North Manchester Campaign for Real Ale

The Queen's Arms, Patricroft, was the winner of North Manchester CAMRA's award in memory of the Editor of our long running magazine, What's Doing.

The pub was built in 1828, making it 182 years old, and stands facing the Eccles to Liverpool line, next to Patricroft Station. The original name was the Patricroft Tavern, but it changed to the Queen's Arms in 1851 following a visit by Queen Victoria & Prince Albert. It has three separate rooms including a delightful front snug and serves Boddington's bitter, currently brewed by Hyde's.

The award is given to "traditional, unspoilt locals, which play an important role in the community" and the Queen's certainly fits that description. The current licensees, Chris & Lynn Benson, have been there since 1993.

In March 1989, it was listed as a building of special architectural and historic interest, so when Greenalls (who had acquired it from Boddingtons) announced in 1995 that they wanted to knock it about a bit, the local CAMRA Branch was worried that they might destroy the character as they had done with so many other pubs. There was a long and intense campaign throughout 1996, reported by Neil in What's Doing, which succeeded in making sure that the changes were sympathetic and even an improvement on the previous layout.

Landlord Chris was a member, in the 1960's, of "The Images", the resident group at the Talk of the North nightspot next to the Packet House on the Bridgewater Canal. He is still performing, at the Queen's, every Thursday evening.

After a brief introduction and history of the pub by Pete Cash, Neil Richardson's widow Sue, who is continuing the publications business that he ran, handed over the trophy, which the Queen's will keep for one year. Previous winners have been the nearby Stanley Arms, and last year the Star Inn in Broughton, which has just been bought by a consortium of its customers.

presentation to the Queen's Arms

Lynn (left) & Chris Benson receiving their award from Sue Richardson (centre)

The Good Beer Guide for 2010 is in the shops -
and surveying for the 2011 edition starts now!

If you're a CAMRA member and free on Wednesday 13 January 2010 at 8 p.m., then come along to the Black Lion on the corner of [image] This links to an external site over which we have no control Blackfriars and Chapel Street, Salford, in the upstairs function room.

This is the night when CAMRA North Manchester branch short-lists the pubs within the branch area (Northern Quarter of city centre, Metropolitan area of North Manchester and all areas served by Salford City Council). The criteria are simple: good and consistent quality of real ale. Normally, if it is a new pub, then 12 months of trading is desirable. Some members feel that a change of Publican has a bearing. At the short listing stage, all we really ask is, does the pub have a realistic chance of getting into the Guide? As a branch we have a maximum allocation of 26 pubs for this top-selling beer guide that has been going since 1971.

So, if you have a pub within the branch area that you think fits the bill, come along to this meeting to suggest it. At the meeting we hand out survey forms to members, who volunteer to visit the pub to obtain basic information from the Publican (phone number, opening hours etc) and write a description of the hostelry. Then at two selection meetings in February, the surveyor speaks about the beer quality and what is available at the pub in terms of real ale. It is then thrown open to the meeting for any other comments. It is then that the CAMRA members vote - out of 0 to 5 (no fractions or any decimal points - just whole numbers!) for each short listed pub at two following selection meetings in February:
City selection meeting - Wednesday 10th February, venue to be decided, 8 p.m.
Out of City and final selection meeting - Wednesday 24th February, venue to be decided, 7.30 p.m.

Please come along, whether you just want to vote or to suggest a pub - but remember you have to be a CAMRA member to vote, and the pub has to be in our branch area to be short-listed.

Star Re-Opens!

Yes, the Star in Higher Broughton has re-opened. Readallabahtit! in our Pub News section.

Local Pubs Week Round-Up

The two highlights from the branch's first Local Pubs Week back in November brought in the smiles with real ales. The purpose of the week was to raise the profile of local pubs (local meaning a pub where people live nearby or regard it as their 'local') within the branch, while getting a decent pint, and to encourage the pubs to join in on something together in these highly competitive, difficult days and encourage footfall (as the marketing chappies put it).

Sheila Reynolds of the Jolly Angler

Pictured above is Sheila Reynolds, Publican of the Jolly Angler, showing the branch plaque commemorating eleven consecutive years in the Good Beer Guide.

The Reynolds family has been at the much-loved Jolly on [image] This links to an external site over which we have no control Ducie Street, behind Piccadilly Railway Station, for the last 25 years.

On the presentation night, over pints of Hyde's Bitter and Mild, customers were joined by Paul Jefferies (Head of Production) and his team from the family brewery. We all enjoyed the evening and the live Irish Folk music, which is a usual feature at this pub.

the United Quaffers - Beer Miles 2009 winners

Second picture is of the winning team of the Ian Kenny "Beer Miles" Mystery Crawl. The United Quaffers of Salford and Watford beat The Decline by a mere 45.3 miles at the eighth pub of asking, the Black Lion in Salford. The winning total was 2453.5 miles - all done on a rainy Saturday afternoon, without leaving the centre of the Twin Cities!

Teams had to amass as many beer miles from brewery gate to brewery gate by making their best guess at the first pub, the excellent Piccadilly in the city centre to then at the up-and-coming Micro Bar in the Arndale Centre and so on... Teams could use maps, the Internet and their Good Beer Guides to work out where each real ale is brewed in the UK. Throughout the day, there was a total of 40 different real ale breweries laid on, with teams picking their best 7, in terms of mileage from brewery to brewery, depending on what was available in each pub.

Thanks also go to the Crown & Kettle, Bar Fringe, Smithfield, Angel (particularly for an ale from [image] This links to an external site over which we have no control Williams Brewery in Alloa, Scotland) and Marble Arch for joining in. Last, but not least, thanks goes to Pete Cash - as able-assistant; to Phil Pearson - as Map Point expert/Official Scorer; and to Alban Pearson for providing the software.

Disclaimer - please read, mark, learn and inwardly digest!

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The site was last completely reviewed and updated on 6th June 2009