Stockport Market Place
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This is a very compact stagger, never venturing much more than 200m from the historic Victorian Market Hall in Stockport. Surprisingly for a trip around central Stockport, Robinson's pubs are thin on the ground!
Starting in the Market Place, face away from the Victorian covered market and there is the Bakers Vault, which underwent an extensive refurbishment a few years back. We will be able to have our first pint of Robinsons of the evening here, along with up to three guest ales. Yes, you did read that correctly, a Robinson's house with guest ales. The running of the pub has been taken on by the same team that runs the Castle in central Manchester. We may also be treated to live music, as the Bakers had a reputation as an excellent venue for live music and I'm assured that they wish to continue with this endeavour. A new innovation is the food menu, based upon a variety of (very good so I am assured) hot dogs.
Crossing the corner of the market square brings us to the Boar's Head. This is a Sam Smiths house so there will be no music, neither live nor recorded, as the tight fisted Yorkshire men who own the pub don't believe in Performing Rights licences! WARNING: Don't get ejected from the premises for that dastardly unsociable activity of using any [modern] mobile/electronic devices — I wonder if that covers iWatches? Everything sold within the Boar's Head is a Sam Smiths product, from crisps, through spirits and probably down to toilet paper - what a great show of Yorkshire thrift. This has allowed Smiths to offer among the cheapest pint in Stockport, but unfortunately only the one (variety that is, they are not policing your drinking). Smiths have an extensive range of bottled beers available but unfortunately none of these is available in cask.
Turning right and travelling down the street covered in setts [yes setts, cobbles are rounded natural stones but these are man-made squared stones] and we come to the Glass Spider. Having been offices or, as proclaimed over the door, 'Chambers', this premise was converted to hospitality use in June 2019. Originally having a Viking theme with plenty of Norse decorations, it re-opened in its current guise in August 2020. With plenty of leather button-back seating, Britannia tables, and dividing screens with leaded glass tops all it needs to make it perfect is real ale. Sadly none is available so off to our next venue.
Crossing back across the Market Place we will be passing the recently upgraded and re-opened Produce Hall (right of photo, phone booths infront). Rather like the Altrincham Market Hall and Smithfield Market in Manchester there are a plethora of good (hipster?) food outlets, but the management have missed a trick. They not only DON'T sell any real ale at all, but also are pricing keg ales around £1 more than it is available next door. Captive market?
Next to the Produce Hall stands
Project 53 which is owned by Cheshire brewer, Mobberley Brewhouse and is our 8:30pm meeting point. The unusual name is because both the bar, Mobberley Brewhouse itself and a sister outlet in Knutsford [also called Project 53] all lie just about on the 53rd line of latitude. Project 53 occupies the building with the round-topped facade in the photo above, circa 1975, compare this with the photo left where Rostrons was knocked down(?) to makeway for the current building! A rustic interior has been created with bare boards and reclaimed planking to adorn walls and form the bar. As mentioned key keg ales are available but there are three handpulls for cask prominently placed on the bar. Food is available but consists only of pizzas, although snacks, nuts etc are available from the bar.
Our shortest walk between pubs now ensues as the Angel Inn is next door! Re-opened in late 2018, some 67 year after being closed as a Bell's Brewery tied house. Now locally owned and run by local people who care about cask beer and the environment in which it is presented. Originally the Angel only occupied the left-hand portion of this building (see photos above and right - click on any photo for larger version), which explains why the pub's name is so offset on the façade outside. Inside 5 changing real ales are on offer. A sunken seating area with real fire and sofas adds an air of comfort and class to the current establishment and this was so even in 1911 according to this newspaper report, but we mustn't get too comfy as we need to venture forth and complete the stagger.
Our next objective is but a cock-stride away so travelling towards St Petersgate, cross the bridge over Underbank and on the right is the Egerton Arms, or as some may remember it from a few years back, Porky Pigs. Availability of cask ale has been on and off here for a while, but has now returned. After a recent renovation real ale was re-introduced and currently two cask ales are on offer.
Next door or three we find Enigma. Converted from a shop to a cocktail bar with about the worst timing imaginable, February 2020, just in time for lockdown! The décor is fairly spartan with bare-brick walls on one side of the room complemented by a rustic half-timbered wall on the other. Unfortunately real ale doesn't feature in their drinks offering so — Onwards!
Returning to the market place and turning right down the side of the market hall on what is still Market Place (as also is the street on the other side of the market hall) stands the Bulls Head. Built as a pub and owned for many years by Robinsons it used to be a big part of the Stockport music scene. Closed for a few years, but still on the books of Robinsons, who reputedly still wish to re-open the building. One to watch.
Passing the closed Bulls Head
we reach Dr. Feelgood. A simple but inspired conversion of two former shop units in 2015 into an atmospheric steampunk-style bar in the town's Market Place. The picture left is not the renovation efforts but harks back to when the shops were originally built — the current guise is shown right. This is the third enterprise for Joe Patten of nearby Cracked Actor who acquired this to become an American-themed diner. Occasional live music is on offer along with a permanent plethora of pinball machines, three at the last count. Real ale is available here, but it is of the membrane keg so hard-line cask drinkers may want to pass by.
Around the corner and at the top of Mealhouse Brow
are two modern bars. Firstly, at 4 Mealhouse Brow, we find Cherry Jam, which was opened in May 2021 by "Britain's Got Talent" cocktail-mixing finalist Neil Garner. Along with, as would be expected, cocktails beer is on offer, but sadly not of the real kind. Next door Good Rebel at 6 Mealhouse Brow is a surprisingly large cocktail bar, alas cocktails aren't created from real ale, so there is none available here. Before we leave Mealhouse Brow look to the left and note the dungeons - Yes dungeon! The building on the corner left used to be the Court Leet with the dungeon being the small, about one metre square floor level door in the photo left. Further details at https://stockportheritagetrust.co.uk/dungeon/ and even a video is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLw3XuKxFSk (starts at about the 5 minute mark).
To reach our final
destination we need to round the southern end of the Market Hall, comming face to stocks with the Parish Church. In passing why not indulge in a little film nostalgia and re-create a scene from the 60s film A Taste of Honey. Several locations were used around Stockport but the shots where Brigit Forsyth walks around St Mary's, the Parish Church are the most easily identified by Stopfordians. Follow the link https://www.reelstreets.com/films/taste-of-honey-a/ and scroll through other shots for more Stockport locations - see how many you can identify before reading the captions.
Dropping steeply down Millgate we arrive at the Arden Arms. This pub has seen a varied history, including being used as the towns mortuary - the mortuary slabs are still there in the cellar. A number of rooms inside are available including the challenging to enter snug situated behind the bar. Go on - I challenge you to find the way in!
The inside seating has been complemented by an outside drinking area. You can sit in the sun (what at 10:30pm!) or under the cloister, for that is what the roofed area resembles. A stage, upon which live musicians perform regularly, completes the area.
The view down Millgate in the 70s (left), with the cooling tower dominating the scene (best viewed if you follow the links) and seen in the background of the A Taste of Honey St Mary's scene. In the photo to the left notice the last building on the left side of the street, that with the solitary window and compare to the photo on the right. If not actually the same window, certainly the same building. A glimpse of Stockport's gasometer can also be seen on the right. What a change in view from the Arden Arms' front door - now it is ASDA's multi-storey car-park!
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Stockport Market Place |
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Timing |
Pub Name |
Address |
Bus & Rail |
Notes |
7.30pm Start point: |
Bakers Vault |
Market Place |
Map |
|
Then |
Boar's Head |
2 Vernon Street/Market Place |
Map |
|
Glass Spider |
6 Vernon Street/Market Place |
Map |
No Real Ale |
|
Produce Hall |
22 Market Place |
Map |
No Real Ale |
|
8.30pm Mid point |
Project 53 |
22 Market Place |
Map |
|
Then |
Angel Inn |
20 Market Place |
Map |
|
Enigma |
8 St Petersgate |
Map |
No Real Ale |
|
Egerton Arms |
2 St Petersgate |
Map |
||
Dr. Feelgood |
10-11 Market Place |
Map |
||
Cherry Jam |
4 Mealhouse Brow |
Map |
No Real Ale |
|
Good Rebel |
6 Mealhouse Brow |
Map |
No Real Ale |
|
Finishing at |
Arden Arms |
23 Millgate |
Map |
|
View Stockport Market Place stagger in a larger map