Potters Bar - CAMRA Potteries

POTTERS 

BAR 

NEWSLETTER 

OF THE POTTERIES BRANCH 

OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE 

No.150 Summer 2012 

This Summer, Venture Deep Into the 

Heart of the Staffordshire Moorlands! 

FREE

LOCAL 

BEER 

FESTIVALS 

JUNE 

Fri 1 st - Tues 5 th : 

Jubilee Beer 

Festival 

at The 

Greyhound, 

George Street, 

Newcastle, ST5 

1JT. To include 

a Street Party! 

Opens: 12noon 

Fri 1 st - Tues 5 th : 

Holy 

Inadequate, 

Etruria Old 

Road, Etruria, 

ST1 5PE 

Opens: 12 noon 

Sat 2 nd -Tues 5 th : 

Foxfield 

Railway Steam 

N Ale Festival, 

Caverswall 

Road, Blythe 

Bridge, 

ST11 9BG 

Opens: 12noon 

Thurs 7 th - 

Sun 10 th : 

Duke William, 

St Johns 

Square, 

Burslem, 

ST6 3AJ 

Opens: 11.30am 

Mon 11 th - 

Sun 17 th : 

Bignall End 

Cricket Club, 

Boon Hill, 

Bignall End, 

ST7 8LA 

Opens: 

Mon-Thurs 

5pm, Fri-Sun 

12noon 

JULY 

Thurs 5 th - 

Sat 7 th : 

Longton 

Beer Festival, 

Gladstone 

Pottery 

Museum, 

Uttoxeter Road, 

Longton. ST3 

1PQ 

Opens: 7pm 

Sat 7 th : 

Piccadilly 

Circus: Annual 

Street Festival 

outside The 

Unicorn Inn, 

Piccadilly, 

Hanley, 

ST1 1EG 

Starts: 11am. 

Sat 7 th -Sun 15 th : 

Swan Inn, 

Stafford Street, 

Stone, 

ST15 8QW 

Opens: 12noon 

AUGUST 

Thurs 2 nd - 

Sat 4 th : 

Stafford Beer 

Festival, 

Blessed William 

Howard School, 

Rowley Avenue, 

Stafford, 

ST17 9AB 

Opens: Thurs 

6-11pm; Fri 

11.30am-3pm & 

4-11pm; Sat 

12noon-6.30pm 

& 7-11pm. 

Fri 3 rd -Sun 5 th : 

Blacksmiths 

Arms, Shawe 

Park Road, 

Kingsley Holt, 

ST10 2DL 

Opens: 12noon 

Thurs 23 rd – 

Mon 27 th : 

Gresley Arms, 

High Street, 

Alsagers Bank, 

ST7 8BQ 

Opens: 12noon 

Welcome 

to the Summer 

POTTERS BAR! 

Just as The Scorpions notoriously warbled all those years ago, the winds of 

change blew through the Arnold Bennett Suite at the back of The Leopard 

in Burslem during our AGM in March, as the committee of the Potteries 

Branch of CAMRA gained new members in old positions and old members in 

new positions, the ripple effects of which can already be felt within the pages of 

this magazine. 

First to introduce is our new chairman, Corin Brown. Corin has worked on the 

committee for a few years now, and, no doubt following the lead prompted by 

the Dr. Who committee, is our youngest chairman for quite a while. Two of 

his initial endeavours can be spotted within these pages: first off, he has made 

contact with the Potteries Pub Preservation Group in order to join forces with 

them and the landlord of The Coachmakers Arms in Hanley with a view to 

regenerating the campaign to save this historic Hanley pub; you can read the 

plea from the landlord’s heart on Page 13. Secondly, in response to multitudinous 

pleas and complaints from various factions of local CAMRA members, he has 

authorised the setting up of a separate branch specifically to deal with the much 

neglected Staffordshire Moorlands; it is hoped by doing this, more CAMRA 

inclined activities will take place in the Eastern half of our branch area, persuading 

more members in this neck of the moors to become active; turn to Page 27 for 

details of this historic event. 

Also on Page 27 are the intineries for not one, not two, but THREE upcoming 

coach trips, mostly the brainchilds of our new Social Secretary, one James Melia. 

Although we held two successful coach trips last year, one a very enjoyable 

outing to The New Inn at Flash, the other a possibly even more enjoyable 

adventure to Joules Brewery, it is quite a while since the Potteries Branch 

organised coach trips as a matter of course, and it is hoped that our excursions 

into Market Drayton, Wincle and the dense wilderness that is The Staffordshire 

Moorlands will pique the interest of members enough to make other such trips 

worthwhile in the future. 

As well as Dr. Who, Hercule Poirot no doubt also came to mind of the local 

committee, as the second Potteries Beer Festival Logo Competition is now in 

full swing, meaning that people everywhere, of any age or shape, can begin to 

exercise those little grey cells as they try their hardest to better the award-winning 

design of last year’s competition. But hurry! The final date for submission on this 

one is Friday the 15 th June, so you only have a few weeks to inflict the treadmills 

of your mind of those aforementioned cells. 

So whatever you decide to do on an August summer night, just make sure you 

seek out the rejuvenated CAMRA committee; there no doubt being no real ale in 

Gorky Park, we are much more likely to be in a beer garden somewhere, drinking 

a beautiful pint and smelling the future in the air. 

Martin Perry, Potters Bar Editor 

Many thanks to all the contributors: 

Hayley Armstrong, Selwyn Brown, Phil Clarke, Lorna Denny, David Edwards, 

Mervyn Edwards, Ken Lee, Lyn Sharpe. 

DEADLINE FOR AUTUMN 2012 POTTERS BAR: 

27 th JULY 2012 

SUMMER 2012 POTTERS BAR 3

Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub Of The Month June 2012 

BENKS, LEEK 

36-38 Stockwell Street, Leek, ST13 6DH 

Telephone: 01538 382783 

First Bus: No. 18 from Hanley (stand 11) 

Opening hours: 3pm – 1am every day 

Benks is a genuine free house, a corner pub a little way down 

Stockwell Street from the Market Place. It is run by Sara Bentley 

and partner Robert, ably assisted by their manager Phil Keates. 

Sara was given the keys to the pub by her father Brian on her 18 th 

birthday, and she has run it ever since. Formerly known as The 

Union Inn while it was run by Brian Bentley (who was known as 

"Benk"), it was universally referred to as "Benks's", so eventually 

Brian changed the name. In the corridor leading out to the smoking 

area the old pub sign is displayed, a very elegant Union, and 

perhaps not one you would expect. 

The building was originally three terraced houses, and in the 

corridor there is a large brick-lined well which presumably supplied 

them. (The well can be illuminated on request.) There is 

also said to be a ghost- a young man, Tom Bullock, died in sad 

circumstances in one of the houses, and may still be around. The 

pub is now one U-shaped room, with a bar serving each side. 

Note the cash registers: they are both genuine manually operated 

National Cash Register models (1950s? 1960s?), now converted 

from LSD to decimal operation. 

There are usually three cask beers available. The regular 

session beer is Wadworth's Henry's IPA (3.6%), supported by 

two changing guest beers from a wide range of breweries. 

Benks is definitely a sporting pub. There are four dartboards 

and three pool tables, and 

many teams in the season. 

Monday: five men's darts, 

Wednesday: three ladies' 

darts and four pool teams, 

Thursday: dominoes and a 

new darts team, Sunday: 

two pool teams (including 

the only ladies' team in the 

league). The pub's most recent success was winning the Leek & 

District Darts League 2nd Division knock-out cup. 

There is an outside covered and heated smokers' area, with 

fourteen original wooden tip-up seats from Stoke City's Victoria 

Ground. They are in excellent condition– can anyone identify the 

wood from which they are made? 

The Pub of the Month trophy presentation will be delayed one 

week, to avoid a clash with the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday, 

and will take place on Saturday 9th June at 5.30pm. 

Ken Lee 


Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub Of The Month July 2012 

LORD NELSON, OAKAMOOR 

School Drive, Oakamoor, near Cheadle, ST10 3DQ 

Telephone: 01538-703400 

Email: leighpip5@hotmail.com 

Website: www.lordnelson-pub.co.uk 

Facebook: @LordNelsonOakamoor 

Opening Hours: Mon 6pm-11pm; 

Tues-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6pm-11pm; 

Sat & Sun: 12noon-late 

Open all day Bank Holiday Mondays 

Food Service:12noon-2.30pm & 6pm-9pm 

Travel: First Bus No. 32A from Hanley (stand 10) 

(departs 11.24am & 1.24pm) 

Oakamoor is about three miles beyond Cheadle, along a very 

attractive road through the Moorlands' "Little Switzerland", and 

the Lord Nelson lies a short way back from the main road (turn 

left just after the bridge). A genuine free house, it has been in 

the hands of Leigh and Pippa Feltham for almost five years, since 

Leigh completed twenty-two years' service with the 9 th /12 th Royal 

Lancers, a regiment recruiting in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire 

and Leicestershire. Their aim is to run the Lord Nelson as a 

traditional country pub, offering good honest beer and food. Leigh 

likes to make the beer range interesting, by sourcing from good 

independents and micros. In winter there are two constantly 

changing guest beers, and three in summer. 

Pippa provides bar snacks and (really) homemade full 

meals. Favourites include cottage pie, steak & ale pie, and 

home-cooked ham marinated in cider, then honey roasted. 

There is a dog-friendly, 

wood-panelled public bar, 

with a real fire; a lounge 

with a pool table and very 

comfy-looking armchair 

and sofa; and a restaurant 

with seven tables. The 

front garden is an excellent 

place to spend a sunny afternoon or evening, and there is a car 

park alongside. 

In the winter there are plenty of league teams: Monday, skittles; 

Tuesday, dominoes; Wednesday, darts; Thursday, pool. There 

is folk music on the 3 rd Friday of the month, and karaoke on the 

2 nd Friday and the last Saturday. Annual events include a beer 

festival, steam fair and hog roast in the 1 st weekend in September 

(the Oakamoor Festival); the Terry Jackson Trophy in the 3 rd 

weekend in September (an open clay pigeon competition with 

five stands); and the Mick Clowes Village Trophy, which is series 

of pub games during October and November to raise funds for 

the Douglas Macmillan Hospice. 

The presentation of the Pub of the Month trophy will be made 

on Saturday 7 th July, at about 3pm. 

Ken Lee 


Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub Of The Month August 2012 

THE ALTON BRIDGE HOTEL, ALTON 

Station Road, Alton, ST10 4BX 

Telephone: 01538 702338 

Opening Hours: 5pm (6pm Winter)-11pm 

(closed Wednesdays) 

Avoid traffic congestion on the roads and fly to the August 

pub of the month! Located half a mile from Alton Towers, 

The Alton Bridge Hotel has been with the present owners 

since 1985 and parts of 

the building date back to 

the 17 th Century. David 

is the longest serving 

landlord in the village of 

Alton. The Alton Bridge 

Hotel is a genuine Free 

House situated in the 

beautiful Churnet Valley, next to the River Churnet; 

boasting one of the best beer gardens locally. There is a 

B.B.Q area and,yes, for those of you who own or have 

access to a helicopter, there is a helipad (!) 

There is a small 

oak panelled single 

bar with four hand 

pulls consisting of 

beers and traditional 

ciders from local 

breweries, including 

beer from Burton Bridge, Peakstones Rock and Tower, plus 

ciders from Westons. There is also an extensive range of 

single malt whiskies. 

There is a separate restaurant serving carvery meals and 

a specials board. 

David and Anne Ford (plus family) have run this splendid 

real ale pub for a long time and are worthy winners of this 

award. The presentation will be made on Saturday, 4 th 

August at around 3pm (the pub will open early). 

David Edwards. 


POTTERS BEER 

Pub & Brewery News From The Area 

Pub News 

THE GOOD PUB NEWS 

A number of exciting developments are 

taking place within the Potteries 

CAMRA area this summer. First off the 

bat is the transformation of The Holy 

Inadequate in Etruria into a veritable 

real ale paradise; after three successful 

beer festivals three months on the trot, 

there will soon be around fifteen (yes, 

fifteen!) extra ales served straight from 

the barrel every weekend! No firm date 

as to when this will start yet, although 

Potters Bar has been assured it will be 

from mid-summer. With all day opening 

every day, full meals promised soon 

and a brewery following on next year, 

the pub fails to live up to its name in 

spectacular style. 

Pus must be somewhat akin to 

buses, as two new-build pubs have 

sprung up from the soil in recent 

months: already open is The Hem 

Heath, a Hungry Horse enterprise 

at the Trentham Road end of 

Trentham Lakes; some may not be 

able to get excited at such a prospect, 

but, being Greene King, it comes 

with a guarantee of real ale. Not to 

be outdone, Marstons are currently 

building The Pepper Mill on Phoenix 

Business Park near Longton 

Interchange, again with a guarantee 

of real ale; no doubt opening sometime 

in the summer. 

More interesting, but still some time 

off from opening due to the labyrinthine 

entanglements of the licensing laws, is 

The Lymestone Vaults in Newcastle 

town centre; doing exactly what it 

says on the tin, this will be the tap for 

the Lymestone Brewery and will 

be accessed via the alleyway by 

Chatwins. More news to follow next 

time. For those amongst you who 

like to have their Lymestone beers 

immediately, a new outlet for the beers 

is Graces Bar on Stafford Street at 

10 POTTERS BAR SUMMER 2012 

the top of Hanley town centre; and after 

the somewhat precarious reports 

last issue, Hobgoblin has been found 

in Franky’s Bar on Parliament Row, 

although subsequent investigations 

have proved it’s availability to be 

slightly hit or miss. 

Back in Newcastle, the developments 

at The Castle Mona are well 

documented elsewhere in this issue, 

and with Blue Monkey on the bar 

within the first week of being free of tie, 

something is obviously going right; 

whilst in the town centre, Joules has 

purchased and re-opened The Old 

Bulls Head on Lad Lane, which now 

dispenses the usual three beers, 

plus good quality food. On the edge 

of Newcastle, the bar at The 

New Victoria Theatre continues to 

serve thirsty CAMRA members, 

now dispensing an ever-changing 

programme of guest beers. 

If more Lymestone beer is needed, 

then The Red Lion on Stoke Old Road 

in Hartshill now serves a unique house 

beer from the brewery; see if you can 

guess the two regular ales that this 

brew is descended from. Further up 

into Hartshill, real ale was recently 

found in The Noah’s Ark in the shape 

of Spitfire and Pedigree; whilst just 

across the road, The Robin Hood has 

converted to the real stuff, with three 

ales from the Marstons range gracing 

the bar. Hop on the 25 or 26 bus (or 

walk if you’re feeling energetic) and 

you will find that The Kings Arms on 

Hill Street in Stoke is now serving a 

good pint of Bass again. 

But, hey, seeing as it’s summer, 

you really should head out into the 

Moorlands and discover all the 

wonderful things that are happening 

there. The Gardeners Rest in Brindley 

Ford was taken over a short while ago, 

and the enthusiastic landlord here 

wishes to expand the range of ales 

available; whilst, after a period of 

uncertainty, The Red Cow in 

Werrington is being run by two of its 

regulars, who have negotiated the 

lease from Punch Taverns, so the 

range may expand here, as well. 

CAMRA members have very mixed 

feelings about Wetherspoons, but the 

opening of The Wheatsheaf on the 

High Street in Cheadle at the beginning 

of June should be seen as a good thing 

for the area: not only has a long derelict 

pub been rescued and refurbished, the 

choice of real ale in the town centre will 

no doubt drastically increase. Still a fair 

way off, but the news on the pubvine is 

that JDW have also purchased The 

Swan in Leek; currently sporting silver 

body armour, if the company retain the 

layout internally, this could indeed be a 

very interesting development. 

BAD PUB NEWS 

The really bad news for Bad Pub News 

this issue is that there is no room to 

print any Bad Pub News due to there 

being so much Good Pub News. In 

short: some pubs have closed; some 

have been demolished; some still 

steadfastly decide not to bother with 

real ale. Why are you reading this 

section? There must be better things 

to do this summer. 

All pub news correct to the best 

of our knowledge at the time of 

going to press (particularly The Bad 

Pub News). Any corrections and/ 

or additions can be emailed to 

pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com

Brewery News 

FLASH of Flash 

Still producing the core three beers in bottles: Flash Black, 

4.2 % (Dark), Mer Meg, 5% (Golden) and Cerberus 6.5% 

(Ruby), which can be obtained from Leek Farmers Market 

on the third Saturday of every month. 

LYMESTONE of Stone 

New seasonal ales to look forward to are the wonderfully 

named Sharon Stone (4%) (May), and Standing Stone 

(4.9%) for June, whilst July sees the return of the ever 

popular Lymestone Cowboy (4.2%), made this time around 

with a different set of hops due to the shortage of Amarillo. 

Brad also now supplies the house beer to The Red Lion 

in Hartshill, a yet-to-be-named 4.5% ABV brew along 

the lines of Stone the Crows; also busy trying to get the 

licencing arrangements in place for The Lymestone Vaults 

in Newcastle town centre, which will become the brewery 

tap. A Staffordshire music and ale festival is planned for 

the brewery itself on the 27 th and 28 th of July, to co-incide 

with the opening of the Olympics, while the brewery itself 

is currently being expanded to occupy more space on 

the ground floor. The website is now up and running; go to 

lymestonebrewery.co.uk. 

TITANIC of Burslem 

Titanic Brewery have been busier than ever before! The 

commemoration of the 100th anniversary has meant that 

North Staffordshire’s biggest brewer has been flat out since 

Christmas. More than a 1000 barrels, (That’s over a quarter 

of a million pints!), each month have left Burslem in the first 

quarter of the year. Keith Bott, Managing Director said; “It 

has been absolutely fantastic, we just haven’t stopped. We 

are now searching for an apprentice brewer to join our 

team! 

Looking forward, the brewery is now on the hunt for a 

seventh pub and hoping to bring to fruition the plans to 

expand the Burslem brewery.” May sees the brewing of 

Rule Britannia which is offered as a celebration beer for 

the Jubilee. 

June sees a return of They Think it’s Ale Over brewed to 

be enjoyed during England’s Euro campaign. Wi-Fi is now 

available free to all customers at all Titanic’s six pubs and 

The Titanic E-shop is now open for business. 

Twitter @titanic_brewers or www.titanicbrewery.co.uk 

Bulls Head Events 

1 st -5 th June: Jubilee Beers, including on 2 nd & 4 th Lovely 

Jubilee Brewery Tours! Visit Titanic Brewery and get a 

commemorative T shirt and BBQ for £12.50! (*) 

8 th June- 1 st July: Watch Euro 2012 on the Big Screen. All 

England matches will include a BBQ in The Bulls Yard. 

1 st July @ 3pm: Come and watch Jim and Graham have 

their heads and beards shaved in aid of the Breakthrough 

Breast Cancer Charity. 

4 th -8 th July: American-themed beers to celebrate 

Independence Day. 

19 th July (Thurs), 10am: Mini bus trip to Hawkshead 

Brewery Beer Festival. (*) 

17 th -20 th Aug: Moorhouses Beers to celebrate 400th 

anniversary of Pendle Witch Trials. 

24 th -27 th Aug: Champion Beers of Britain Festival 

(*) All welcome on our coach trips, call Bob on 01782 

834153 for details - or pop into the pub! 

Greyhound, Newcastle Events 

Fri 1 st - Tues 5 th : Jubilee Beer Festival at The Greyhound, 

George Street, Newcastle, ST5 1JT. To include a Street 

Party! 

18 th Jun/ 16 th Jul/ 20 th Aug (all Mondays): Sausage N 

Mash Nights. Sausages sourced from Barr Hill Farm and 

made with Titanic ale. Starts 7pm. 

TOFT of Cheadle 

Concentrating on the bottled end of the market for the 

time being, but also producing the four regular beers: Full 

Toss (4.0%), Inn Swinger (4.4%), Stumped (4.5%) and 

Nightwatchman (4.5%). The Plough in Bignall End is a 

new outlet as the manager is trying out local beers to 

supplement the normal Hydes range; whilst the Malt N 

Hops in Fenton continues to take the beers on a regular 

basis. 

WINCLE of Wincle 

Been very busy all through the Spring with all systems 

go and the Brew for a Day course proving very popular. 

Nimrod at 3.7%, a mahogany-coloured ale, proved so 

popular as a seasonal, that it will now be brewed all the 

year round. Wincle Weiss, a 4.7% bottle conditioned wheat 

beer should be available soon. Potteries CAMRA have 

organised a trip to Wincle Brewery- see social diary for 

details. 


THE COACHMAKERS 

SITUATION 

Over the past couple of months, The Potteries Branch of CAMRA and The Potteries Pub Presentation Group have been 

working closely together in order to try and save The Coachmakers Arms on Lichfield Street in Hanley. In the following 

article, landlord Phil Clarke talks passionately about the pub, what can be done to save it, and the pub business in 

general. 

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the readers of Potters Bar as 

to where we stand with regards to fate of The Coachmakers Arms in Hanley. 

As many of you may be aware, the long-running campaign to save The 

Coachmakers has all but run its course; despite the efforts of everyone 

involved, the planning permission to go ahead with the development of the 

site has gone forward. We plan to co-ordinate our efforts with a number of 

interested groups and organisations, in order to maximise our impact. We 

will keep you fully informed as to the progress of this last ditch attempt 

to save The Coachmakers from the bulldozers. It is worth remembering 

that at no point have we ever sort to halt or prevent the redevelopment of 

Hanley; on the contrary, we only wished to become part of the new scheme, and keep what is best of the old alongside 

the new. It’s a good combination, and it works very well, too, if it were not for the blinkered and short-sighted planning 

committee and developers at Realis, who have consistently refused to even contemplate incorporating the pub in its 

plans. 

It is at the eleventh hour that we welcome news from CAMRA Headquarters that they have launched a campaign to 

save our traditional pubs, even though it is highly ironic given their habit of getting in bed with the pub giants in our towns 

and cities, giants that may be responsible for the loss of so many smaller pubs, all of which creates an wobbly playing 

field. But like the seventh cavalry riding into town, then jumping on the back of an already rolling bandwagon, it may be 

too late for the Coach and the thousands that have gone before it. Nevertheless, it is welcome news: we must all do 

whatever we can to stop the few remaining traditional pubs becoming consumed by the High Street, to be lost forever. 

There have been many nails hammered into the coffin of the traditional pub 

since Margaret Thatcher took on the industry some twenty years ago, not 

the least being the arrival of the superstore and superpub. The second 

highest tax on a pint in Europe, 20% VAT, the ABV Tax levy, and the 

demanding, uncaring, unsympathetic pubco’s; you have to wonder how any 

pubs have survived at all, testament to the traditional ales and discerning 

drinkers who fuel this ever-expanding market. So what then for the price of 

a cheap pint in Wetherspoons with the CAMRA discount vouchers? I think 

that in the not so distant future, we may have all paid a very high price 

indeed. 

As for The Coachmakers, our resolve is undiminished and we will go all the way to save this wonderful pub, As the 

saying goes, the show ain’t over until the fat lady sings; however, I fear that she has been given her five minute curtain 

call. 

Phil Clarke, landlord of The Coachmakers Arms on Lichfield Street in Hanley 


POTTERIES PUB PRESERVATION GROUP POTTERIES PUB PRESERVATION GROUP 

In February, I visited Cardiff, a city that lives up to the 

over-used adjective, “vibrant.” 

High and mighty classical buildings boasting columns, 

entablatures, sculpted figures and statues vie for one’s 

attention with challenging new buildings such as the Wales 

Millenium Centre - the koh-i-noor of recent architectural 

developments around Cardiff Bay. 

A Blue Badge guide took our coach party around the city, 

pointing out a tile and terracotta extravaganza of a pub 

called the Golden Cross Inn. Redevelopment, we were told, 

almost did for this grandiose expression of the ceramist’s 

art, but guess what? The local authority was persuaded to 

retain the building. 

Inevitably, I thought about similar fat-out-of-the-fire cases 

in Liverpool, Birmingham and Norwich and wondered why 

our own council in Stoke-on-Trent – along with their friends, 

Realis Estates – are so unwilling even to consider the 

notion of incorporating the Coachmakers’ Arms into the 

planned redevelopment of the city centre. 

The Potteries Pub Preservation Group has been at the 

forefront of the battle to save the Coach since the Spring 

of 2008. We have organised numerous meetings, staged 

fund-raising talks and applied – and failed – to have the pub 

statutorily listed by English Heritage. We even produced 

the protest boards that protestors held aloft outside the pub 

for the benefit of media photographers. 

We do not accept that the pub faces certain extinction, 

and have continued to battle for its retention. To this end, 

we have been in contact with historian and Labour MP 

for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Tristram Hunt. He replied: 


Potteries Pub Preservation Group 

Aim: to investigate, protect and promote public 

houses of special character and historic interest in 

the Potteries and Borough of Newcastle 

PPPG AND THE COACHMAKERS – AN UPDATE 

“Instinctively, I am in favour of preservation, but in this case 

I think the broader redevelopment requirements for the 

centre of Hanley unfortunately necessitate its demolition… 

. From conversations I have had with Realis and the 

City Regeneration team, preservation and incorporation 

would have posed a set of problems, namely that the 

Coachmakers’ is a mid terrace and that it would have been 

out of kilter with the rest of the shopping centre.” 

PPPG now has to look elsewhere for support and ideas, 

and we will be doing exactly that in the forthcoming 

months. In the meantime, letters to the Sentinel, supporting 

the campaign – including ones from P. Skinner of Etruria 

and CAMRA’s Peter Hancock – have been very useful in 

keeping the campaign in the news and shoring up morale. 

Use it or lose it is no longer a maxim that applies to the 

Coachmakers’ Arms, the winner of several CAMRA and 

PPPG awards. If we are to stand any chance of keeping it, 

we have to write letters, contact potential support groups 

and explore all options. The alternative is to give up – and 

Realis would love that! 

by Mervyn Edwards

A HISTORY OF THE CASTLE MONA 

Numerous public houses first operated as humble 

beerhouses, often run by enterprising individuals carrying 

on a secondary trade. This reduced the chances of 

insolvency. In 1862, James Hall, a cutler by profession, 

placed a notice in the local press that he had removed from 

High Street, Newcastle, and was now based at the Castle 

Mona, in London Road. The premises at this time were 

often given the address of London Road, presumably to 

more easily identify their location. 

The Castle Mona beerhouse was advertised as being up 

for sale by auction in September, 1863. The furniture at 

this time included a handsome 8-day clock in oak case, 

four-post and tent bedsteads, feather and flock beds, straw 

mattress and bedding, chimney and dressing glasses and 

other effects, a sign and name board, drinking screens and 

brass taps. Shop fixtures, stock-in-trade and the premises’ 

working plant – which included a small steam engine and 

boiler, an anvil, a vice and other tools -remind us that Mr. 

Hall was primarily a tradesman by profession. 

By November, Mr. Hall gave notice of his removal from the 

Castle Mona to premises at the top of High Street, next door 

to Mr. Franck, an optician. 

The Castle Mona was subsequently advertised in the press 

as a desirable business opportunity in December. The 

premises then contained a front shop with plate glass 

window, parlour, bar, and bar parlour, tap-room, scullery 

with iron pump and a plentiful supply of water, cellar, good 

yard, and cutler’s shop, ready for conversion into a 

butcher’s shop or a workshop for an artificer. There were 

also two good bedrooms, a clothes closet, and large 

club-room. It was noted that a good class of houses were 

in course of erection. 

The notice re-appeared in the press in March, 1864, 

the pub ultimately being taken on by William Audley. He 

had been listed in Kelly’s trade directory (1860) as an 

auctioneer, appraiser, house and estate agent, with 

offices at Pepper Street in Newcastle as well as at Stone 

and Hanley. William announced his arrival as Mr. Hall’s 

successor at the Castle Mona, advertising his “Firstclass 

ales, porter, and cider, cigars, tobacco, and good 

accommodation” in a local newspaper. Unfortunately, he 

fell foul of the sessions of the Borough petty sessions in 

1865, pleading guilty to the charge of having his house 

open for the sale of beer during prohibited hours on a 

Sunday. He was duly fined. 

In September, 1868, it was announced that Mr. J. Pilsbury 

had been granted a license at the Castle Mona. John 

Pilsbury, born in Newcastle, was keeping the Castle Mona 

at the time of the 1871 census, when he was listed as a 

butcher and an innkeeper. John, “Castle Mona, & butcher” 

was listed in Kelly’s directory of 1872, but by August of 

that year, the household furniture, butcher’s utensils and 

stock-in-hand on the premises were up for sale, the press 

advertisement being pitched at “butchers, publicans and 

others.” 

By 1880, the beerhouse was occupied by the Meadon 

family and they are recorded as being in residence in the 

1881 census. By the time of the 1891 census, Edward 

Starkey and his family kept the Castle Mona. He is listed, 

rather loftily, as a brewer’s manager, whilst a trade directory 

of 1892 describes him as a publican. 

Reminiscences about the pub’s 20 th century history, 

courtesy of George Goode, who was born in Victoria Street 

in 1916 and who became a regular at the pub, can be found 

in my book, Great Pubs Around Stoke-on-Trent (2001). 

by Mervyn Edwards 

Wish to become a member of the PPPG? 

Ring 07932 245644 and ask for Harold Harper, or visit 

http://www.pppg.supanet.com 

FORTHCOMING PPPG MEETINGS 

Wed 20 th June: Market Tavern, Percy Street, Hanley, ST1 

1NA, 8pm 

Wed 18 th July: Foaming Quart, Frobisher Street, Norton 

Green, ST6 8PD, 8pm 

For more details, contact Harold Harper (as above) 


VIEW from the Bar Room Floor 

CAMRA recently published a list of what are supposed to 

be the very best books on our favourite subjects: Pubs and 

Beer. All the usual titles were included – you know the kind 

of thing : ‘Pubs where you can find Top Tottie behind the 

Bar’, ‘100 Beers to make you sick’ and 

so on. But missing from CAMRA’s list 

was the best and most entertaining 

book on pubs that I have ever read. It 

is called ‘Tales from the Country Pub’ 

and the author is Brian P Martin. It’s 

published by David & Charles and I 

thoroughly recommend it. 

It’s full of lovely stories, like this one (from the chapter on 

‘The Fisherman’s Friend’) – “They used to sell the little 

queen she-crabs down on the beach for ‘alf a crown each. 

One day this visitor says to an ol’ fisherman : “I’ll have a 

couple but I ‘aven’t got any change at the moment, but I’m 

goin’ to the pub and I’ll leave the money there for you”, and 

off ‘e went with the crabs. Later on the ol’ fisherman comes 

in to the pub and asks: “Did anyone leave any money for 

me, Cyril?”. “No”, I says. “Not five bob?” ‘e asks again. “No, 

definitely not”, I says. So ‘e ays : “Well- bugger me – if I’da’ 

known ‘e weren’t goin’ t’pay I’d a’ charged ‘im ten bob!” 

The book has chapters on the oldest, smallest, most 

remote, most unspoilt, most filmed and highest (No, it’s 

not in Flash) pubs. You can also read about the oldest 

landlady, record-breaking regulars and the pub with no 

name. And there’s a pub that’s been looked after by the 

same family for hundreds of years. 

And there’s lots more : you can read about the landlord 

who threw a member of Led Zeppelin out for using bad 

language, a loony landlord (Monster Raving Loony Party, 

that is)…and there’s even a pub in the Potteries CAMRA 

area – the Barley Mow at Kirk Ireton (a lovely pub). (Not 

actually in the Potteries Branch Area, as it lies over the 

county border into Derbyshire. Mores the pity. Ed) 

Reading about these pubs makes you want to visit them – 

all of them! 

I had never heard of this book until several years ago, 

when I went into hospital for a serious operation and it was 

given to me by two of my children. It made me forget why 

I was there and instead to dream about visiting the pubs I 

was reading about. 

These are the Ten Commandments displayed on the bar 

wall of a pub in Ireland: 

1. A customer is the most important person in any 

business. 

2. A customer is not dependent on us – we are dependent 

on him. 

3. A customer is not an interruption of our work. He is the 

purpose of it. 

4. A customer does us a favour when he calls – we are 

not doing him a favour by serving him. 

5. A customer is part of our business, not an outsider. 

6. A customer is not a cold statistic. – he is a flesh and 

blood human being with feelings and emotions like our 

own. 

7. A customer is not someone to argue or match wits with. 

8. A customer is one who brings us his wants – it is our 

job to fill those wants. 

9. A customer is deserving of the most courteous and 

attentive treatment we can give him. 

10. A customer is the life blood of this and every other 

business 

JSB 


Despite being nowhere near Yuletide, it is indeed the season to be jolly, as Potters Bar, the infamous 

newsletter for the Potteries branch of The Campaign for Real Ale, has finally reached its 150 th addition; not 

a birthday as such, of course, as the very first edition appeared in September 1977. The name was coined 

by then committee member Dave Adams, who came still be seen organising quiz nights in the Albert in 

Newcastle, and has appeared, with some significant gaps, for most of the time during the following 35 years 

(Potters Bar; not Dave Adams!); indeed, when writing a similar article for the 100 th edition in August 2001, 

then editor Gene Bailey commented that “We’re Back!” was the most common headline seen during the 

early years. Potters Bar has varied in size, shape and frequency during its lifetime, having fourteen different 

editors (including those joined at the hip); Ken Lee, our retiring chairman, got the whole shebang on the 

road, while the only time it has been a monthly publication was during the tenure of Selwyn Brown in the 

period 1979 to 1981. The following is intended to be a brief trawl through various stages of the lifetime of 

our very own and beloved branch magazine. 

The very first issue was the size that it is today, A5, a slim volume that was initially intended simply to keep 

local CAMRA members informed of the pub scene in the Potteries; Pub of the Month was The Golden Lion 

in Newcastle, back in the day when it was a rather attractive, two-roomed pub, and the chairman of the local committee 

was Barry Underwood, still honoured today with the annual award presented each October at Stoke Beer Festival; Issue 

No.2 came a mere two months later, but the third PB did not appear until May the following year and contained that 

infamous “We’re Back!” headline. It contained details of a pub crawl around Newcastle, 

starting at The Steam Plough at the top of Victoria Street, still talked about to this very 

day and mentioned elsewhere in this issue. By Spring the following year, charges were 

being made for the magazine, as it had a cover price of 7p; to show that inflation has 

always been with us, this had risen to 15p within a couple of years. 

Selwyn Brown, the third editor, did much to turn what had more or less been a 

pamphlet into a genuine magazine, and by the summer of 1981, Potters Bar had risen 

to the grand old size of 20 pages; presentation was simply typewriter-written articles, 

but the amount of information contained within these early editions was prodigious. 

Ruffling feathers was not a concern, either, as Issue No.29 contained a passage relating 

how terrible the beer was in The Jester at Leek; the foibles of the pub world were duly 

noted as well, such as the landlord of The Crown in Butt Lane keeping an extensive 

collection of ladies undergarments (and the following issue he won Pub of the Month!) 

Examples of other Pubs of the Month from this period include The Albion (now The 

Tavern) in Tunstall, The Railway in Froghall and The Flying Horse in Leek. 

Some things never change, though, and many of these early editions contain outrages 

about the incredible prices that people were charged for a pint (50p) and the inexorable 

progress of iniquitous wine bar such as Leadbelly’s in Hanley across the city. On a more 

positive note, though, issue no. 33 voted Burslem as the best pub crawl in the area, a 

situation that is probably still true today; star of the show in those days was The Swan 

Hotel, which had just won Pub of the Year and had been voted into every edition of The 

Good Beer Guide. 

In these days of the early 1980’s, Kidsgrove was considered something of a desert 

for those in search of real ale; yet by Spring 1999, when Gene Bailey took over the 

position as editor, The Blue Bell in Hardingswood was under the ownership of Dave 

and Kay Washbrook, themselves previous editors, and was beginning to win the first of 

many awards. Other new stars were appearing in the Potteries Branch firmament: issue 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

POTTERS BAR! 

101 in October 2001 awarded the Pub of the Month to The Gresley Arms on Alsagers Bank, noting what 

a superb job Carl Smith and his wife Sarah had done since taking over the running of the pub from Carl’s 

parents. Other Pubs of the Month from this period include both the well known, such as The Plough in Bignall 

End and Den Engel in Leek (in it’s old location!), and those not so well known these days, such as The Duke 

of Wellington in Blythe Bridge and The White Swan in Middleport. 

The threat of pub closures, always a matter of great concern, was no stranger to this Millennial era 

either: the same issue that celebrated The Gresley Arms contained news that The Rose on Uttoxeter Road 

in Longton had been demolished and actively wondered when this series of closures would cease. By August 

2002, The Earl of Clarendon, Longton, Duke of Bridgewater in Shelton and Tiger Moth in Meir had all been 

lost; and The Crossways in Newcastle, a long standing CAMRA favourite, had become The Queen Victoria, 

leading to the inexorable descent into strip club territory and the loss of John’s Wonderful Cheese and Onion 

Sandwiches. AGMs from this period were held in places such as The Old Smithy, Burlsem and The Bear 

Hotel in Newcastle. Potters Bar has been full colour for a few years now, but colour was used for the cover 

of the 100 th issue, when Dave Washbrook raised a birthday glass to fellow CAMRA members, Kay presumably 

being busy working in the pub. 

Issue 86 proved to be the first in an unbroken run for Potters Bar, first as a bi-monthly magazine, then as quarterly, 

which, of course, it remains to this very day. Outside of the 100 th issue mentioned above, the first time colour was used 

on the cover was the Autumn 2006 edition, which featured rather attractive girls with 

scary looking balloons on theirs heads; by now in the caring hands of Peter Hancock, 

most covers from this era featured political or national issues. The clouds were looming 

over The Coachmakers Arms in Hanley; while the Winter 2006 cover celebrated it as 

Potteries Pub of the Year, by summer 2008, the headline had changed to “Coachmakers 

Under Threat”, a situation which sadly persists today. 

Almost up to date, Peter Hancock’s final issue as editor contains Pub of the Month 

articles for The Tam O’Shanter, Normacott, The Boat and Horses in Newcastle and The 

Blue Bell in Kidsgrove, news of the Third Potteries Mild Trail: plus features that continue 

to this day, such as The Potteries Pub Preservation Group and The View From the 

Bar Room Floor articles. And yet more news of the distressing situation of The 

Coachmakers. 

And so, we raise our straight glasses and dimpled jugs and celebrate one hundred 

and fifty issues and nearly thirty five years down the back alleyways of the Potteries. 

Potters Bar is still going strong! (at least, I hope it is!- Ed); let us hope that you are able 

to open this magazine at some point during 2024 and read an article about the 200 th 

issue. 

Martin Perry 

A Final Note: Issue 87 in June 1999 included a letter complaining that Potters Bar 

talked about pubs far too much. Quite what the correspondent expected a pub magazine 

to talk about is open to debate, but, lest there is any doubt, Potters Bar will never stop 

talking about pubs! 


CAMRA LocAle - promoting pubs that sell locally-brewed real ale, reducing the 

number of 'beer miles', and supporting local breweries. 

CAMRA LocAle is an initiative that promotes pubs stocking locally brewed real ale. 

Everyone benefits from local pubs stocking locally-brewed real ale… 

- Public Houses as stocking local real ales can increase pub visits 

- Consumers who enjoy greater beer choice and diversity 

- Local brewers who gain from increased sales 

- The local economy because more money is spent and retained locally 

- The environment due to fewer ‘beer miles' resulting in less road congestion and pollution 

- Tourism due to an increased sense of local identity and pride - let's celebrate what makes our locality different 

CAMRA Potteries defines LocAle as that brewed within a 25 mile radius of the it is being served in; this means that 

the breweries that count as local to The Gresley Arms on Alsagers Bank are very different to the ones that are local to 

The Yew Tree in Cauldon. Examples of breweries that count as LocAle to virtually everywhere in the CAMRA Potteries 

Branch Area are Beartown (Congleton), Lymestone (Stone), Peakstones Rock (Alton), Slaters (Stafford) and Titanic 

(Burslem). Breweries do not have to be within the branch area in order to qualify as LocAle to the branch area. 

Pubs that already serve and advertise LocAle include all four Titanic Pubs, videlicet The Bulls Head (Burslem), The 

Greyhound (Hartshill), The Roebuck (Leek) and The White Star (Stoke), plus The Congress (Longton), The Gresley 

Arms (Alsagers Bank) and The Blue Bell (Kidsgrove). 

CAMRA Members and Other Drinkers of Real Ale! It’s easy for you- simply support local ales by drinking them 

whenever you have the opportunity! 

Landlords (and Ladies)! Does your pub stock a LocAle on a permanent basis? It doesn’t have to be the same beer, 

it doesn’t have to be the same brewery, as long as there is one LocAle on your bar, then you qualify for inclusion in 

the scheme. CAMRA Potteries Branch can provide you with a list of breweries that qualify as local to your pub, plus 

promotional material, such as pump-clip crowns, posters and window stickers. 

If you are interested in joining the scheme, or simply wish to know more about it, then email 

pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com or ring 07763 379 584 and we will dispatch one of our many willing 

minions to come and have a chat with you. 


LocAle – it’s local ale for local people (and everyone else besides!)

Lorna Denny Raises her Glass 

to the Castle Mona 

Recently, CAMRA members have been disheartened by 

the fact that pubs are closing down, being converted into 

flats, left derelict or demolished . However, one pub with a 

happy ending is the Castle Mona in Newcastle. This can 

be found tucked away in a side street, a small terraced 

building, minding its own business from the world. Walk 

into the pub and it is buzzing with locals and visitors alike. 

This is due to Steve and Mandy Edwards, who have run 

the pub since November 2008 and have made it into the 

pub it is today. They have darts, pool and crib teams, a 

quiz on a Wednesday night and live entertainment on every 

Saturday. Live sports also draw in the drinkers for local and 

national events. If you fancy a quieter drink, relax by the 

real fire in the lounge or enjoy the banter in the bar area. 

The surprise is the large beer garden at the rear of the pub. 

I have spent a few pleasant sunny days out there putting 

the world to rights with the other half. The pub won the 

Potteries Pub of the Month award in December 2009 and 

has been a regular in The Good Beer Guide ever since. 

However, as the pub was owned by Punch Taverns, there 

was a threat looming over the Castle Mona when they 

started to sell of their pubs, more than often to the highest 

bidder. Steve and Mandy tirelessly stood their ground and 

after much negotiation with Punch and a long nail-biting 

time waiting for an answer, they have finally won and are 

buying the pub and making it a free house (which it finally 

became in the middle of May). 

The Castle Mona has always provided fantastic, 

well-kept real ale; however, the choices were tied to 

Punch’s lists. Contact with local breweries is already 

established to work closely with them and there are plans 

to add a hand pump to the six already available which will 

solely be for real cider. (Currently Weston’s Old Rosie is 

available in bottles). Prices will start from £2.30 a pint. The 

pub has already hosted two very popular beer festivals and 

another is planned for later in the year. 

I am sure that you will join me in wishing Steve, Mandy 

and John (the barman) all the best as they move into their 

new adventure. Pop in and support them, look out for the 

new beers which will appear and the odd beer festival. Who 

knows, perhaps a microbrewery could be in the plans for 

the future? One of my many favourite pubs and I raise 

my glass to the Castle Mona and all who drink in her. 

Cheers! Link in with the Castle Mona on Facebook: 

@https://www.facebook.com/TheCastleMona 

A few reminiscences from Steve Poole: 

I’m an expat from Porthill, Newcastle now living in Surrey 

but I’m a regular visitor and I keep in touch with local news. 

I picked up the Winter edition of Potters Bar and read 

Mervyn Edwards’ “Loved and Lost Pubs” with references 

to The Steam Plough in Newcastle. Between 1976 and 

1981 the Castle Mona around the corner was my local as 

my grandma lived in Legge Street (as did my uncle), and 

I used to visit with my dad and another uncle. I was 

interested in photography at the time so persuaded all the 

Mona regulars outside on a Sunday lunchtime for an ‘olde 

worlde’ photo. My uncle Horace is on the far right and my 

dad James next to him. My grandma probably had the 

unfortunate distinction of being the oldest person ever to 

be banned from the Mona (she was well into her 80s) 

after a heated disagreement over some petty matter. The 

Mona was full of characters in those days - it may still be! 

Everyone got along and it was a good atmosphere. 


RUMBLINGS 

WITHIN THE STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS 

Traditionally, the Summer edition of Potters Bar is the issue when we forget about 

the smog and grime of The City and instead venture out into the wilds of the 

beautiful Staffordshire Moorlands. Yet in the past six months or so, a feeling has 

manifested within the Potteries Branch that there is too much of a concentration 

on the pubs within the City boundaries, with little or no coverage of all the fine pubs 

within the Moorlands; this culminated in the last issue with an eloquent argument 

by Levison H. Wood, a CAMRA member from Forsbrook. 

The Potteries Branch came to the conclusion that something needed to be done 

to correct this lamentable situation, and it is to this end that we are proud to 

announce the creation of a Moorlands Sub-Branch in order to raise awareness 

of the presence of CAMRA within the Staffordshire Moorlands. Although the 

idea is very much in it’s infancy, it is thought that Keiron Devine, landlord of The 

Huntsman in Cheadle (our wonderful cover star) will stand for Chairman, whilst 

David Edwards, brewer for Peakstones Rock in Alton and a fervent supporter of 

the Moorlands, will stand as Secretary/ Contact. The official launch is likely to be 

at The 32 nd Stoke Beer Festival in October, preceded by an AGM in September 

to be held at The Huntsman, to which all CAMRA members who live within the 

Moorlands will be cordially invited; the exact date will be advertised in the Autumn 

edition of Potters Bar, although it will be posted on our website:http://www.camrapotteries.co.uk/ as soon as it is 

decided upon. 

SUMMER COACH TRIPS OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY 

However, just because a new Sub Branch has been created, it does not mean that CAMRA members from elsewhere 

cannot continue to enjoy the Moorlands; to this end, we have several activities within the area, including three coach 

trips. All the following trips begin and end at The Coachmakers Arms on Lichfield Street, Hanley, although members 

living further afield can always arrange to meet us at another point. 

SATURDAY 23 rd JUNE sees us traveling to Joules Brewery in Market Drayton; not within The Staffordshire Moorlands, 

obviously, but the excursion last year was so successful that it felt another one was needed. The bus will leave from The 

Coachmakers at 12noon, and the pub will be open from around 11.30am. There is a maximum of 50 places available, 

so, if you missed last year’s trip, book early to avoid disappointment. 

Price: £10 (all the beer is free!) Contact: James Melia on socials.camrapotteries@gmail.com or 07901 952498 to 

book a place. 

SATURDAY 14 th JULY sees us traveling to Wincle Brewery in Wincle. This is a first for the branch and should be very 

exciting; there will be a tour of the brewery, a small buffet and the chance to visit three local pubs afterwards. The coach 

will set out from The Coachmakers at 11am (pub open from around 10.30am), and arrive back around 8.30pm 

Price: £15 per head (max of 20 people) Contact as above. 

SATURDAY 4 th AUGUST is our trip out to Alton to present our Pub of the Month award to the very fine Alton Bridge 

Hotel. The bus will leave The Coachmakers at around 11.30am and travel to The Huntsman in Cheadle where we will 

hold the August Branch Meeting and have a spot of lunch. Then we go out to Alton to present the award; and finally go 

to The Blacksmiths Arms in Kingsley Holt to relax at their summer beer festival. 

Price: £10 Contact: Martin Perry on pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com or 07763 379584 to book a place. 


A PUB WANDER AROUND 

A FINE CITY 

Fancy a Real Ale Holiday this summer? Norwich is easily 

reached by train and makes an excellent destination for 

those wishing to get away from the omnipresent smog of 

the Potteries and try out a selection of new pubs in a 

far away place; Norwich is, after all, A Fine City. as the 

local council are keen to point out The pubs are listed in 

alphabetical order, and only the post code is provided, as 

half the fun of a good pub wander is to navigate yourself 

along the many tricky and hazardous obstacles that the 

intrepid traveller is confronted with. The crawl is rather big, 

so those wishing to attempt it all are advised to at least 

stop over night. 

ALEXANDRA TAVERN (NR2 3BB) 

A traditional, tworoomed 

community local 

that serves ales from the 

local Chalk Hill brewery, 

plus guests from other 

micros. Quieter than the 

more famous alehouses 

in the city, an interesting 

point to note is the two-sided pub sign, one side of which 

shows the front of the head of the eponymous Danish 

princess, the other the rear. 

COACH AND HORSES (NR1 1BA) 

Set well back from the 

road, this pub makes an 

excellent start to the 

wander as it is a mere 3 

minutes walk from the 

railway station. Now 

home to the Chalk Hill 

Brewery, which can be 

seen in the backyard, the building has been a pub since 

the 19 th century, going through a variety of owners; six 

Chalk Hill beers sit on the bar, along with a local cider. 

Internally, it is modern but comfortable, with bench seating 

and a conservatory at the rear. 


DUKE OF WELLINGTON (NR3 1EG) 

A real ale heaven to 

rival the Fat Cat, this 

community local is run on 

much the same lines, in 

that the beers are served 

from both hand-pump 

and straight from the 

barrel. Always busy, the 

pub holds regular beer festivals of varying sizes; on my last 

visit, they were hosting a Staffordshire Festival, so I was 

able to try some rare beers from a brewery called Titanic, 

plus Scott’s Malt N Hops house beer. A mixture of nooks 

and open spaces internally, they even have their own air 

raid shelter, just in case the world turns upside down whilst 

you sup your pint. 

FAT CAT (NR2 4NA) 

The Norwich pub 

that most people have 

heard of, and my original 

reason for visiting this 

Fine City before I 

discovered that the other 

pubs were pretty good, 

too, this is one of a mere 

handful to win the CAMRA National Pub of the Year twice. 

With its vast range of both real ales and more exotic foreign 

imports, it’s bustling community atmosphere and plethora 

of brewiana, it’s not hard to see why. All this, plus it’s the 

only Free Mouse I have ever come across; I have still yet 

to be offered one, though. 

KETTS TAVERN (NR1 4EX) 

Another pub, like many in the city, that was once owned 

by Youngs and Watneys before suffering closure in the 

mid-Seventies, it re-opened as a free house a few years 

later. Now a regular entry in The Good Beer Guide, the 

current landlord firmly believes in local ales, a good range 

of which is always on show. The large front room gives the 

impression of separate areas and leads to a conservatory 

at the back, with a beer garden to one side.

KINGS ARMS (NR1 3HQ) 

A peaceful, friendly pub 

to the south of the city, a 

smallish bar area giving 

way to an elongated 

lounge that leads to a 

conservatory and beer 

garden at the rear. 

Despite the fact that the 

pub’s sign proclaims it to be a free house, it has been 

owned by Batemans for the past few years; however, there 

is an extensive range of real ales and ciders alongside their 

own brews. A slight caveat is that the term “peaceful” does 

not apply when Norwich City are playing at home, as the 

stadium is very close by! 

KINGS HEAD (NR3 1JE) 

A frequent winner of the 

local Pub of the Year 

award, this keg-free alehouse 

was re-opened in 

2005 by two enthusiastic 

CAMRA members and 

now specialises in a 

range of mainly East 

Anglian ales that can literally change before your very eyes. 

A small front bar leads to a larger back area and wooden 

seating can be found throughout. A small piece of ale 

house Heaven. 

ROSE (NR1 3AE) 

Having been sold by Adnams some years back; this pub 

is now a genuine Free House and stocks a good range 

of LocAles, including Norwich Bear ales from the planned 

onsite brewery, along with a few guests from microbreweries 

in the hinterlands beyond Norfolk. Internally, it is 

has a table and chair layout, with different levels providing 

the scope for more private occupations. Be warned that 

the pub is just around the corner from The Kings Arms, so 

The Rose, too, is heaving on home match days. 

TRAFFORD ARMS (NR1 3RL) 

Rebuilt after being 

destroyed by enemy 

action in 1942, 

transformed from a 

keg-only Watneys 

hell-hole in 1993, this 

large community local 

has one open plan room 

that snakes around the central bar and is usually bustling 

with a local clientele of all ages. The bar sports ten 

hand-pumps and specialises in beers from Adnams, 

stocking a lot of their rarer offerings; but the other guest 

ales can come from any number of breweries. 

WHITE LION (NR3 3AQ) 

In Days of Yore (the 1980’s, to be precise), this pub was 

one of the best real ale pubs in Norwich; but the landlord 

left in 1989, and things went slowly downhill. Then an 

unlikely saviour came along in the shape of Milton brewery, 

which re-opened the pub around four years ago and now 

stocks their own ales plus guests from other breweries (that 

obscure brewery called Titanic on my last visit). 

WIG AND PEN (NR3 1RN) 

One of the oldest pubs in Norwich, this alehouse dates 

from the 16 th century and takes its name from when the 

Magistrates Court and the Crown Court were nearby; once 

owned by Courage, it became free of tie in 1985. Friendly 

and comfortable inside, with a spacious restaurant to the 

rear, it is again a good showcase for local ales. 

This list of pubs is entirely subjective and personal; a dip 

into the current Good Beer Guide will reveal a fair few more 

and the more adventurous ale drinker can find gems 

beyond even this, including city centre pubs celebrating 

local murders and lunatic asylums. Finally, Norwich 

CAMRA has produced a superb guide to the best real ale 

pubs in the area, and I am indebted to it for providing some 

of the historical detail for this article: Real Ale Walks in 

Norwich can be bought by going onto their website at 

http://www.norwichcamra.org.uk/misc/pubs.htm. 

Martin Perry 


32 nd Stoke Beer Festival Glass Logo Competition 

CAMRA Potteries are delighted to announce the return of Glass Logo Competition. 

This is your chance to have hundreds of people drink from your creation at one of the most popular drinking festivals in 

the UK and to be part of Stoke Beer Festival history, so it’s time to get your creative juices flowing. 

We are offering the following package to our First Prize Winner:- 

• A Weekend to the Festival (travel to Stoke at the winner's own expense) 

• A box of the Festival Glasses to share with your family and friends. 

• A goodie-bag of Stoke Beer Festival merchandise 

The competition is open to absolutely anyone, of any age, anywhere in the world and the rules are very simple:- 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

THE 32 nd STOKE BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL WILL 

RUN FROM THURSDAY 18 th OCTOBER TO SATURDAY 

20 th OCTOBER!! 

The design must fit on a piece of A4 paper. 

You may use up to FOUR colours in your design. 

The design must include at least the outline of a bottle-kiln (as featured on the CAMRA Potteries 

Branch logo). 

The design must be suitable to be scaled up for use on t-shirts, posters and other publicity items, 

as well as on our Collector’s Item Festival Glasses. 

Designs may be submitted by e-mail in jpeg or PDF format to publicity.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

Hard copy designs may also be submitted but these must be suitable to be scanned and converted 

into digital images. 

Deadline for the submission is Midnight on Friday, 15 th June 2012– any designs received after this time will not be put 

forward to the Festival Committee for adjudication. 

The winner will be notified by e-mail and phone – any further queries regarding the competition can be addressed to 

Hayley Armstrong Branch Publicity Officer, via publicity.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

HEART OF STAFFORDSHIRE BRANCH IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE 

THE 5 th STAFFORD BEER FESTIVAL 

THURSDAY 2nd AUGUST – SATURDAY 4th AUGUST 

BLESSED WILLIAM HOWARD SCHOOL, ROWLEY AVENUE, STAFFORD, ST17 9AB. 

75 REAL ALES, CIDERS, PERRIES & COUNTRY WINES 

Opening Times: Thurs 6-11pm; Fri 11.30am-3pm & 4-11pm; Sat 12noon- 6.30pm & 7-11pm. 

www.heartofstaffordshirecamra.org.uk/beerfestival/index.html 


THE NATIONAL BEER FRONT 

CAMRA BEYOND THE POTTERIES 

FIGHT BACK TO SAVE YOUR PINT: SIGN THE BEER TAX E-PETITION!! 

It’s time to save your pint and fight back against this year’s budget which saw the Government continue its damaging 

policy of the beer duty escalator. 

Every year beer tax increases by 2% above inflation meaning your pint in the pub costs you 5-10p more. This mounting 

pressure is contributing to the closure of 16 pubs every single week. 

CAMRA is calling all beer drinkers and pub goers to sign an online e-petition today by visiting: 

www.camra.org.uk/saveyourpint. 

We need 100,000 signatures to trigger a high profile Parliamentary debate and put pressure on the Government ahead 

of Budget 2013. 

To stand a chance of doing this we need your help in reaching as many people as possible. So please sign the petition 

and then spread the word. 

CAMRA also has free material to take down your local and join the campaign. Email 

claire.cain@camra.org.uk to order free beer mats and posters. One pubs pack contains 

5 x A4 posters and 100 beer mats, please let Claire know how many pubs packs you 

would like. 

With around £1 on every pint going to the Treasury in beer duty and VAT, it’s time to save 

your pint and call time on the beer duty escalator! 

Great British Beer Festival 2012 

August 7 th – 11 th at The Olympia, London 

The Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) is back at Olympia for 2012 and with the event drawing ever closer, CAMRA is 

calling on all beer drinkers to put the Festival’s dates in their diaries! 

This year, Festival-goers should expect 800+ real ales, ciders, perries and foreign beers from around the world, with 

CAMRA claiming to have something to suit every drinker’s taste buds! To accompany this heady range, the Festival 

offers a great choice of food from traditional cuisine to classic pub snacks, unforgettable live music, and a wide variety 

of traditional pub games. 

Tickets for the event are now available and can be pre-ordered for a discounted price from the GBBF website at 

www.gbbf.org.uk/tickets. With such demand expected at the doors of Olympia for tickets on the day, pre-ordering is a 

great way of ensuring you do not miss out on the Festival fun! 

Festival Opening Times 

Tuesday August 7 th - 5pm – 10:30pm 

Wednesday August 8 th – Friday August 10 th – 12pm – 10:30pm 

Saturday August 11 th – 11am – 7pm 

For further information on the Festival, visit www.gbbf.org.uk 

Venue details- Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, W14 8UX 


Potteries Pubs of the Month 

March: Carlton of the Black Horse in 

Chesterton receives the Pub of the 

Month award from Corin Brown and 

Gene Bailey. 

April: Jason and Sallie of the Glebe in 

Stoke receive the Pub of the Month 

award from Corin Brown and Maria Dix. 

May: Bob Crumpton, Jim Rae and the 

Girls receive the Pub of the Month 

award from Corin Brown and Bob 

Round. 

TITANIC 

COMMEMORATION 

EVENTS 

The weekend of the 14 th and 15 th of April was the 100th anniversary 

of the sinking of the ill-fated White Star liner RMS Titanic. To mark 

the occasion Ray Johnson and Malcolm Hawksworth organised 

“Captain Smith’s Command Performance” at the Victoria Hall in 

Hanley, the hometown of Edward Smith on Saturday the 14 th . It was 

a memorable, sensitive and tasteful evening of music, song, dance 

and film, tracing the ships fateful journey and tragic conclusion. 

Two local charities benefited from the event, Arch and 

The Donna Louise Hospice in recognition of “Women and 

Children First”. Potteries CAMRA 

members Simone, Kevin, Scott, 

Claire, James, Steve and myself 

volunteered and served real ales 

from the Titanic brewery along with 

Samantha from the brewery. We 

are all proud and honoured to have 

been there on this historic night. 

On Sunday 15 th a plaque was unveiled on number 51 Well Street, 

the house acknowledged as the birth place and childhood home of 

Edward Smith later to be Captain Smith of the White Star line. The 

Memorial Day continued at The Mitchell Arts Centre. 

A PROPER POTTERIES 

THANK YOU! 

Lyn Sharpe 

The Potteries Branch of CAMRA would like to thank the 

following pubs for allowing us to hold our monthly branch 

meetings in their lovely premises: 

The Leopard, Market Place, Burslem, ST6 3AA 

The Congress Inn, Sutherland Road, Longton, ST3 1HJ 

The Blue Bell, Hardingswood, Kidsgrove, ST7 1EG 

And also The Freebird, Liverpool Road, Newcastle, ST5 2AX for 

laying host to our Beer Festival Meetings. Cheers from us all! 


POTTERIES BRANCH 

CONTACTS 

CHAIRMAN & BRANCH CONTACT 

Corin Brown chair.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

TREASURER & PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER: 

Ken Lee treasurer.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

BRANCH SECRETARY & PUBLICITY OFFICER: 

Hayley Armstrong publicity.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: 

David Edwards members.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

APPLE & DISABILITY OFFICER: 

Bob Round cider.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

SOCIAL SECRETARY: 

James Melia socials.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

POTTERS BAR EDITOR & PUBS OFFICER: 

Martin Perry 

Email: pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

Mobile: 07763 379 584 

Address: 3 Edward Avenue, Westlands, 

Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 2HB 

WEBMASTER 

Gareth Mawby 

webmaster.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

TO ADVERTISE: 

Neil Richards n.richards@btinternet.com 

01536 358670 

You can now find us on Facebook 

and Twitter or log on to the website at 

www.camrapotteries.co.uk 

This newsletter is published by the Potteries 

Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. However, 

the views or opinions expressed are those of the 

individual authors and are not necessarily 

endorsed by the editor, local branch of CAMRA 

or CAMRA Ltd. 

© Copyright CAMRA Ltd 

Potters Bar design by Art of Matelot 

artofmatelot@live.com 

CONSUMER INFORMATION 

If you have any complaints over matters 

such as short measures, etc, and 

have no satisfaction from the pub in 

question, etc address them to your local 

consumer protection department. 

City of Stoke-on-Trent 

PO Box 2452, Hanley Town Hall, Albion 

Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1XP 

Tel: 01782 232065 

Fax: 01782 236496 

Email www.stoke.gov.uk 

Staffordshire County Council 

20 Sidmouth Avenue, The Brampton, 

Newcastle-under-Lyme. ST5 0QN 

Tel: (01782 297000) 

Fax: (01782 297010) 

14 Martin Street, Stafford. ST16 2LG 

Tel: (01785) 277888 

Fax: (01785) 259760 

www.staffordshire.gov.uk/trading 

TRANSPORT INFORMATION 

Bus Operators 

First Bus 08708 500868 

Arriva Midlands 0116 264 0400 

D&G Bus 01782 332337 

Bakerbus 01782 522101 

Rail Operators 

Virgin Trains 

www.virgintrains.co.uk 

East Midland Trains 

www.eastmidlandstains.co.uk 

London Midland Trains 

www.londonmidland.com 

National rail enquiries 

08457 48 49 50 

www.nationalrail.co.uk 


38 POTTERS BAR SPRING 2012

Sat 2 nd : Social at Foxfield 

Railway's 1st Steam 'n' Ale 

Festival, Caverswall Road, 

Blythe Bridge, ST11 9BG. 40 

ales from micro-breweries of 

Staffordshire and Derbyshire, 10 

ciders and a Belgian Bar. Catch 

6A (Blythe Bridge) bus at 

11.40am from Hanley Bus 

Station (or Longton Interchange 

approx 15 mins later) to 

Blythe Bridge. Walk 1/2 mile up 

Caverswall Road to Foxfield 

Railway. Buses back to Hanley 

every 30 minutes until 10.22pm. 

Thurs 7 th : Branch Meeting, 

Butchers Arms, Church Street, 

Audley, ST7 8DE, 8pm 

Sat 9 th : Pub of the Month 

presentation, Benks’s, Stockwell 

Street, ST13 6DH, 5.30pm 

Thurs 21 st : Stoke Beer Festival 

Meeting, The Freebird, Liverpool 

Road, Newcastle, ST5 2AX, 8pm 

*** CAMRA Members Only *** 

Sat 23 rd : Trip to Joules Brewery 

of Market Drayton leaving from 

The Coachmakers Arms, 

Lichfield Street, Hanley, ST1 

3EA at 12noon (Pub open from 

11.30am). The tour will last 4 

hours, and will start with a 

guided tour of the brewery, 

followed by a sampling session 

of Joule's beers and a buffet. 

Arriving back in Hanley at 6pm. 

Book your place now by 

contacting James Melia, Social 

Secretary on 

socials.camrapotteries@gmail 

.com or 07901 952498. 

Social Diary 

June July August 

Thurs 5 th : Branch Meeting, Coachmakers Arms, 

Lichfield Street, Hanley, ST1 3EA, 8pm 

Sat 7 th : Pub of the Month presentation, Lord 

Nelson, School Drive, ST10 3DQ, 3pm 

Sat 14 th : Trip to Wincle Brewery and 

surrounding pubs, leaving from The 

Coachmakers Arms, Lichfield Street, Hanley, 

ST1 3EA at 11am (Pub open from 10.30am). Trip 

includes visits to The Ship Inn and Wild Boar in at 

Wincle, and The Crag Inn at Wildboarclough. 

Price: £15 per head. Arring back in Hanley at 

8.30pm. Book your place now by contacting 

James Melia, Social Secretary on 

socials.camrapotteries@gmail.com or 07901 

952498. 

Thurs 19 th : Stoke Beer Festival Meeting, The 

Freebird, Liverpool Road, Newcastle, ST5 2AX, 

8pm *** CAMRA Members Only *** 

Sat 21 st : Social at the 2nd Churnet Valley 

Railway Rail Ale Trail. More than 60 ales and 

ciders served in stations, on trains and local pubs. 

Unlimited travel with rover ticket £13, can take 

beer on and off trains, great day out! Catch no. 32 

(Uttoxter) bus at 11.04am from Hanley Bus 

Station to Kingsley, then walk to Froghall Station. 

Last bus back to Hanley is 9.30pm. 

May organise transport if enough interest. See 

http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk for 

more information. 

Sat 28 th : The Annual Potteries CAMRamble! 

Catch No.6 Meir Park bus from Hanley Bus 

Station at 11.50am. Walk starts from Meir Heath, 

continues through to Rough Close and the villages 

of Moddershall and Oulton, before finally reaching 

the canal town of Stone. Pubs to include: The 

Windmill (Meir Heath), The Swynnerton Arms 

(Rough Close), The Boar Inn (Moddershall), 

The Brushmakers (Oulton), The Royal Exchange 

(Titanic/Stone), The Poste of Stone (Wetherspoons/Stone), 

The Star Inn (Stone) and finally 

The Swan Inn (Stone). Catch 101 at 8.14pm to 

get back to Newcastle at 8.35pm and Hanley at 

8.47pm. First Day Ticket advisable as well as 

waterproofs, walking boots and a packed lunch. 

You may also want to bring some bread to feed 

the ducks at The Boar Inn at Moddershall! 

Sat 4 th : Moorlands Trip. 

Meet 11.00am at the 

Coachmakers Arms, 

Lichfield Street, Hanley, 

ST1 3EA to include Branch 

Meeting at The Huntsman, 

Cheadle & Pub of the 

Month Presentation at The 

Alton Bridge Hotel, Alton, 

plus the beer festival at The 

Blacksmiths Arms, Kingsley 

Holt. Price: £10 per head. 

Book your place now by 

emailing pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

or ringing 07763 379 584 

and asking for Martin Perry. 

Thurs 16 th : Stoke Beer 

Festival Meeting, The 

Freebird, Liverpool Road, 

Newcastle, ST5 2AX, 8pm 

*** CAMRA Members Only 

*** 

Sat 25 th : Social at The 

Gresley Arms Beer 

Festival, High Street, 

Alsagers Bank, ST7 8BQ, 

3pm onwards

Potters Bar - CAMRA Potteries

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?