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Crown Inn, Stockport
Stockport
SK4 1AR
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Crown Inn
ORIGINAL REVIEW July 2017
A memorable location ,quite breath taking and a wonderful interior could not mask a real problem with both ale quality and the almost complete lack of customers on a Thursday evening,when other nearby ales houses were pretty busy.
The etched glass,multi room layout,front and rear snugs with generous leather banquettes and lots of original features are all worthy of a visit,but the 13 real ale and cider pumps had an unexceptional range ,and our three different pints were all below par,my Hawkeshead Lakeland Gold was rather too warm.
This was a brief crawl visit ,but our arrival doubled the number of punters and the barman was in a downbeat mood.Maybe there is insufficient throughput to justify 13 pulls ?Such a shame after arriving with high expectations.
UPDATE
A revisit as part of the PuG crawl found a much better range of ales in far better condition.My Oakham Moon Landing was in great nick,and the pub was lively without being heaving on a Friday late afternoon.Back on form and well worth a visit when in town.
On 17th November 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3261 recommendations about 3261 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Crown Inn
Great traditional pub with a large selection of cask ales. Situated, as noted, under the railway viaduct. There is a beer yard at the rear which can be quite noisy due to the traffic, trains and aeroplanes passing by.
On 25th August 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Crown Inn
Really enjoyed this pub, I was a bit dubious at first, with the lack of customers and 13 ales to choose from. Still it was a mid week visit, around 4pm. Once we started drinking their beers, we were pleasantly surprised, as one was as good as the other, so we decided to stay for a while. There was a small table and chairs across from the bar, which made easy viewing of their beer list. We went for the Roosters Buckeye, Hornbeam Galaxy Pale Ale, Three Tuns XXX and Hawkshead Pale Ale.
The barmaid was friendly and pleasant and as we were leaving the pub was starting to get busy with some younger customers who obviously enjoyed their beer.
On 26th April 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3780 recommendations about 3780 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Crown Inn
I must admit to not being as enamoured of this pub as many people. It does have a very good range of ales (only 7 on my Friday afternoon visit) but it is simply too full of middle aged beer bores. I know I probably fall into this category myself, but I don't want to be surrounded. John B has described the pub fully earlier, so I won't repeat any of it. It's still a good pub and maybe I caught it at a bad time on my last visit. I've been several times before and will no doubt be in again in the future, but it just doesn't tick all the boxes for me.
On 17th July 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3431 recommendations about 3336 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Crown Inn
Positioned virtually under Stockport’s massive railway viaduct and only a short walk from the nearby railway station is The Crown Inn, a pub that really should be on everyone’s itinerary. It’s a striking location – not without good reason has a photograph of the pub with the viaduct in the background featured on the front cover of all editions of the local CAMRA guide – “Viaducts and Vaults”.
Outside we see that it was a former Boddington’s house. Note also the etched windows denoting Bar Parlour and Vault.
A small curved bar counter serves a large multi-roomed area which retains many original features. A more basic area on the right – is this where the snooker table once was? – is rather spartan and, for some reason, has several photographs of Laurel and Hardy and also Del and Rodney with the iconic yellow three wheeled van.
On the left hand side of the bar are two small cosy snugs which feature banquette seating, bell pushes, old fireplaces and traditional tables and chairs. In one of the rooms are several items pertaining to the brewing process – for example a collection of brass barrel taps and a poster depicting the inside of a brewery in 1748. Of note also is a splendid mirror commemorating the 150th anniversary in 1990 of Wards Sheaf Brewery.
The largest drinking area is a back room directly behind the bar ( note the former serving hatches now glassed in ). This is similar in style to the two snugs and is decorated with brewery posters and adverts and has a collection of bottles high up on shelves. Note the old Boddingtons mirror.
Further at the back is a large outside drinking yard which is dominated by the railway viaduct towering above it, but, depending on the weather and the time of day can be a real suntrap. This yard has several small marquees and is used for occasional barbeques and live music events. However, with the busy M60 motorway virtually at the foot of the garden, the large lorries thundering past can make the overall experience a bit like sitting in a motorway lay by.
On the way to the yard, the walls of the corridor have a number of interesting framed newspaper cuttings telling us the history of Stockport viaduct. We learn how it was completed in 1840 and subsequently widened in 1887.
A wide variety of real ales are available at this CAMRA National Pub of the Year 2009 runner up. On my two late March visits, there was an average of 10 beers on from the 13 pumps. These included Bollington Brewery White Nancy, Blue Monkey Sanctuary, Hornbeam Black Coral Stout, Phoenix Monkey Town Mild, Dark Star Hophead and Oakham Citra. I also remember seeing beers from Abbeydale, Pictish, Kelham Island and Copper Dragon and a rare sighting of Youngs London Porter. As expected from a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular, all beers sampled were in excellent condition. It was also noticeable how the prices undercut those charged by local Robinsons and Hydes houses ) eg – Hophead - £ 2.30p, Oakham Citra - £ 2.40p )
This really is one pub not to be missed
On 13th April 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about Crown Inn
PUB was ok about 16 real ales on tap had 2 pints of different beer one was good the other one it had started to turn like a lot of these real ale pubs to many beers on at the same time in mid week.
Called back on the 14th of March a good few in had a good pint of Timothy Taylor's landlord the only trouble with these sort of places you always get the one who knows every thing.
But will call back
On 16th March 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Crown Inn
Nestling underneath the huge 22 arch viaduct which stretches across Stockport's Mersey valley is one of this country's premier destination pubs for those who value traditional ales and the buildings in which they are served. The exterior is immaculately preserved, with the old signage of former owner Boddington's retained, and is kept fresh and interesting with regular repainting. Two of the three front windows retain the original etched and obscure glass stating "Bar Parlour" and "Vault". Inside, the bar area is slightly to the right but obvious, although you can pick out the former entrance hall by the remaining mosaic tiled floor. The bar is a narrow area with room for just a couple of old style copper topped circular tables. This however is not an issue as in addition there are four separate areas, two small rooms to the left on entering, a room directly behind the bar and a larger space to the front right which is more basic and was unused on my visit.
My chosen spot was beside the real fire in the back room where there are what seems to be two former and now closed serving hatches with the old bell pushes still in place beneath. Decor in here includes old beer ads, framed photographs of old Bass delivery vehicles and rows of old ale bottles on high shelves. This bare boarded room seemed to be very popular, the two side rooms although comfortable and one also with the fire lit were quieter on Saturday afternoon. The front of the two had a couple of cases showing barrel ties and spiles.
The star here however is the beer and there is lots of it; Thirteen handpumps on the front bar dispense a well selected range of all beer types, and three more around the corner to the right have ciders on, two from Merrylegs. The beers are listed on a board over the bar, pumps 1-12a, no superstitions here! I usually list them all but I won't here as the range changes and consistently offers all types, but I enjoyed Ayr Brewery Co Jolly Beggars, Millstone True Grit and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. All were simply top notch. Several surfaces are covered liberally in the beer mats from previous offerings. Service was spot on and helpful and the regulars around the bar were forthcoming in their advice about the various beers.
Foodwise there is a basic pub menu but this is not available at weekends however there are decent pork pies available on the end of the bar as well as higher quality hand cut crisps and the usual nuts etc.
I didn't have long in Stockport but I lost myself in here and my visit list went by the way, a truly excellent and characterful pub which I have to return to again some day. Superb, I don't give 10s as that suggests it can't be bettered so this is a 9, however if the Olympic Games judging applied it would be at least a 9.7. Top drawer.
On 22nd January 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1715 recommendations about 1688 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Crown Inn
A really nice old Boddingtons pub, now a free house, with leather bench seats and leaded lights in the various small and characterful rooms leading off the central bar. There are 16 hand pumps, with all but three having ales on them when I was there for a Friday night fixture at nearby Edgeley Park. The list of beers labelled the thirteenth pump as 12a, so I suppose it would be wrong to say there were 13 ales on. What was definitely not on was music: how nice to be able to sit in a pub without being bombarded with "background music". This is a "must visit" when in Stockport.
On 17th September 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4937 recommendations about 4518 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Stephen Hutchison left this review about Crown Inn
lovely pub with friendly staff and on my visit had 16 beers on if unsure about a brewey barstaff would explain or have a good beer guide too hand.. in your in stockport well worth visiting
On 29th August 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2 recommendations about 2 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about Crown Inn
Fantastic pub with an old looking exterior and an attractive interior. There are two parts to the bar with a side area housing a dartboard. Round to the left are three wonderfully decorative snugs. There is a wide range of real ales with 12+ hand pumps and the beers, brewery and strengths are listed on a blackboard above the bar. There was a little cold cabinet at the end of the bar with some excellent pork pies. Service was friendly and the barman was happy to chat and give us directions to the next pub on our crawl. Definitely a pub worth a visit.
On 28th March 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 780 recommendations about 697 pubs]