/most unspoilt canal pubs with a working-boat heritage. 

 

I've got the Shroppie Fly and the Swan in Fradley. 

 

Where else should we be looking at? I realise most of them will be closed or turned into gastro-pubs now, but where should we go for the most unspoilt working-boat experience?

 

Thanks in advance.

TR

[IanM]

Can't go far wrong with the Greyhound at Hawkesbury Junction.

[Chris Lowe]

I was going to say the Bridge at Branston but it looks like it's gone trendy since i went years ago.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

My favourite the Anchor at High Offley. 
 

 

[frangar]

The Shroppie fly is a modern theme pub…nothing really historic…it used to be a warehouse. 
 

The Anchor at high offley should be on the list….as should the boat at Stoke Bruene. 
 

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by frangar

[johnthebridge]

3 hours ago, tonyreptiles said:

Hi All.

 

I'm looking to make a list of the best/most unspoilt canal pubs with a working-boat heritage. 

 

I've got the Shroppie Fly and the Swan in Fradley. 

 

Where else should we be looking at? I realise most of them will be closed or turned into gastro-pubs now, but where should we go for the most unspoilt working-boat experience?

 

Thanks in advance.

TR

As someone else has said, the Shroppie Fly is a modern construct and would never have entertained working boatpeople. John Stothert used to have his shop there until relatively recently. As an unspoilt pub, the Bridge at Audlem used to be a much better bet.

Trouble is, when you say "unspoilt", there are so few left that are that, and not all of them attracted boatmen anyway, mainly because of logistics, ie, where they'd stop for the night was usually where they could congregate.

Yes, the Greyhound at Sutton's was the place to see working boat life, but it's now nothing like it was, when the landlady would go round with a big enamel jug, topping up people's glasses, the air thick with Woodbine or roll-up smoke and the piano being given a hammering.

Similar at the Boat, at Stoke.

The Anchor at High Offley was closed or had very limited opening hours until it was taken over by Graham (Lily Pascall's grandson) and Olive, in the early 70s. I think the stables are still there, but I haven't visited in a very long time. 

Other random pubs used, but not necessarily very aesthetic or that now remain unspoilt were:

The Wharf, Shebdon.

The Big Lock, Middlewich.

The Bird in Hand, Kent Green. (closed, many years ago)

The Junction, Norbury. (Is the Tony Lewery horse still there? I heard he'd been painted over.)

The Fisheries, Boxmoor. In the 60s/early 70s it used to be one of my favourites.

The Wheatsheaf/The Nelson, Braunston. (latter used to have the finest collection of ribbon plates anywhere)

The Star, Stone. (mind the step down, directly as you opened the bar door.)

The Cross Keys, Penkridge.

The Rising Sun, The Boat and Crystal Palace. All at Berko.

The New Inn, top of Buckby. (in the 60s, like your grannie's front room)

As I say, few, if any, are unspoilt, in the sense they've had to change to accommodate changing times. Most people nowadays probably wouldn't have liked or even gone into what were very much working men's pubs with very basic "facilities", smoke-filled rooms and certainly no food, unless you liked crisps or pickled eggs.

Offhand (I've been out of the English canal scene for a very long time), I can't really think of any canal pub now that would provide a genuine "feel" of those long lost days. I don't know if all the ones I've listed are even still open, but they're a random selection of what I certainly remember as pubs of great character, if not beauty. I've probably forgotten as many again.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by johnthebridge

[David Mack]

Pubs have always had to change with the times. In my early drinking days I came across a few that were little more than ordinary houses with pub tables in a couple of rooms, lino on the floor, faded family photographs on the wall, no bar, and the landlord/lady disappeared somewhere out the back to get your drink. All long closed, except for the Anchor at High Offley, and even that looked to be struggling when I last visited a couple of years ago.

[BEngo]

The Red Lion at Marsworth was a  boater's pub.  It still has a flagstone floored bar and a lounge that looks like it came from the fifties.

 

Others northward on the GU, none of which now have much if any boating atmosphere, include The Red Lion at Fenny, The Plough at Simpson and  the Barley Mow and the Navigation at Cosgrove/Castlethorpe.

 

Horse Boating tie ups were driven by the availability of stables.  As a consequence many pubs had stabling for boat horses, to attract custom.

Power-era Boaters tended to use the pubs  near recognised tying up points about a day's journey apart (longer than a hoss hauled day) and the Pictures, such as at  Polesworth and near Minworth. Many of the picture palaces have gone so the boaty element of the pubs followed swiftly. 

 

N

[MtB]

Red Lion and arguably, The Brasenose at Cropredy, and The Wharf at Fenny Compton are quite boatery pubs now. Dunno about back in the day.

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, Goliath said:

My favourite the Anchor at High Offley. 
 

 

I would say that is the only one

[frangar]

38 minutes ago, BEngo said:

The Red Lion at Marsworth was a  boater's pub.  It still has a flagstone floored bar and a lounge that looks like it came from the fifties.

 

Others northward on the GU, none of which now have much if any boating atmosphere, include The Red Lion at Fenny, The Plough at Simpson and  the Barley Mow and the Navigation at Cosgrove/Castlethorpe.

 

Horse Boating tie ups were driven by the availability of stables.  As a consequence many pubs had stabling for boat horses, to attract custom.

Power-era Boaters tended to use the pubs  near recognised tying up points about a day's journey apart (longer than a hoss hauled day) and the Pictures, such as at  Polesworth and near Minworth. Many of the picture palaces have gone so the boaty element of the pubs followed swiftly. 

 

N

I was going to say the red lion at marsworth but I haven’t been in for 25 years so fear it might have changed or even gone….I do remember some rather late nights/early mornings at the Grand Junction Arms in the company of Mr Blagrove/Mr McDonald and sundry other ner do wells when the open weekends happened at bulbourne….but I understand that establishment isn’t what it was either. 

[Guest]

Anchor Inn at Salterforth on the L&L used to be very much a 'traditional boaters' type pub but a quick check of the website shows its gone a bit 'up market' since we were last in there.

 

@TheBiscuits might know a bit more about what its like now.

[GUMPY]

Red Lion at Marsworth was being run by Dick's son last I heard, I was in there about 3 years ago and it hadn't changed from 25 years ago. 

Anyone remember the "Beach Parties" Dick used to hold normally in January .

[TheBiscuits]

41 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Anchor Inn at Salterforth on the L&L used to be very much a 'traditional boaters' type pub but a quick check of the website shows its gone a bit 'up market' since we were last in there.

 

@TheBiscuits might know a bit more about what its like now.

 

Went in last year just for a pint.  The previous landlords who were excellent and always looked after boaters have left, and it was a bit meh.

 

It was during covid restrictions, so table service only via their own app.  

 

All we wanted was four pints of Black Sheep as the better alternative on the bar, and we told the barman this on the way past the bar to the table.

 

By the time we had downloaded their app - on mobile data because their WiFi wasn't working - and registered cards with it so we could order they had run out!

 

Of course by then we'd already paid for the beers, so when they came out to tell us it wasn't available it was probably 45 minutes since we'd walked in.

 

They offered us the other beer as an alternative, which we grudgingly accepted as it wasn't a particularly good one, and it took them another 15 minutes to bring them to us.

 

Not been back since. 

 

There are some excellent bars and pubs in Barrowford itself, and it's worth the walk of a mile and a half.

 

Sadly the other excellent pub in the vicinity, The Hare & Hounds at Foulridge is now a Thwaites managed pub not the Free House it used to be.

 

 

[magpie patrick]

Like urban canals, pubs change with the times - I can't help with the specific enquiry but there will be very few pubs now that are unchanged since the 1960s when working boats were last common, and probably none unchanged since the 1930s. 

 

Not canalside, but the Tuckers Grave near Frome and Radstock is astonishing, with cider served straight from the barrel in a "bar" that can seat about 8 people on sofas - it has nearly gone under several times but has survived by having a campsite and a barn for live music - the campsite is necessary so that people can sup the local cider and not face either the first hedge or the wrath of the constabulary at the end of the evening. 

 

I have made something of a habit of visiting canalside pubs where the canal has gone (Canal Inn, Wrantage) or, in one case, where the pub has been waiting for boats for 220 years but the canal was never finished, one such is the Duke of Cumberland, Edford, near Radstock, where one can walk along the line of what should have been the Dorset and Somerset Canal. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

5 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

Not canalside, but the Tuckers Grave near Frome and Radstock is astonishing, with cider served straight from the barrel in a "bar" that can seat about 8 people on sofas - it has nearly gone under several times but has survived by having a campsite and a barn for live music - the campsite is necessary so that people can sup the local cider and not face either the first hedge or the wrath of the constabulary at the end of the evening. 

I’m sure I came across that over 20 years ago on a cycle ride. 
And have never been able to find it since. I have looked on several occasions but I forget where it is. 
I’d forgotten the name. 
 
 

[Tonka]

The Bottle and Glass, Dudley

[Chris Lowe]

30 minutes ago, Goliath said:

cider served straight from the barrel in a "bar"

This is what I liked about the bridge at Branston last time I went years ago, the landlord took a jug down to the cellar to get my pint.

[Stilllearning]

The Bridge was taken over years ago by an Italian restaurant, still a pub, but just not the same. Good food though. 

 

The best pub, not on a canal admittedly, is the Harrow at Steep in Hampshire. Best visited on a really cold winters night, have the soup or one the specials. All food home cooked on the Rayburn, last time I  was in the kitchen.

There is no whistling allowed (long story), no till just a series of trays, no music ever.

[Tam & Di]

9 hours ago, tonyreptiles said:

Hi All.

 

I'm looking to make a list of the best/most unspoilt canal pubs with a working-boat heritage.

 

You're looking at a life that finished some 60+ years ago. Even if you find a pub which has remained almost unchanged over that time, any working boatmen links will be very unlikely.

 

Tam

Edited April 14, 2022 by Tam & Di

[TheBiscuits]

10 hours ago, tonyreptiles said:

I'm looking to make a list of the best/most unspoilt canal pubs with a working-boat heritage. 

 

Gannow Wharf has part of a wooden working boat as the saloon bar if that helps ...

[tonyreptiles]

Blimey! There's plenty of research and appraisal to be done by the looks of things. 
This has the potential to be a particularly enjoyable project!

 

Thanks for all of your responses. 

[Tuscan]

On 14/04/2022 at 18:11, Loddon said:

Red Lion at Marsworth was being run by Dick's son last I heard, I was in there about 3 years ago and it hadn't changed from 25 years ago. 

Anyone remember the "Beach Parties" Dick used to hold normally in January .

well remember the beach party , load of sharp sand delivered and spread round, we were all dressed to suit. Happy times.

[MtB]

22 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Gannow Wharf has part of a wooden working boat as the saloon bar if that helps ...

 

Shroppie Fly used to as well, has it gone now? Not been in there for years.

[Tracy D'arth]

The Navigation, Heaton Norris, Stockport.  Shame you can't get a boat there.