January 2021

Lockdown in place - all pubs closed.

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February 2021

Lockdown in place - all pubs closed.

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March 2021

Lockdown in place - all pubs closed.

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April 2021

April 12th saw the easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, with pubs in the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch area able to re-open for the first time in something like six months. At this time we are subject to restrictions - there is only outdoor drinking allowed; all drinkers must be seated and served by waiter service at tables; masks must be worn at all times when customers are not sitting at a table; etc. Of course not all pubs will be re-opening - some pubs have no outdoor drinking area, some pubs are unable to cover their costs under the present restrictions, etc.

For information the CAMRA Central Lancashire Pubs Officer has prepared a list of pubs that we understand will be re-opening this month (not all on April 12th). Be warned - for some of these pubs you will need to make a booking if you want to visit them while the current restrictions apply. Also be warned - the following lists include some pubs that will not be selling real ale.

In the CHORLEY area - Barrica in the Park, Chorley; the Bay Horse, Euxton; the Beaumont, Clayton-le-Woods; the Black Horse, Croston; the Boars Head, Hoghton; the Bob Inn, Chorley; Bootleggers, Chorley; the Bretherton Arms, Chorley; the Bridge Inn, Adlington; the Cardwell Arms, Adlington; the Cavendish Arms, Brindle; the Colliers Arms, Chorley; the Cricketers Arms, Brinscall; the Crown, Croston; the Dog & Partridge, Charnock Richard; the Dressers Arms, Wheelton; the Elephant & Castle, Adlington; the Euxton Mills, Euxton; the Golden Lion, Wheelton; the Hare & Hounds, Abbey Village; the Hinds Head, Charnock Richard; the Hoghton Arms, Withnell; the Ley Inn, Clayton-le-Woods; the Lock & Quay, Chorley; the Lord Nelson, Croston; the Malt n Hops, Chorley; the Malthouse Farm, Whittle-le-Woods; the Mediterranean 3 at the Bay Horse, Whittle-le-Woods; Nelipots, Chorley; the Panache Lounge, Chorley; the Plough, Runshaw Moor; the Plough, Chorley; the Prince of Wales, Chorley; the Railway, Chorley; the Red Lion, Wheelton; the Red Lion, Mawdesley; the Retreat, Adlington; the Rivington Brewery Tap; the Roebuck, Whittle-le-Woods; the Rose & Crown, Ulnes Walton; the Sea View, Whittle-le-Woods; The Shed, Chorley; the Spinners Arms Cowling; the Talbot, Euxton; the Top Lock, Heapey; the Traders Taphouse, Chorley; the Travellers Rest, Euxton; the Wheatsheaf, Croston; the White Bear, Adlington; the White Bull, Chorley; the White Horse, Heath Charnock; and the Woodsman, Clayton-le-Woods.

In the PRESTON area - 1842 (the Rabbit Hole), Preston; the Adelphi, Preston; the Ancient Oak, Cottam; the Anderton Arms, Fulwood; the Black Bull, Fulwood; the Black-a-Moor, Preston; the Brook Tavern, Preston; the Continental, Preston; the Crafty Beggars Ale House, Preston; the Grapes, Goosnargh; the Green Man, Inglewhite; Haighton Manor, Haighton; the Hesketh Arms, Preston; the Market Tavern, Preston; the Moorbrook, Preston; the Norman Jepson, Fulwood; the Orchard, Preston; the Pickled Goose, Barton; the Plau, Preston; the Saddle Inn, Bartle; Smashed, Preston; the Smiths Arms, Lea Town; the Stags Head, Whittingham; the Stanley Arms, Preston; the Tulketh Tap Room, Preston; the Twelve Tellers, Preston; the Wellington (Glovers Court), Preston; the White Hart, Fulwood; the Wings & Beer Co, Preston; and the Winckley Street Ale House, Preston.

In the RIBBLE VALLEY area - the Alston Arms, Longridge; the Sun Inn, Chipping; and the Towneley Arms, Longridge.

In the SOUTH RIBBLE area - the Anchor, Hutton; the Beer Box, Bamber Bridge; the Beer Brothers Brewery Tap, Walton Summit; the Bluebird, Samlesbury; the Crankshaft Brewery Tap, Leyland; the Dolphin, Longton; the Eagle & Child, Leyland; Ego at the Fox Club, Little Hoole; the Fleece, Penwortham; the Hunters, Walton-le-Dale; the Leyland Lion, Leyland; the Lime Bar, Penwortham; the Market Ale House, Leyland; the Nabs Head, Samlesbury; the No.55, Leyland; the Poachers, Bamber Bridge; the Sir Tom Finney, Penwortham; the Tap And Vine, Penwortham; the Stag, Leyland; the Wishing Well at Tardy Gate, Lostock Hall; and the Withy Arms, Bamber Bridge.

LOCKDOWN UPDATES

As pubs re-open after lockdown we are aware of the following news snippets:-

- The Withy Arms, Leyland has been re-named The Stag, Leyland.

- The Roundabout Bar, Leyland has now opened (believed not to be selling any real ale).

- The Market Street Social, Preston has now opened, initially as a pop-up bar.

- The Gables, Leyland has re-opened, despite there previously having been reports that it may have closed for good.

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May 2021

May 17th saw the further easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, with all pubs in England now being given the opportunity to welcome customers back inside their premises for a beer. There are still restrictions (the rule of six for indoor drinking, table service only, etc), but at least now we can find a more welcome refuge under cover without being forced to brave the the extremely variable weather conditions that have been prevalent in recent weeks. CAMRA Central Lancashire will be doing their best to identify the major changes on the local pub scene. However with some pubs not having been open for 14 months, and with others having been open only briefly during this period, it is inevitable that there will be some casualties. Looking on the bright side, it would seem that there are quite a number of new micropubs that will possibly be appearing in the coming months if all goes well. More news to follow.

LOCKDOWN UPDATES

As pubs continue to re-open after lockdown we are aware of the following news snippets:-

- The Plug & Taps, Preston will not be opening until June 21st..

- The Tap End, Ashton will be opening in June (this is the long planned second micropub in the Lane Ends area of Ashton).

- New Chorley microbrewery Ben's Brewery is officially launching on May 29th.

- Two new bars have opened in Bamber Bride, the Brooklyn's American Diner & Bar, Bamber Bridge and the Casual SixtyNine Lounge, Bamber Bridge. Good news for some, but unfortunately nothing too exciting for real ale drinkers.

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June 2021

June 21st was to have been the date that there would be a further move to normality with the Government hoping to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact. With this prospect it was envisaged that this would be the signal that would see the re-opening of the last few pubs which have remained closed while the Covid-19 restrictions were in place. As we now know this action was not considered to be in the country's best interests, with the proposed June 21st relaxations now put back to at least July 19th.

LOCKDOWN UPDATES

This month some news of new pub openings.

- The Tap End, Ashton opened on June 11th. The second micropub in the Lane Ends area, it is selling two handpumped beers, with Oakham JHB and Timothy Taylors Landlord being spotted on an early visit.

- The Artisan Ale House, Chorley opened on June 17th. This is the brewery tap for Withnell's Brewery, and has been selling up to seven handpumped beers at any one time. As well as a good range of Withnell's Brewery beers, it has been selling beers from other breweries like the Chain House Brewing Company, Copper Dragon, and Wishbone.

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July 2021

July 19th was the date most pub goers in England had been looking forward to, with it seeing a major relaxation in the rules to be observed when visiting pubs and clubs. After over 16 months of pub closures and pub going restrictions we are now back to a state the nearest it has been to normality since pre-pandemic days. It is appreciated that certain pubs may want to keep some rules in place. However, amongst other things - you are now not legally required to wear a face mask when entering a pub; you are now not legally obliged to respect social distancing in pubs; you are now not limited to a maximum of six people at a table; you are now allowed to order drinks directly from the bar; etc. At this time a number of pubs in the branch area remain closed, among them four micropubs, the Barrel & Bean Co, Penwortham, the Golden Tap Ale House, Leyland, the Taps & Wine Bar, Walton-le-Dale, and Wilkins & Pye, Longton; as well as two Greene King pubs, the Old Leyland Gates, Leyland and Fishers, Preston. It is unfortunate and perhaps inevitable that there have been one or two pubs that have been unable to survive the lockdown period, but hopefully we will soon see these six pubs back open.

LOCKDOWN UPDATES

This month a welcome re-opening:-

- The Golden Tap Ale House, Leyland re-opened on July 30th. Great news - having been closed since March 2020 there had been fears that the Golden Tap may not be re-opening.

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August 2021

CAMRA Central Lancashire branch is back, with a 'physical' branch meeting having taken place on August 17th at the Guild Ale House, Preston. Prior to this, the most recent physical CAMRA Central Lancashire branch event to have taken place was a committee meeting held on March 9th 2020 at the Leyland Lion, Leyland. Since June 2020 we've been able to hold 'virtual' committee meetings using Zoom, but really it's not been the same. Hopefully, now that restrictions for meetings have been lifted, we will soon be able to get back on track with a full programme of branch events arranged in the coming months. See Branch Diary 2021 for the latest information.

August 25th saw the opening of the Friargate Tap Room, Preston , a new micropub in what is fast becoming a popular area of the city for real ale drinkers. Located in what was until recently a gentleman's barber shop, the micropub has been set up by Ray Woods, the co-owner of the Tulketh Tap Room, Ashton , which opened just over a year ago. Pictured above, just after opening, the Friargate Tap Room has three handpumps, and beers initially on sale have included two from Bowland Brewery, Boxer Blonde and Hen Harrier.

The August Bank Holiday weekend shows some signs that the country (and beer drinkers) are getting back to more normal times, with there being a number of Beer Festivals taking place in the branch area. At this time we are aware of Beer Festivals taking place at Croston Sports Club, at Chorley Cricket Club, at Euxton Cricket Club, and at the Walmer Bridge Village Hall. Hopefully these events will all be successful - they will be the first beer festivals to be held in the branch area since 2019. See Local Beer Festivals for the latest information.

LOCKDOWN UPDATES

- The Taps & Wine Bar, Walton-le-Dale re-opened on August 5th. This follows on from the pub being granted additional planning permission last month, with them now being able to make use of an outside drinking area.

- The Saddle, Bartle is under threat of demolition, with Euro Garages having applied for planning permission to replace it with a petrol station, store and drive-thru coffee shop.

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September 2021

Local historian Stephen R Halliwell has produced a second book looking at the history of Preston's pubs. Having launched the excellent Preston's Inns, Taverns, And Beerhouses website in 2012, two years later he was the author of Preston Pubs, a well researched book which provided an overview of pubs that have existed over the years in the centre of Preston. Now he has come up with Pubs In Preston - From Plough To Plau, a book which goes into a little more detail on the history of a selection of Preston's pubs past and present. As well as a chapter on the comparitively recent refurbishment of the Plau, Preston there are write-ups on the history of other establishments, including the Black Horse, Preston, and the Black A Moor Head, Preston, plus many other interesting pubs that are sadly no longer in existence. The book is priced at £14.99. Copies can be obtained from Halewood & Sons on Friargate (across the road from the Plau), while more information is available here on Steve's website.

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October 2021

It has been announced that the Hickory's Smokehouse, Hutton will be closing at the end of this month. This is a pub which in its heyday was extremely popular, benefiting by being close to the Lancashire police headquarters and being a stop-off point for passing coach parties. In recent years there have been many changes of landlord, while the pub has undergone costly refurbishments which have failed to result in any great increase in the number of customers. In 2020 there was an agreement that Bishop's Crook Brewery would be supplying the pub with specially brewed beers, but due to the Covid lockdowns this failed to happen. According to the Lancashire Post, current landlord Peter Sutcliffe has blamed the pubs demise on the 'pandemic and a reluctance by villagers to return after lockdown'. Rumours are that the pub will be converted with the premises becoming an American diner.

It was as recently as May this year that Ben's Brewery of Chorley was officially launched, but they have certainly become established very quickly. For a time they operated with the on-site Ben's Brewery Bar, Chorley, but very soon it was recognised that what was needed was a presence in Chorley town centre. On October 13th they announced that suitable premises had been found on Market Place, and hopefully we will have more to report on this in the coming months.

Several microbreweries in the branch area already have their own brewery taps established. Beer Brothers Brewery have Beer Brothers Brewery & Bar, Walton Summit, Crankshaft Brewery have the Crankshaft Brewery Tap, Leyland, Withnell's Brewery have the Artisan Ale House, Chorley, while the Chain House Brewing Company are in the process of setting up home at the Market Street Social, Preston.

The Red Lion, Wheelton was chosen as the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch's Pub of the Season for Spring 2020. A branch social and presentation was arranged for May 21st, but with the Covid-19 lockdown coming into place in March 2020 this event soon had to be cancelled. For over a year CAMRA Central Lancashire branch has operated without there being any pub meet-ups, but it has always been a requirement that the Red Lion would need to be formally recognised at the earliest opportunity with their Pub of the Season award. A few seasons have passed, and at last with there now being some degree of normality, it was decided that the Red Lion should be re-identified as the branch's Pub of the Season for Autumn 2021. A branch social took place on October 21st, with a good number of branch members and friends being present for the occasion. Pictured above is CAMRA Central Lancashire branch Chairman Adrian Smith (right) presenting the Pub of the Season certificate to the Red Lion landlord Richard Roberts.

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November 2021

November 12th was a most important date in the CAMRA calendar with it seeing the official publication of the 2022 Good Beer Guide. As ever, an essential purchase for those wanting to discover the very best of real ale pubs in all parts of the country, this year's edition (which is actually the 49th edition of the guide) features 33 pubs from the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch area as determined by local members.

On November 25th CAMRA Central Lancashire branch organised a social with the intention that a number of Preston's city centre pubs be visited for a night of presentations. About 15 members were present for the social, the majority starting at the Vinyl Tap, Preston (the most recent recipient of the branch's Most Improved Pub award two years ago). Moving on with a purpose, the second stop was the Plau, Preston where a double presentation was to take place. The first presentation had been much delayed, and was to recognise that the Plau had been the winner of a CAMRA National Pub Design Award in 2019 for the building's impressive conversion into a pub. The second presentation wasn't actually for the Plau, but was to recognise that its sister pub, the Continental, Preston had now been a Good Beer Guide entry for 10 consecutive years. Pictured above holding the Continental certificate is CAMRA Central Lancashire branch Chairman Adrian Smith, while to his right the Plau and Continental owner Jeremy Rowlands holds the Pub Design Award certificate.

Following the presentation, most of those present made the short journey to the Friargate Tap Room, Preston, located just across the road from the Plau. For many it was their first visit to this recently opened micropub, and there was a general agreement that it has become a great addition to the Friargate area real ale scene. The final stop was the Guild Ale House, Preston, where a third presentation was to take place. With no new award possible this year due to Covid restrictions, the Guild Ale House has actually been the holder of the branch's Pub of the Year shield for the last two years. However with the shield needing to find a new home in 2022, there was a presentation to recognise that the Guild Ale House had been the holder of the award in 2020 and 2021. Pictured above alongside Adrian, landlord Gary Quinn holds the 2020/2021 Pub of the Year certificate (assumedly in readiness for it to be placed next to the 2018 Pub of the Year certificate which is already on display in the Guild Ale House).

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December 2021

Ale Cry readers may have had a long wait, but at last a new Ale Cry magazine has been produced. The first week of December has seen the appearance of Ale Cry 127, the Winter 2021 edition of the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch quarterly magazine. A 32 page issue, the Lostock Ale, Lostock Hall is revealed as the branch's latest Pub of the Season winner, while pubs in the Rivington area are featured in a Walking With A Purpose article. With plenty of news to report, the regular Chorley Chatter, Preston Parade, and South Ribble Scene articles bring you up to date on what has been happening in the branch area in the past year. As the last Ale Cry was produced as long ago as Spring 2020, we would like to think that you will find plenty of interest in this magazine. Copies of Ale Cry 127 will be available from pubs and clubs throughout the branch area in the coming weeks, and for an on-line copy of the magazine, go to the Ale Cry webpage.