POTTERS BAR

POTTERS 

BAR 

MAGAZINE 

OF THE POTTERIES BRANCH OF THE 

CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE 

‘also covering The Staffordshire Moorlands’ 

No.167 Autumn 2016 

www.camrapotteries.co.uk 

FREE 

West Midlands Regional CAMRA Magazine of the Year 2015 

Our Local Brewers Prepare to Celebrate at 

The 36th 

Stoke Beer & Cider Festival 

20th - 22nd October 2016 

AUTUMN 2016 POTTERS BAR 1

LOCAL BEER 

FESTIVALS 

AUGUST 

Thurs 25th – Mon 29th: Congress Inn 

Cider Festival, Sutherland Road, Longton, 

ST3 1HJ. Opens: 12noon. 

Thurs 25th – Mon 29th: Alecoustic at The 

Roebuck, Derby Street, Leek, ST13 5AB. 

A Beer & Music Extravaganza! 

Fri 26th – Sun 28th: Holy Inadequate, 

Etruria Old Road, Etruria, ST1 5PE. 

Opens: 12noon. 

Fri 26th – Mon 29th: Huntsman Cider 

Festival, The Green, Cheadle, ST10 1XS. 

Opens: 12noon. 

SEPTEMBER 

Fri 9th – Sun 11th: Checkley Cricket Club, 

Uttoxeter Road, Checkley, ST10 4NA. 

Wed 14th: Meet the Brewer, featuring Titanic 

Brewery at The Arnold Machin, Ironmarket, 

Newcastle, ST5 1PB, 6pm – 8pm. 

Fri 16th & Sat 17th: Lymestone 20/20 

Festival, Lymestone Brewery, Mount Road, 

Stone, ST15 8LL. (CAMRA Members Preview 

Evening on Thursday Night). 

Thurs 22nd – Sat 24th: Cannock Chase 

Beer Festival, Prince of Wales Theatre, 

Church Street, Cannock, WS11 1DE. 

Opens: Thurs 5pm / Fri & Sat 12noon. 

Fri 30th Sep – Sun 2nd Oct: Stone Food & 

Drink Festival, Stone. All over town! 

OCTOBER 

Wed 12th – Sat 15th: Talke Village Hall 

10th Annual Beer Festival, High Street, 

Talke, ST7 1QQ. Opens: Wed 5pm / 

Thurs 3pm / Fri & Sat 12noon. 

Thurs 20th – Sat 22nd: 36TH STOKE 

BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL, FENTON 

MANOR SPORTS COMPLEX, CITY ROAD, 

FENTON, ST4 2RR. 

Tues 26th – Sun 30th: Sandyford Cricket 

Club 10th Anniversary Festival, Shelford 

Road, Sandyford, ST6 5LR. 

NOVEMBER 

Fri 4th – Sun 6th: Ashcombe Park 

Cricket Club, Basford Bridge Lane, 

Cheddleton, ST13 7EQ. 

Mon 7th – Sat 12th: Bignall End Cricket 

Club, Boon Hill, Bignall End, ST7 8LA. 

Welcome to the Autumn 

POTTERS BAR! 

In the third of our intermittent series of photographs that come under the umbrella 

title of People Who Gather Behind The Bar of The White Star on a Saturday Morning 

and Try Their Best to Look Happy, our cover this issue features Richard Eardley of 

The Brew Foundation (cuckoo brewer who produces beer at Wincle, Neville Smith 

of RAN Ales (Fenton) and Ed Powell of Talke O’Th’ Hill (Talke), all of whose beer 

will be found within the confines of Fenton Manor Sports Complex in the latter part 

of October. 

Yes, time has marched on since this time last year and, without further ado or 

prevarication, it is time to announce that it is yet again time for The Stoke Beer & 

Cider Festival, this year in its 36th incarnation, despite the “& Cider” appellation only 

being appellated a few years ago. Once again, Fenton Manor will stop being the 

home of mind-numbingly dull sporting-type activities and transmogrify into the home 

of fresh and exciting beers and ciders, some of which will no doubt numb your mind 

if enough of them are imbibed, but that sort of thing is not condoned within these less 

than barbaric pages. All the information that you will require is housed in the centre 

of this edition, so turn to Pages 24 & 25 quickly, especially if you are bored of reading 

this mind-numbing drivel. There is even another copy of our Staffing Form for those 

of you who forgot to return it from the summer edition. 

Yet, as always within a busy and fastidiously active branch such as ours, there 

are multivarious other things happening hither and yon. Since the last issue hit the 

confines of our local pubs, possibly the biggest news from The Potteries area is 

the long overdue announcement that The Coachmaker’s Arms in Hanley has finally 

been relieved of the death knell that has been hanging over its roof since April of 

2008, while the biggest news overall is that a humble little pub in Leek called The 

Earl Grey Inn has been bestowed with Staffordshire County Pub of the Year. This 

is a fantastic achievement for the landlords of the pub and for The Moorlands area 

as a whole, as it makes The Earl Grey the very first pub within The Staffordshire 

Moorlands to gain such an accolade. Both these momentous events can be read 

about later in this very magazine. 

Finally, a little mention for the pub that was named after this very magazine. In the 

summer of 1981, the landlord of a new-build pub in Meir Park got in touch with the 

branch and asked if he could name it after the local CAMRA magazine; thus, issue 

No. 24 of Potters Bar had the Potters Bar pub on the cover and a full write up about 

it from page 3 onwards. Also contained within this edition was news of the very first 

Stoke Beer Festival, but you had to search very hard for this information, it being 

tucked away at the bottom of a page near the back of the magazine. Fast forward 

a quarter of a decade and the Potters Bar on Meir Park has won one of our Pub of 

the Month awards for the Autumn; in much the same way that Miriam Margoyles 

shot her own son, we are also co-incidentally hosting a beer festival. Unlike in 1981, 

though, it is to be hoped that one does not overshadow the other. 

Thusly and otherwise, we wish A Merry Potters Bar and A Happy New Beer Festival 

to all our readers (unless you gave up reading this mind-numbing drivel ages ago 

and turned to the centre pages). 

Martin Perry, Potters Bar Editor 

Thank you to all the contributors: 

Steve Barton, Sarah Blundred, Selwyn Brown, Mervyn Edwards, Caroline France- 

Pardoe, Bryony Hall, Bill Johnson, David Lycett, James Melia, Andy Murray, Andy 

Parkin, The Pigeon Sitting On A Branch Whilst Contemplating Stoke Beer Festival, 

Lyn Sharpe, Jeff Smith, Mark Turner 

Copy Date for Winter Potter’s Bar: 

Friday, 21st October 2016 


Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub of the Month September 2016 

THE PLUME OF FEATHERS, BARLASTON 

Address: Station Road, Barlaston, ST12 9DH 

Telephone: 01782 373 100 

Opening Hours: Sunday-Friday 11am – 11pm; 

Saturday 11am-12midnight 

(The pub opens at 10am to serve coffee) 

Travel: D&G No. 12 (from Longton) / D&G No. 14 

(from Hanley) 

The Plume of Feathers is situated on the borders of 

the Potteries CAMRA area in the delightful village 

of Barlaston; nearby is the wonderful National Trust 

Barlaston Downs area. “The Plume” is close to railway 

station alongside the Trent and Mersey canal; it has long 

been a popular “run out” or “walk to” destination of the 

citizens of the six towns. 

The pub was refurbished 18 months ago by Punch 

Taverns and MSW to a very high standard and is once 

again proving popular with locals, old devotees, canal 

boat enthusiasts and walkers alike. An open plan lay-out 

is cleverly divided into smaller distinctive areas; in the bar 

area, large TV screens show sporting events. Dogs are 

welcome in this uncarpeted area. Hikers are welcome 

too but please leave muddy boots in the porch! There is 

also a large, comfortable dining area where meals served 

daily; at busy times, it is advisable to book in advance. 

See the pub’s Facebook page or website for menu 

and prices. A lovely feature is the cosy wood burner 

viewable from two areas. 

Manager Stuart and his team keep the beers to 

a consistently high standard, there being nine handpulls. 

Four of these are for the 

house beers (Bass, Marston’s 

Pedigree, Plume Bitter and 

Morrissey Blonde) and four for 

guest beers (Purity and Titanic 

feature regularly). The ninth 

dispenses Weston’s Old Rosie 

cider (other guest and bottled 

ciders are available). Throughout 

the year, there are charity fun 

days at the pub when local bands perform bringing 

visitors and locals together; a great family day out. 

Quiz night are on Wednesdays: why not get a team 

together and have a run out? I pity the designated driver, 

as they’ll miss out on a great selection of ales in excellent 

condition. 

The presentation takes place on Saturday 10 th September 

at 5.30pm. Stoke City play Spurs at home that day with a 

3pm kick-off, so if you’re a footie and an ale fan, you can 

do both within “The Plume”. 

Lyn Sharpe 


Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub of the Month October 2016 

THE DOG & PARTRIDGE, PACKMOOR 

Address: 508 Turnhurst Road, Packmoor, ST7 4QF 

Telephone: 01782 782 881 

Opening Hours: Monday-Thursday 12noon-11pm; Friday & 

Saturday 12noon-12midnight; Sunday 12noon-10.30pm 

Travel: First Potteries No. 7 (from Hanley) 

The Dog & Partridge re-opened on March 30 th 2015 following 

a massive refurbishment to a very high standard by the new 

owners Caldmore Taverns. The local CAMRA branch is no 

stranger to Caldmore as they have transformed many a rundown 

pub into huge success stories, such as The Fountain, Leek, 

Crown & Thistle, Kidsgrove and The Victoria (better known as 

the Little Vic), Newcastle among others. 

The former Punch-owned Dog & Partridge followed an all too 

familiar pattern and was allowed to be run down over the years 

through lack of investment and poor management. It was in 

a sorry state when it finally closed its doors and was boarded 

up (some thought for good) at the end of 2013. To Caldmore 

Taverns credit, the huge investment has paid off and it was a big 

hit with the locals from day one. 

The main bar boasts eight hand-pulls serving seven real ales and 

always at least one real cider. Rare guest ales can be found on 

sale to complement the regular house beers of Bass, Pedigree 

and Greene King IPA. There is usually a darker brew on sale 

too like a stout or porter, often from less well-known sources, 

including smaller local breweries. The well-stocked bar also sells 

a range on unusual Gin brands and flavours, if that is your thing. 

To the right of the bar area at a slightly lower level, there are two 

distinctively different seating areas, offering very comfortable 

and smart leather seating in cosy surroundings. A larger 

than usual attractive sun trap outdoor seating area can be 

found to the side while covered and heated smoking area is also 

offered (with complementary knee blankets) to cater for all types 

of British weather. 

Landlord Darren Bailey, an electrician by trade, knows more than 

the average person about keeping and dispensing beer in perfect 

condition. He spent 20 years working as a cellar technician for 

the huge Bass Empire, seeing its name change to Coors and 

more recently Molson Coors while he was there. 

Darren together with wife Nicola and son Deacon have lived 

‘above the shop’ since opening and he is always around to keep 

an eye on things, even if not working on the bar himself. His 

passion and dedication to quality in the cellar certainly shows 

in the very high standard of all beers sold. He encourages 

customers to try different styles by offering three third glasses on 

a paddle for the price of a single pint. 

Darren’s love of music is very much evident with live sessions 

being held on alternate Fridays plus acoustic night on the last 

Sunday of the month. Home to a ladies darts team and together 

with various charity supporting events, the Dog & Partridge is a 

truly welcoming community pub for all ages, whether you call in 

for a quick pint after work, meet a group of friends for a night out, 

or having a cosy chat in the lounge area. 

The presentation will take place around 8pm on Tuesday 4 th 

October. First Potteries number 7 leaves Hanley at 18:30 & 

19:30: and coming in the other direction, leaves Kidsgrove at 

18:34, 18:56 & 19:56. 

Steve Barton 


Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub of the Month November 2016 

POTTERS BAR, MEIR PARK 

Address: Lysander Road, Meir Park, ST3 7TW 

Telephone: 01782 395 646 

Opening Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-11.30pm; 

Friday & Saturday 11am-12midnight 

Travel: First Potteries No. 6A (from Hanley & Longton) 

The cover of Potters Bar 

from September 1981, when 

the pub first opened 

Situated on the corner of the 

former aerodrome at Meir 

Park is a great community 

pub that is also part of the 

Marston’s chain. Yes, the 

award winner for November 

is a Marston’s pub! The 

Potters Bar, aptly named 

after the area’s awardwinning 

CAMRA magazine, 

fully deserves this accolade 

due to the hard work of the 

current management team, a 

team who have transformed 

a forlorn, unused and 

forgotten establishment into 

a bright, friendly and thriving hub of activity, supporting 

the local community groups and providing good value 

meals in addition to a well-kept pint. Current activities 

include a men’s dart team, live music and regular 

quizzes. 

The pub itself is divided into smaller areas so as to lend 

itself to a more homely feel. Great value food is served 

12-10pm and a varied menu is on offer from which even 

the pickiest diner will find resolve. Six hand pulls are 

offered with ales from Marston’s, Jenning’s and Ringwood 

breweries regularly featured. 

The presentation will be made at 8pm on Tuesday 1 st 

November. The staff will encourage you to join the local 

CAMRA branch and The Potter’s Bar team, as well as the 

local community, on this night of celebration. Live music 

will feature from 9pm. 

Bryony Hall 


CAMRA Potteries Cider Pub of the Season Autumn 2016 

THE HOLY INADEQUATE, ETRURIA 

Address: 67 Etruria Old Road, Etruria, ST1 5PE 

Telephone: 07771 358 238 

Opening Hours: Monday-Wednesday 4pm-11pm; 

Thursday 4pm-12midnight; Friday-Sunday 12noon- 

12midnight 

Travel: D&G 17; First Potteries 4 & 4A 

This pub is a Free House that enjoys a glowing reputation 

among locals and visitors alike, run effectively and 

efficiently by Sarah and Paul Cope, along with their team 

of friendly staff. Just check out the awards that they have 

won: CAMRA Potteries Pub of the Year 2012, 2013, 2014 

& 3rd Place in 2015; Staffordshire Pub of the Year 2013 

& 2014; joint first place in The Potteries Pub Preservation 

Society’s Community Pub of the Year Award 2016. 

There are three hand pumps dedicated to rotating range of 

real ciders, plus a good selection of bottled ciders. Joule’s 

Pale Ale is the house beer; the other five ale pumps are 

ever-changing, with a strong preference given to microbreweries. 

The Holy is also LocAle accredited and two 

of the guest beers are served from Key Keg dispense; 

two foreign beers are also dispensed from tall fonts. Add 

to this mix the delicious pork pies that are available all 

day and there are now plans to serve full meals once the 

kitchen is up and running. 

The Holy is famed for staging regular bank holiday 

weekend beer festivals which are a magnet for beer 

lovers from The Potteries and further afield. 

The Pub consists 

of an L-shaped 

bar with the area 

by the traditional 

fireplace being sort 

out during winter 

although the warm 

welcome by Sarah, 

Paul and their team 

is given throughout the year. The recently refurbished 

back room is ideal for meetings and private parties. There 

is a large undercover beer garden and separate smoking 

area outside. Paul has also installed a micro-brewery will 

soon be producing beer. 

Sarah and Paul are committed to supporting their 

community, holding fundraising events such as auctions 

for local charities. The presentation is to be held at 

7:30pm on Wednesday, 21 st September; you really should 

not need an excuse to visit a pub as good as this, but 

please use this as an excuse and come and raise a glass 

to a local success story. 

Andy Parkin 


Staffordshire Moorlands CAMRA Pub of the Season Autumn 2016 

THE COBBLERS, LEEK 

Address: 1-5 Russell Street, Leek, ST13 5JF 

Telephone: 01538 381190 

Opening Hours: 12noon – 12midnight every day 

Travel: D&G X15 & 16 / First Potteries 18 (from Hanley) 

The Cobblers is conveniently located on Russell Street, 

a few steps from Leek’s main shopping street; it is a 

small, intimate free house offering six hand-pulls serving 

four rotating guests, plus Draught Bass and Greene King 

Abbot with regular beers from local brewery Wincle and 

one from Salopian brewery in Shropshire. 

its doors in October. The Cobblers is a welcome and 

excellent addition to the ever-growing real ale scene 

in Leek. During the cooler months you will always find 

the wonderful stove the focus of many drinkers attention, 

always with a plentiful supply of logs, locally sourced of 

course. 

It is a great place to enjoy a pint and enjoy good 

conversation as there are no noisy televisions or 

jukeboxes. Pauline, Ashley and their team pride 

themselves on giving excellent customer service. The 

Cobblers is disabled friendly and welcomes all including 

hikers, bikers, dogs and children are welcome until 7pm. 

Pauline, Ashley and the team welcome all customers old 

and new to The Cobblers. 

The Staffordshire Moorlands Autumn Pub of The Season 

Award will be presented at around 3pm on Saturday 3 rd 

September. 

The Cobblers is owned and run by local couple Pauline 

Armstrong & Ashley Dickenson who refurbished the 

once well-known steak restaurant in 2015, opening 

Mark Turner 


POTTERS BEER 

Pub and Brewery News From The Area 

PUB NEWS 

THE GOOD PUB NEWS 

The most important 

piece of pub news 

this issue concerns 

the saving of The 

Coachmaker’s Arms 

in Hanley; after having 

the proverbial Sword of 

Damocles hanging over 

its head for the past eight years, Realis finally announced 

in July that they have downsized their redevelopment 

plans for the area, and their new scheme does not include 

the row of buildings that includes The Coach. Phil and 

Jason, along with all the regulars in the pub, are justifiably 

jubilant about the news. 

Due to a lack of space, there was no Pub News in the 

last edition of Potters Bar, so are plenty of new openings 

and developments to report on. Just outside of Hanley, on 

Dilke Street in Far Green/Northwood lies The Mason’s 

Arms, which has recently turned itself into The RAN Ales 

Taphouse, with the real ale being sourced exclusively 

from the Fenton-based brewery. The suntrap beer garden 

is a hidden gem and the Sunday roasts are reputedly well 

worth travelling for. 

Open for a while now and reportedly doing very well is 

Stoked Bar on North Street in Stoke; if the location is 

recognisable, but the name is not, that is because this is 

the new identity of the old Blacks Head. Trading mainly on 

its food, drinkers are still welcome and a decent enough 

drop of Sharp’s Doom Bar can be found on the bar. Just 

down the road into Hartshill, The Noah’s Ark re-opened 

at the end of June; now under the ownership of Inglenook 

Inns, a subsidiary of Punch Taverns, the owners sensibly 

decided to let the name of the pub remain unchanged 

after initial reports that it was going to be known as 

The Hartshill Inn. 

Regular beers are 

from Marston’s 

and the guests 

are sourced from 

Punch’s Finest 

Cask list. 

Burslem gained 

a new pub at the end of July in the shape of Johny’s 

Micro Pub, the new venture from the landlord of The 

Marquis of Granby in Penkhull. Converted from an old 

shop almost directly opposite The Bull’s Head, the pub 

serves four real ales, four real ciders and a good selection 

of lager. A discount card is available for use during the 

week; note that the pub is closed on Mondays. Up the 

road in Tunstall, The White Hart opened its door again at 

the beginning of June, having been very much spruced up 

both internally and externally; while on the corner of Tower 

Square, The Sneyd Arms is open again and serving 

Marston’s Pedigree. Note that only the bar is currently 

open, the restaurant remaining closed for the time being. 

Over in Fenton, The 

Angel Inn has a 

new landlord who 

instantly upped the 

real ale ante in the 

pub by installing local 

ale and other guest 

beers on the bar; 

a very successful 

beer festival was also staged in the middle of July and it 

is to be hoped that the pub now has a somewhat brighter 

future than previously. A discount for CAMRA members 

is also offered. Over in Dresden, The Red Gate has a 

new landlord and has been restored to its original name, 

much to the relief of the regulars. Not a pub but sort of in 

between the two, Union Crafted Ales opened its doors in 

June, located on Barker Street in Longton; also running 

a local fish shop, the owner hit upon the idea of selling 

beer when one of his customers said that he was going 

to drink a beer whilst he ate his fish. A good selection is 

stocked and the shop opens Monday – Thursday 4pm – 

7pm, Friday 3pm – 7pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm & Sunday 

10am – 4pm. 

Into Kidsgrove now, The Harecastle is once again a pub, 

after spending a period of time under the delightful name 

of A Potter Tea; the café side of the business is still open 

in the mornings (up to 2pm), whilst the pub opens at 4pm 

Monday-Thursday and 12noon at weekends. Very good 

news has occurred in Talke Pits, where The King William 

is under new ownership; having suffered from a less than 

inspiring reputation for the past few years, it appears that 

the pub is now well on the road to recovery, the new owners 

14 POTTERS BAR AUTUMN 2016

having given it a thorough refurbishment. Specialising in 

real ale and real cider, an inaugural beer festival was held 

in the middle of August. Families are welcome and food 

is served in the newly created restaurant; surely a boon 

for the area. 

Another pub that has reverted back to its original name 

is The Old New Smithy in Wolstanton, now The Archer 

once again and not a moment too soon for the locals in 

the area; the bar offers the usual range from owners Hop 

Back, plus Greene King beers and some well-researched 

guests, Six Bells when Potters Bar paid a visit. 

Down into 

Newcastle and The 

Hopwater Cellar is 

offering a discount 

for CAMRA 

members of 20p off 

the price of a pint, 

10p off a half; note 

that this applies 

to the hand-pumped ale only. Across the other side of 

town, and maybe taking a leaf from The Hopwater’s book, 

Bar Social have opened The Bar Social Tap & Gin Bar 

above the original pub; as the name suggests, a variety 

of gin is stocked, plus “craft kegs” from breweries such as 

Beavertown and Burning Sky. 

Finally, pubs that are serving real ale again after a bit of 

a hiatus include The Burton Stores and The Tontine 

(both Hanley, both serving Bass), The Railway in Heron 

Cross (now serves Bass all the time), plus The George & 

Dragon (Longton) and The New Penny (Fenton). 

Potters Bar would like to wish all these new ventures all 

the best for the future; may real ale always be with you! 

THE BAD PUB NEWS 

It is, however, with great sadness that Potters Bar reports 

the loss of The Ale Corner in Hanley, which closed at the 

beginning of June, even before the Potteries Branch could 

present their inaugural Cider Pub of the Season Award. All 

the best for the future, Paolo! 

All pub news correct to the best of our knowledge at the 

time of writing; any errors and/ or additions can be sent to 

pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com. 

PUB OF THE MONTH 

SUGGESTIONS REQUIRED! 

Do you know of a pub in the local branch area that 

you think is wonderful, but seems to get ignored? The 

Potteries CAMRA branch invites all local members to 

submit their suggestions for the Pub of the Month Award. 

Simply send the name of your chosen pub to the above 

email address, along with your name and a sentence or 

two saying why you think it is deserving of the award, and 

Potters Bar will put your suggestion forward to the local 

committee. 

BREWERY NEWS 

BIKE SHED of Stoke 

A brand new brewery for the area, Bike Shed launched 

their beers at The London Road Ale House in June with 

Billy Goat Trail, a strong, malty bitter weighing in at 5.3% 

and Carbon Fiend, a German-style witbier at 5.8%. A 

third beer, Puddle Water, was added to the range in the 

middle of August, being a malty, amber-coloured ale at 

the session strength of 3.7%. Bike Shed are a 1.3 barrel 

brewery and brew once a month in their garage in Stoke; 

two brews are produced every month, as both Ian and 

Emma have full time jobs. The beers have also been seen 

in The Bridge Street Ale House and The Greyhound in 

Hartshill and The Hopwater Cellar stocks their bottles. 

LYMESTONE of Stone 

Staff changes at the brewery in recent months have 

seen Sarah, Brad & Viv’s daughter start her training to 

become a fully qualified brewster; the brewery itself 

is gearing up for its bi-annual 20/20 beer festival to be 

held on Friday 16 th & Saturday 17 th September, while the 

Thursday evening is CAMRA Members Night, to which 

all neighbouring branches are cordially invited. The third 

Sunday of every month sees the brewery welcome The 

Reaper’s, a local society specialising in reproduced cars 

and renovated vehicles; the last one this year will be in 

October, after which the society closes for the winter. 

The now legendary annual Chilli Off Competition will take 

place on Saturday, 24 th September, while the following 

day sees the end of season 40 mile cycle ride begin and 

end at the brewery; these two events will launch the Stone 

Food & Drink Festival the following weekend. Beer-wise, 

stocks of the Whimsical Watermelon Wheat have run out 

and have been replaced with a bottled version of the everpopular 

Lymestone Cowboy. 


RAN ALES of Fenton 

Karen speaks… RAN Ales celebrated their 2nd 

anniversary on 22 nd July, which is also Brewer Nev’s 

birthday! A fabulous time was had by all with plenty of 

beer and dancing! Nev marked the occasion with a new 

brew called ‘Ranniversary’, a light, fruity, 4.0% ale which 

will be available throughout the coming months. We can’t 

believe it’s two years since our first barrel appeared in 

The Bench & Bar in Fenton. A lot has happened since 

then and we’ve learned a lot too! We were very proud 

to supply all the beer, cider and wine for the Gladstone 

Beer Festival held at Gladstone Pottery Museum in July 

and have already been asked to do it again next year! 

We worked behind our own mobile bar all three nights 

and met loads of interesting people. Our Cherry Chilli and 

Rum and Raisin Stouts proved very popular, as did our 

‘RAN Ales Mystery Beer’ which Nev brewed specially for 

the festival. This was a 4.5% pale ale which kept everyone 

guessing. Only a handful of people correctly identified the 

flavours. Rather than publicly reveal the beer we have 

decided to keep it a secret! So watch out for it and tell us 

what you think. We may give away a bottle or two to those 

who guess correctly?! 

TALKE O’TH’ HILL of Talke 

Due to a leak in the brewery roof, brewing at Talke O’Th’ 

Hill has been intermittent over the summer; Ed has been 

brewing his beers at other breweries while the problem 

is fixed, but the beers have turned out rather different to 

usual. Potter’s Porter has turned into Stout & About, whilst 

a stronger version of Citrade has made an appearance in 

various local pubs. 

TITANIC of Burslem 

Autumn at The Bull’s Head, 14 St. John’s Square, 

Burslem, ST6 3AJ 

28 th August: Visit The Bull’s Head Beer Tent at The 

Apedale Classic Car Show, Chesterton 

September/October/November (throughout): South 

East Cider Festival at The Bull’s Head. 

10 th & 11 th September: Heritage Weekend: Bull’s Head 

Beer Tent at The Etruria Industrial Museum, including 

Stationary Engines (Saturday) & Classic Car Show 

(Sunday) 

13 th – 20 th September: Battle of Britain Week: Beer & 

Badges. 

22 nd September: Trip around pubs on railway stations, 

including Sheffield, York & Huddersfield. See Bob in the 

pub for more details. 

8 th & 9 th October: Bull’s Head Beer Tent at The Apedale 

Centenary Weekend. 

18 th – 23 rd October: Lifeboat Week, including Trafalgar 

Day. 

29 th – 31 st October: Hallowe’en Beers. 

8 th – 13 th November: Poppy Day: Beer & Badges. 

24 th November: Coach Trip to Dudley Winter Ales Fayre 

and various Black Country pubs. See Bob in the pub for 

more details. 

30 th November – 4 th December: Scottish Beers. 

WEAL ALES of Chesterton 

Paul speaks… We continue to explore new recipes to try 

to enhance our range of beers and, well, just for the fun 

of it! June saw the release of ‘Ginger Weal’ and ‘Lemon 

Ginger Weal’, both of which have recently been available 

locally. Within the brewery, there is a split as to which is the 

better. We’re still trying to decide if either or both of these 

should be bottled. The Ginger Weal, along with five other 

brews, was available at our last open day at the beginning 

of July. This was a pleasant Sunday afternoon session 

with old and new friends, which was much enhanced by 

the sunny weather. Hopefully more will follow in the near 

future. 

In September, we have stalls booked at food and drink 

fairs in Newcastle, Stone and Newport. The last few 

weeks have seen something of a bottling bonanza at 

the brewery to ensure that supplies are maintained 

throughout. As all the bottling is lovingly carried out by 

hand, this has been a bit of a mammoth task. Following 

the success of Weller Weal last year, we have entered 

four more beers in this year’s SIBA competition. Two will 

be in cask form and two will be bottled. Notwithstanding 

the above, our big news is the planned opening of our 

first Weal Ales pub in Pepper Street in Newcastle (just 

down from The Lymestone Vaults). At the time of writing, 

planning and licensing applications are being considered 

by the relevant authorities but initial feedback is very 

promising. Our projection is that ‘Wellers’ will be open 

for business sometime in October and our aim is to add 

further to the cask and keg ale choice in this part of the 

town centre. 


MERVYN’S MUSINGS 

Local historian Mervyn Edwards with his thoughts on life, the universe and local pubs 

GO SMELL A CLUB! 

Recent CAMRA discussions have embraced the notion of 

promoting Real Ale in workingmen’s clubs, a bally good 

idea that I wholeheartedly endorse. 

Clubs and yours truly go back a long time. When I was 

a nipper, my parents would take me up to Wolstanton 

Working Man’s Club on the High Street, it being the 

case that it wasn’t always easy to acquire the services 

of a babysitter. Back in the 1960’s, the local clubs were 

enjoying their hey-day. Many were built or re-built during 

this period, and people like Dick Scarratt were writing 

regular columns in the much-missed Newcastle Times 

newspaper about the various goings-on in Clubland: the 

days out to Blackpool, the Christmas parties, mounting 

issues with kids running around the concert rooms when 

blokes were bringing large trays of Double Diamond back 

from the bar, etc. 

Those nights at the club – which were a tremendous 

respite for my parents, both of whom had to work long 

hours in order to muster sufficient spondulicks to buy 

me models of Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds and Ken 

Dodd’s Big Doddy Book of 1966 – seemed interminable. I 

recall the endless games of Bingo, during which time I had 

to be kept quiet, pacified by bottles of Hubbly Bubbly and 

packets of Golden Wonder crisps. This was some degree 

of compensation for the torture of having my eyes sting 

all night, it being the case that virtually everyone and his 

granny smoked in those days. Packets of Woodbines and 

Park Drive sat on most tables and the fug of tobacco hung 

heavily in the air. The gents’ toilets at Wolstanton WMC 

were at the rear of the premises, and the top windows 

were often open for ventilation purposes. Through these 

came the “breath” of the club – expelled fag-smoke that 

you could smell about twenty yards down Russell Street, 

mingling with the pong of empty beer bottles stacked in 

wooden crates, plonked in close proximity to the dustbins. 

I remember the smells of my youth as if it were yesterday: 

the over-boiled cabbage they used to serve to Wolstanton 

Grammar School lads; the crisp, clean odour of a brand 

new Beano Annual at Christmas; and the manly whiff of 

beer and fags on my Dad, following his Sunday lunchtime 

session at the club. To me, it was what all fathers 

should smell like – strong, pungent, earthy. The whiff of 

dependability with a faint suggestion of Brylcream. 

It was not until twenty-odd years later that a friend of 

mine, remarking on the beer and baccy odour that always 

escaped from the front door of The Globe in Tunstall, said 

to me: “If they could bottle THAT, I’d use it as aftershave.” 

I know what he meant. 

My first taste of beer came in the late 1960s when Dad 

offered me a sip from his dimpled pint mug. My first 

reaction was, “Now I know why they call this bitter.” I 

hated the sharp flavour and couldn’t have imagined then 

that one day I would guzzle beer with zest and gusto. My 

infant tongue would have been ill-equipped to assess the 

standard of the WMC beer on offer in those days, but in 

years to come, I began to wonder how so many clubs got 

away with selling such pretty vapid stuff. 

Thankfully, much has improved since then, and though 

the Real Ale Revolution has not properly embraced clubs 

to date, yet do I hear the distant drums, the shrill cries 

of the insurgents and the rumble of the tumbrils. Several 

Wolstanton clubs now sell Real Ale of some description, 

and among the best pints I have sampled at Wolstanton 

Social Club in Pitgreen Lane has been the highly satisfying 

Ringwood’s Fortyniner. 

I’d like to think that this has been achieved by CAMRA’s 

capacity to educate people as to what a quality pint 

actually is - though it perplexes me that some old blokes 

have been drinking John Smith’s bitter for years and 

swear by it rather than at it. 

I don’t see that CAMRA – for all its present introspection 

and talk of Revitalisation – is doing much wrong, but I think 

there’s a good opportunity to push back the frontiers and 

sell such as Sarah Hughes’ Dark Ruby in clubs. Though 

not while the Bingo’s on, of course. 


WHAT’S IN A NAME? 

Following my history walk around Hartshill Cemetery in 

June, I took a large audience back to the nearby, newlyopened 

Noah’s Ark. We were only allowed in two-by-two. 

It’s a cheap gag, I suppose, and not one that I would have 

been able to trouble you with had the Pubco’s original 

plans fructified. As reported in the Sentinel newspaper, 

the refurbished pub was to have been re-named The 

Hartshill Tavern. Would this have mattered, and does the 

re-naming of pub in general matter? Well, there’s a strong 

local residents’ group in Hartshill that shouted down the 

Pubco’s proposal, so that the ancient and traditional name 

of this boozer was retained. 

And as a die-hard traditionalist, such things matter to me, 

too. Call me a stickler, and I’ll take it as a compliment. 

Many readers of this column know that there are 

several Real Ale Temples in this area and beyond that 

I won’t touch on account of their daft names. The Holy 

Inadequate in Etruria just about makes the grade - by the 

skin of its teeth. 

My point is that 

inn signs used to 

be the storyboards 

of history, and 

pub names 

recognised the 

gallant deeds of allconquering 

kings, 

gallant warriors 

and even unsung heroes. The Duke of Wellington, the 

Admiral Nelson, the Lord John Russell, the Jervis Arms 

are just some I could mention. Commendably, many 

Wetherspoon’s pubs have been named after folk who 

made their mark in their local area, such as the Mary 

Shelley (Bournemouth), the Peter Cushing (Kent) and 

our own Arnold Machin (Newcastle) and Reginald Mitchell 

(Hanley). 

However, certainly by the 1980s, many pubs came to 

be named after non-entities or even non-existent nonentities. 

Who remembers Rusty’s in Hanley? Who on 

earth was Mr. Rusty? (No, I don’t mean the fella with 

the barrel organ in TV’s The Magic Roundabout). Did he 

fight for King and country, navigate uncharted waters, 

discover new civilisations or isolate new elements? No. 

He was most likely merely a figment of a marketing man’s 

imagination. Unfortunately, Rusty’s was the new name 

given in 1992 to the historic Antelope in Hanley – which 

had gone under that title for over a century. Rusty’s 

gave way to Brannigan’s in 1996. I don’t know who he 

was either, and as for the Smithfield in Lower Street, 

Newcastle, becoming Fat Pauli’s… 

It’s all very well to blame the insensitive pub companies 

and the marketing men. Are we partly responsible, in 

the way that we 

ourselves muck 

about with pub 

names? It’s just 

easier sometimes 

to give your local 

a convenient, 

shortened name. 

Mark Fallon at the 

long-gone Oxford Arms in May Bank used to call his pub 

the Ox, whilst just outside of Newcastle, your neighbour 

would ask you if you’d be popping around the Hemmy’s 

(the Hempstalls Inn) for a quick one. 

However, this is the point – an affectionate nickname is 

fine, but it should remain just that. The Imperial in Crewe 

became the Imp, and the Albert in Shrewsbury, a former 

CAMRA destination pub, became the Alb in 2012. 

Still on the subject of locals’ names for pubs, what about 

Scrimmy’s in Smallthorne? “It’s always been known 

as Scrimmy’s,” an old-timer may tell you. Well, not in 

the trade directories I’ve gone through. Call me a silly 

sausage, but I had it down as the King’s Head. 

As previously intimated, I admire J. D. Wetherspoon for 

carrying on the great British pub tradition of celebrating 

famous figures. The company opened up an outlet in New 

Ferry, Merseyside that doffed its cap to the writer of one 

of my favourite poems, Sea Fever (“I must go down to the 

seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky…”). 

The pub opened in 2007, but the inn sign depicting a 

likeness of the moustachioed poet reminded locals of 

a very different historical figure… and so they promptly 

nicknamed it the Adolf. 


VIEW 

from the Bar Room Floor 

In my last ‘View’, I said I preferred not to visit Newcastle 

Town Centre on a Friday night. Thank you to all the 

CAMRA members who told me that Newcastle is now 

relatively peaceful on Friday night, and also to those 

who told me that the place to avoid (at least, for a Senior 

Citizen such as myself), is Hanley Town Centre– on any 

night of the week! 

On to this issue’s ‘View’: I would now like to tell you about 

the nicest landlord I ever knew, the nicest landlady I ever 

knew and also the nicest CAMRA member! 

When our children – one of whom grew up to be the 

Chairman of CAMRA Potteries Branch - were young, my 

wife and I used to take them walking in Derbyshire and 

it was there that we discovered The Horse and Jockey 

in Tideswell. Wherever we went, we had to sneak our 

children in (when we found an accommodating landlord) 

in those less enlightened days. And the then landlord of 

The Horse and Jockey proved to be a welcoming host. 

But it wasn’t just his attitude to children that endeared him 

to me. His pub truly was the social heart of the village 

community. Everyone in Tideswell knew and respected 

this good man. He was a lovely man, who knew how to 

keep real ale at its best. This was in the early years of 

CAMRA and his growing reputation meant that CAMRA 

members came from all over the place, not that he treated 

them any different from any other drinkers who called at 

his pub. We even had a CAMRA Potteries bus trip so 

some of my other friends could see what a nice man, 

what a good landlord, he was. And like all good landlords, 

he was a good talker! He retired to the nearby village of 

Bradwell, where I hope he is still enjoying a well-earned 

rest. 

I regret that time has erased his name from my memory 

banks. Not so with the nicest landlady I ever knew. Her 

name was Irene and she presided at The Devonshire 

Arms in Hartington. When I organised pub quizzes for the 

Citizen’s Advice Branch in Leek, Irene told me that her 

pub wanted to enter a team. There was just one problem: 

the quiz rules (which I wrote) said that the landlord or 

landlady was responsible for providing the hospitality, 

and she’d never had such an event at her pub before. 

She came along to several other quizzes in Leek and The 

Moorlands and saw what others provided. And then we 

paid our first visit to The Devonshire Arms and what a 

night it was! The two teams were assembled, as were lots 

of local drinkers and before the quiz, Irene emerged with 

two large bowls of hot and lovely chips, one for the teams, 

one for the audience. And then the quiz got underway. 

And as the night wore on, more and more food was 

brought out: sandwiches, salad, anything you might think 

worthy for a pub quiz night was on display. And always 

there was Irene, a lovely lady who, with her husband, ran 

a smashing pub; like The Horse and Jockey, it was the 

heart of the community. 

We had the semi-finals and final of the quiz championship 

at Bank House in Leek, attended by the mayors and 

CEO’s of Leek and neighbouring towns and I always 

asked Irene to call at the Hartington Cheese Factory to 

collect a stilton cheese for my Christmas treat. She really 

was a smashing lady. Later, she moved from Hartington 

to run a Working Men’s Club somewhere in the Midlands, 

which she undoubtedly made another success of. Today, 

I hope she is living in happy retirement with her husband. 

To raise awareness of, and money for, the Citizen’s Advice 

Bureau, I walked to every single pub taking part in the CAB 

quiz championship: over several days, of course, for we 

had pubs in Biddulph, Endon, Leek, Ashbourne, Longford, 

Earl Sterndale and Buxton taking part. The last walk 

was from Ashbourne to Hartington on a cold November 

afternoon. And as I left Ashbourne, the clouds went dark 


and the rain started. I found myself walking in the dark, 

in the rain, not knowing on what side of the road I was 

walking on. Then suddenly, out of the black night, a lorry 

would come roaring towards me. I would have to jump out 

of the way, all too often landing in a muddy ditch. That 

was the most frightening experience of my life! Finally, 

I landed up outside The Devonshire Arms which was not 

yet open. Irene took me in and arranged for me to have 

a shower. Then, with my wet and dirty clothes taken from 

me, I sat in the lounge of the pub, in a borrowed dressing 

gown, eating a lovely meal as the locals began to arrive. 

They were quite surprised, to say the least. Arrangements 

were made for Mavis to come from Clayton and collect 

me and bring clean clothes. Not the usual request a wife 

gets when her husband asks her to meet him at the pub! 

There was a sad postscript to those happy visits to The 

Devonshire Arms. My wife and I were in Hartington several 

years after Irene left. The new landlord was someone from 

Newcastle. When I was raising money for the NSPCC in 

North Staffordshire, he offered his premises for one of our 

quiz nights but said he would charge me for the ‘privilege’ 

of using his place. I declined his offer. And now here he 

was, taking over from the lovely Irene. We went in and 

bought our drinks. We were in a filthy and dirty pub, the 

very opposite of what it had been when Irene reigned 

here. We took our drinks into the pub garden and found it 

as bad as the interior. The landlord had several dogs and 

they were allowed to deposit their mess wherever they 

found themselves to be when nature called. And no one 

ever cleaned any of it up. I tried my beer, took a few sips 

and no more. It was bad. It was undrinkable. I told the 

landlord what I thought of his beer and his pub and we 

left, never to return. 

I have met and worked with many, many CAMRA members 

since I first joined in 1974. I have found some – too many 

– who could not hold their drink yet still drank too much. 

I have found some to be boorish and boring. But most 

– nearly all – I have found to be pleasant, decent, good 

human beings. But the nicest CAMRA member of them 

all is a young man (well, young to me! He is 12 years 

younger than myself and technically now a fellow Senior 

Citizen) who I have had the pleasure to know since 1969. 

He was also a civil servant and we both worked in a large 

office, where the usual ‘office gossip’ was rife. But in 

all the 25 years we worked at that office, I never heard 

anyone speak of him with anything but warm, friendly 

feelings. And it he was the same in CAMRA. 

He appreciated good real ale and, like most CAMRA 

members, over the years he put away a good few pints. 

Yet he never, ever drank more than he could hold. And 

when I began the Leek CAB pub quiz, he offered his 

services as a driver. For three years he drove me all over 

the Moorlands. And he proved to be as popular in every 

pub we visited as he was at work. People would ask me 

the name of ‘that nice young man’ everywhere we went. 

On one particular quiz night, we arrived at a pub in 

Longford to find a surly landlord who did not want us 

there, although a group of his regulars had entered a 

team and were waiting for us, as were the other team, 

along with some quiz supporters who followed us to every 

match. We always had a tape round and when it was time, 

the landlord told us he had no facility for playing tapes 

(although ‘his’ team told us otherwise). But my friend 

came to the rescue once again. And we all trooped out to 

the car park, where both teams stood around as the tape 

was played in his car. 

On one quiz night we took a guest with us, a young man 

not used to going out at night for a drink. On returning to 

North Staffordshire, we dropped him off at home and the 

young man stuck his head through the window and said 

– in a voice showing the beneficial effect of real ale “that 

was the BEST night I have ever had”. And that had been 

due, as much as anything, to my friend and fellow CAMRA 

member being such a pleasant human being – and the 

best possible advertisement for CAMRA. 

For all that you have done over all those years, thank you 

Malcolm Sproston. 

JSB 

Many thanks to Chesterfield & Sheffield CAMRA 

branches for supplying the photos (via WhatPub) 



CONFESSIONS OF A BEER ORDERER 

The task of ordering the beers for a beer festival is not 

one to be taken on lightly. The fundamental aim of the 

Stoke Beer and Cider Festival is to bring to our area a 

wide range of ales from all parts of the British Isles. This is 

what we are known for and this is why you and the rest of 

the aficionados around you make the effort to come to this 

event every year. We are told, and we recognise, that this 

is one of our major attractions and this year, we believe, 

should be no exception. 

However, when contemplating how this years’ festival 

beer order should be tackled, we recognised that we also 

need to bear in mind other issues and so we have looked 

to rise to some pretty big challenges. 

CAMRA Potteries Branch is proud of its local breweries. 

Within a 30 mile radius of our venue at Fenton Manor 

Sports Complex, we have a fantastic collection of 

breweries and at this years’ festival, we will be celebrating 

and showcasing many of them. 

The second priority, building on the first, was our desire to 

‘spread the net wider’. How could we at Potteries CAMRA 

do our bit to encourage new visitors and therefore expand 

our festival? We always want to cater to a wide audience, 

so a key aim of this years’ festival is to offer beers that are 

readily known and already well-supported. Yes, we know 

that our beer festival has a reputation of bringing you 

beers that you wouldn’t see in the pubs on your doorstep 

- and we will continue to do so 

- but we still want to be able to 

offer a little bit of ‘something 

for everyone’. Thus, the 36th 

Stoke Beer & Cider Festival 

plans to bring you beers from 

far and wide, unusual beers and 

local favourites; something for 

all, in other words. Incidentally, 

whilst we want to tell you about 

what we think is new, we are 

still building on other important 

traditions. 

Oh, and if you like what we are 

doing, or if you don’t, or maybe 

you want to find out more about 

CAMRA in the Potteries and 

take advantage of CAMRA’s special offers, let’s see if we 

can welcome you to our community at the CAMRA stand. 

See you at Fenton Manor Sports Complex in October! 

Caroline France-Pardoe 

Beer Orderer 

Entertainment at the 36th Stoke Beer & Cider Festival 

THURSDAY 

An evening of light entertainment Tbc 

FRIDAY 

7pm-8pm: Wilcox-Hulse 

8pm-9pm: James Johnson 

9pm-11pm: Murray and the seven wonders 

SATURDAY 

12noon-2pm: The Penkhull Village Oompah Band 

Intermission: The 2016 Pub of the Year Presentations 

will be made any time between 2pm-4pm. 

4pm-6pm: Daleian Male Voice Choir 

7pm-8pm: To Be Confirmed… 

(not a band, it really is to be confirmed!) 

9pm-11pm: The Middle Men 

Bryony Hall, Entertainments Officer 


CIDER AT STOKE BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL 

By the time you read this, we will be counting down the 

weeks to this year’s Stoke Beer and Cider/Perry Festival 

2016. Meetings will have been held, bands will have 

been booked, beer will have been ordered and Gill, our 

lovely Cider Bar Manager, will have decided which cider 

& perries etc will be on offer to tempt you. As usual, there 

will be a huge amount of choice (over 70 last year!). Dry or 

sweet, clear or cloudy, strong or a bit lighter, there will be 

something for everyone. We pride ourselves at Stoke on 

a fantastic selection. For us, cider and perry are not just 

an afterthought: we have a wider range than a lot of other 

beer festivals and we want to give people as much choice 

as possible. Whether you’re a seasoned cider aficionado 

or a newcomer to the world of apple-based alcohol, we 

are sure to find something you will enjoy. 

If you haven’t tried real cider before, this is the place to 

do it! The staff on the cider bar are knowledgeable and 

friendly and will help you find the perfect drink. We aim 

to support cider makers of all sizes, so there will be the 

familiar names such as Weston’s, Lilley’s, Abrahall’s and 

Sandford Orchards, but also a number of producers with a 

much smaller output (some of them very local). 

Something for everyone! Cider as a drink has a much 

range and depth as the beer spectrum, so it’s not just a 

case of “sweet or dry”: we at the Cider Bar pride ourselves 

on knowing our onions (or apples!) and will happily guide 

you through the range we offer. Also, why not take the 

opportunity to volunteer behind the bar? It doesn’t matter 

if you don’t normally drink cider; all help is appreciated 

and you would be most welcome. Staffing forms are 

available online on the CAMRA Potteries website, or rip 

out and return Page 27 of this edition of Potters Bar. 

We’ll be at Fenton Manor from Thursday 20 th to Saturday 

22 nd of October. Hope to see you there! 

Sarah Blundred 

CAMRA Potteries Apples Officer 

Join CAMRA at The 36th Stoke Beer & Cider Festival! 

Yet again, Brad and Viv from Lymestone Brewery are 

kindly offering a brewery tour to new members on 

Saturday 29 th October (limited places). 

All new members will get: 

• a voucher for three thirds i.e. a pint to enjoy. (Not 

reimbursable) 

• a copy of the 2016 (XXX) Good Beer Guide (subject 

to availability) 

• on sessions when an entrance fee is charged, this 

will be reimbursed. 

Join CAMRA… you know it makes sense! 

Lyn Sharpe 

CAMRA Potteries Membership Officer 



STAFFING FORM 

36th STOKE BEER FESTIVAL 

mon 17th - mon 24th OCTOBER 2016 

FENTON MANOR SPORTS COMPLEX 

off. City Road, Fenton, S-O-T, Staffs. ST4 2RR 

YES, I WOULD LIKE TO WORK DURING THE FESTIVAL : - 

SET - UP TAKE DOWN 

MON 17th TUE 18th WED 19th SUN 23rd MON 24th* 

see the staffing officer for details about Mon 24th shift * 

THURSDAY 20th FRIDAY 21st SATURDAY 22nd 

11-4pm 3-8pm 7-mid 11-4pm 3-8pm 

7-mid 11-4pm 3-8pm 7-mid 

During the festival, what type of work would you prefer to do? (tick boxes ) 

Cider Bar Door 

Bar Work Token Counter 

Bottle Bar CAMRA Stall 

Please indicate if you have FIRST AID Qualifications :- 

Name: 

Tel: (home or mobile) 

Email: 

CAMRA Mem No: 

Address: 

Please return completed form to: Graham Little 

149 Goldenhill Road, Fenton, Stoke-On-Trent, ST4 3DP 

TEL: (01782) 332565 Email: graham@7toes.co.uk 

Thank you for your help. Returning this staffing form indicates your shifts. 

You will only be contacted if there are any queries. See you at the Fest! 

ONLINE Staffing Form Link. (you can fill a copy of this form in - online) 

www.camrapotteries.co.uk/staffingform.php 

This Year FANCY DRESS Theme: Heroes & Legends. 


NEWS FROM THE STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS 

Comment from the Chair 

It is really great to see the huge revival of the real ale 

scene throughout the whole area of The Moorlands 

(especially in Leek) but many of our great pubs, especially 

the more rural ones, have been in the same hands for 

years. I think that, for no other reason that we know they 

are there and almost take them for granted, they hardly 

ever get a more than a passing comment in these pages. 

New places are setting up and proving successful all the 

time, but I think our long-serving licensees deserve a 

mention, while still admiring the new kids on the block. 

Our widely diverse area has a massive range of pubs 

that quite simply ‘have always been there’ because we all 

know they are decent places to go to enjoy a good pint. 

I think they quite rightly deserve a mention (at the very 

least) so here are just a few licensees among many (as 

there are more) who have served this area well over the 

years. It is of course no coincidence that they are all wellrun 

pubs and serve an excellent pint of real ale and have 

weathered the course of time. We owe it to them to show 

our long-standing support, as well as showing support to 

the new and successful pubs which seem to be opening 

on a regular basis in our area. 

• The obvious starting point is Alan East of The Yew 

Tree at Cauldon. Alan’s stepson Dan Buckland now 

runs the pub business at The Yew Tree, but Alan has 

been behind the bar since 1961, flying the flag for 

real ale before it was even known by such a name. 

It is still his home and he is still seen behind the bar 

every day, as he has been for 55 years and the beer 

quality is maintained to a high standard. 

• The Bentley family have been firmly in charge of 

Benks in Stockwell Street, Leek for many years. 

Formerly called The Union Inn, the pub was run by 

Brian and Lynne Bentley from 1969 and is now run 

by daughter Sarah and partner Rob (better known to 

regulars as Span). 

• Candlesticks in Hulme Village has been in the hands 

of Brenda and Ron Wakefield since 1971. 

• The Blue Mugge, Osborne Street, Leek was 

originally run by Geoff and Celia Harrison from 1976 

and has been in the safe and competent hands of 

son Paul Harrison since 1988. 

• The Wheel at Longsdon has been successfully run 

by Jeff Butler since 1981. 

• Linda Shepherd with partner Mick Richards, has 

been at The Old Red Lion, Ipstones since 1995. 

• Alan and Lynne Ward of the Cock Inn, Leek have 

spent more than 30 years in the pub trade in the 

town. 

• Alan and Les Burgess have been at the Sea Lion, 

Ipstones since 1999. 

• Pete and Marie-Anne Hudson have run the Ball 

Haye Tavern, Leek (better known as Bodgers) since 

1999. 

• Malcolm Moger has run the Historic Wilkes Head in 

St Edwards Street Leek for around 15 years. 

• Then come the trio of Pete’s, starting with Pete 

Wilkinson, who’s been at the helm of The Raddle at 

Hollington since 1991, Pete Hill at The Jervis Arms, 

Onecote from 1998 and Pete Harvey at the iconic 

Winking Man, Upper Hulme since 1999. 

There are also a 

couple of dozen 

more who have 

over a decade 

of experience 

running pubs in the 

Moorlands area. 

These include 

among others: 

- Matt & Vicky Pitt from The Red Lion, Boundary. 

- Tony & Jan Dickens at The Swan, Cheadle. 

- Carol Davies, at The Black Lion, Butterton. 

- Steve Bowers, at The Traveller’s Rest, Stanley. 


A reminder to all that the following pubs show support 

for the aims of CAMRA by offering a discount on real 

ale to card-carrying members. 

Windmill, Werrington: 10%. 

Huntsman, Cheadle: 20p per pint. Also accept 50p 

Wetherspoon vouchers, T&C’s apply. 

Winking Man, Upper Hulme: 10%. 

Crossways Micropub, Blythe Bridge: 20p per pint. 

Black Lion, Consall Forge: 20p per pint. 

One Legged Shunter at the Foxfield Railway, near 

Blythe Bridge: 20p per pint. 

Royal Oak, Wetton: 40p per pint. Although the Royal Oak 

is just over the border of the sub-branch boundary, it is 

well worth a mention as is very much part of the beautiful 

Moorlands countryside and walking area. 

Pub News from the Moorlands Area 

The Staffs Moorlands sub-branch is delighted to announce 

that our very own Earl Grey in Leek has been awarded 

the prestigious 

Staffordshire 

County Pub of 

the Year for 2016. 

The voting was 

undertaken by a 

team of countywide 

judges after 

it was voted as 

Staffordshire Moorlands Pub of the Year 2015 by local 

members. The fact that it is the first time that any pub 

in the Moorlands area has ever won a county award 

from CAMRA, together with the fact it was judged by 

knowledgeable members from other branches from 

around the county (who know more a thing or two about 

beer and pubs), makes the county award extra special. 

A heart felt congratulations goes out to Mark and Rob, 

joint licensees of the Earl Grey, from the local branch, for 

achieving this fantastic award in just under two years after 

opening in its present guise. They have kept fastidiously 

to their original vision of creating a place that they would 

both like to drink, relax and socialise. They are both very 

much hands-on in the pub and choose to stock beers they 

like to drink, and are passionate about serving them in 

as near perfect condition as possible. They will now go 

forward to the West Midlands Regional Pub of the Year 

competition which is judged by a panel of pre-arranged 

regional judges from other CAMRA branches throughout 

the whole region. Good luck boys! 

The Titanic-owned Roebuck in Leek has recently seen 

a £30,000 refurbishment by the brewery including new 

toilets and redecoration throughout. What is noteworthy to 

drinkers is that the beer range has now been increased to 

have 13 real ales on sale all the time, the most anywhere 

in the Moorlands; usually nine from the Titanic range 

and four constantly changing guests. There is also an 

interesting range of ‘craft keg’ beers on offer, especially 

in the popular suntrap Hop Yard at the rear of the pub. 

This has also been spruced up and gets extremely busy 

at weekends and during other regular outdoor music and 

beer festival events. All credit to manager Nick and his 

team for making The Roebuck the huge success it is and 

to Titanic for providing further investment in the pub. Look 

out for the regular list of events at The Roebuck which 

further complements the great real ale pub town of Leek. 

The award-winning Sea Lion in Ipstones has seen its 

regular beer range changed from Thwaite’s to Robinson’s 

of Stockport. Landlord Alan Burgess was not too 

impressed when his long term supplier of his house beers 

from the Lancashire-based Thwaites brewery was taken 

over by Marston’s last year and the accompanying drop in 

service. He had been searching around for a while for a 

new regular direct supplier and thought he’d give familyowned 

Robinson’s a try. 

Alan says, “I’ve never looked back. The level of customer 

service that Robinson’s have shown to me has been 

outstanding. I am also more than satisfied with the beer 

they supply and my customers obviously like it too.” 

You will now see regular Robinson’s Trooper and Wizard 

on sale at the Sea Lion with others from the Robinson’s 

and Hartley’s range (plus other guests), which are all 

served in excellent condition. The very strong Robinson’s 

Old Tom at 8.5% has also been spied on the bar recently. 

If you have not given a Robinson’s beer a try for a while, 

why not have a taste with an open mind as it is certainly 

much better than it used to be and is served nowhere 

better than at the Sea Lion. 

The family-run Blue 

Mugge in Leek is 

taking its share in 

the success of the 

massive revival of 

the real ale scene 

in Leek, to such 

an extent that they 


have increased the choice on sale and now have up to 

five real ales at weekends, including a stout or porter, 

with at least three ales during the week. These guests 

complement the regular house beers of Bass and Doom 

Bar. Landlord Paul Harrison says the general increase in 

demand for real ale in the northern end of the town (which 

is also home to Fountain, Earl Grey and Benks) means 

that an increase in range on sale is a logical step forward 

to cater for his thirsty customers. It is interesting to note 

that all four pubs which are in close proximity to each 

other and have been recipients of local CAMRA awards 

in the past few years. 

The Earl Grey (as previously mentioned) was also voted 

Staffordshire Moorlands Pub of the Year in 2015 by local 

members and went on to be voted the Staffordshire 

County Pub of the Year in May 2016 by a county wide 

judging team. It seems many pubs in the town are feeling 

some impact from this major award coming to our area. 

The Top Pub in Brown Edge has seen a change of 

licensees. Local couple Anthony Bedson and Angela 

Docksey have taken on the lease of this ever-popular 

real ale and food pub. Angela has returned to her native 

Brown Edge, having had over 30 years experience in the 

food and pub trade, at one time running The Rifleman at 

Acres Nook just outside Kidsgrove, as well as spending 

some time at the nearby Foaming Quart at Norton Green. 

Anthony, who is proud to be Brown Edge born and bred, 

really has come home after living in the house across the 

road in his younger days and says he has used the Top 

Pub when its official name was The Rose & Crown since 

he was 14 years old. They were different times indeed! 

The Top Pub still provides six real ales served in first class 

condition and will be open every day for drinks, with food 

served Wednesday to Sunday from 12noon to 8.30pm. 

Tuesday will offer a Thai-themed menu. 

The last week in April saw a new dawn at the Fox & 

Goose at Foxt. Locals Steve and Keelie Ainsworth are 

now behind the bar. Having over 10 years experience in 

the trade, Steve and Keelie hope to build on the reputation 

of the Fox and Goose, which has changed hands twice in 

the past four years. It now sells three real ales plus a real 

cider, with food service running from Tuesday to Friday 

5pm till close and Saturday & Sunday 12noon till close. 

Matt and Zoe Crosier have taken over the Robinson’s 

Brewery-owned Cheshire Cheese in Longnor, now the 

only pub left in the village. They have run a pub before, 

after Matt had a career in the military. Zoe has a long 

family history in the licenced trade, with her parents 

running many pubs for many years. Her grandmother’s 

claim to fame is working as a drayman’s mate in her early 

years. The new opening hours are 12noon till close every 

day, with food served 12noon-8pm Monday to Saturday 

and 12noon-6pm on Sunday. 

The Foxhound on Biddulph Moor, which closed after 

the landlady Dorothy Kovacs retired just over two years 

ago, looks set to re-open towards the end of August. It is 

thought it will be a mainly food-orientated venue, but they 

hope to sell some decent real ale too. Watch this space 

for further news and reports on the progress of this past 

CAMRA award-winning pub. 

Caldmore Taverns, who own the hugely popular Fountain 

in Leek amongst others throughout The Potteries, have 

bought an empty former bakery in Cheadle High Street 

and have applied for planning permission to convert it into 

a pub. They always do a first class renovation job, so it 

will only add to the real ale that Cheadle already offers. 

The Queen’s Arms, also in Cheadle has a new landlord 

in the form of Mark Pennington, who has over 20 years 

of experience in the trade. He aims to raise the profile 

of real ale in The Queen’s, which has not had the best 

of reputations in recent years; the re-launch is planned 

for Friday, 30 th September and should include a mini beer 

festival extending over the weekend. 

A warm welcome is extended to all new licensees in The 

Moorlands area from the local CAMRA branch. Also a 

huge “Thank You” to all the businesses and individuals 

who have shown faith by investing time and money to 

make The Staffordshire Moorlands the fantastic pub area 

that we all know and love. 

Steve Barton 

Sub-Branch Chairman 


The Potteries Pub Preservation Group 

Aim: To investigate, protect and promote public houses of special character in The Potteries 

& Borough of Newcastle 

Articles by David Lycett, PPPG Publicity contact: Email: pppgpublicity@gmail.com Telephone: 01782 630153 

PPPG COMMUNITY PUB OF THE YEAR 

The Potteries Pub Preservation Group (PPPG), which 

was set up 20 years ago, is proud to announce that our 

community Pub of the Year 2016 has been jointly awarded 

to The Holy Inadequate, Etruria and The Congress Inn, 

Longton. This is the first 

time ever we have had 

joint winners. 

PPPG’s Publicity Officer, 

David Lycett, said “Our 

group annually votes for 

our Community Pub of 

the Year based on six 

criteria, which we ask 

our members to consider 

when making their choices. Pubs can either be corporate 

members of the group or pubs nominated by members for 

inclusion on our voting form. 

We ask members to consider what elements make a 

Community Pub. Examples of this are the licensee’s 

standards of professionalism, the internal and external 

appearance and lay-out of the pub, the beer quality and 

prices, the pub’s involvement in the local community 

through charity work and the ambience of the pub and the 

hospitality of its clientele. 

Each pub will have the trophy shield, kindly donated by 

Titanic Brewery, for six months. The Holy Inadequate will 

have the trophy shield for the first six months. This was 

recently presented to them by our Chairman, Andy Parkin; 

many of you may know him as the very helpful gentleman 

at Hanley Bus Station. Andy said “ I am delighted to 

give this award to Paul and Sarah Cope and his staff for 

running such a welcoming pub that serves great beer and 

cider and where you can hold a conversation.” 

Six months from now, The PPPG will be presenting the 

Community Pub of the Year award to Shaun Russell 

and his wife Sam at the Congress Inn, Longton, which 

our members hold also in high regards for its community 

focus and welcoming atmosphere. 

Our third place award goes to the Duke William Pub, 

Burslem run by Mark Aston, again a pub that PPPG 

members warm to for its excellent service and atmosphere. 

What all of these pubs share in common is that they have 

been bought by individuals who were willing to invest in 

pubs which were either closed or under threat of closure 

and turned them into successful and very welcoming 

pubs. 

THE ROYAL OAK IN 

RUSHTON SPENCER: WORKING 

CO-OPERATIVELY 

I had the opportunity 

to listen to a talk by 

members of the Royal 

Oak Pub Community 

Investment Company 

(CIC) which is 

Staffordshire’s only 

co-operatively run pub. 

This was held at the Red Lion in Leek, forming part of 

a meeting of the Staffordshire Moorlands CAMRA Subbranch. 

The talk was given by Sandra Hughes, a member 

of the CIC. 

Sandra said that The Royal Oak, one of three pubs in the 

village of Rushton Spencer, had had a very chequered 

history. When it was owned by Marston’s Brewery, it had 

had a series of different licensees, some more successful 

than others. 

On an annual walk which she attended with other residents 

of the village, there developed much talk about The Royal 

Oak. Many were concerned that the pub might close. 

This got Sandra and some of her fellow villagers thinking: 

rather than just talking about saving the pub, what could 

they practically do to save it? There was some scepticism 

initially about what they could do. What they wanted, said 

Sandra, was a pub that served good food and beer, as 

well as acting for a hub for the local community. So they 

organised a series of meetings at the village hall and 

invited everyone to attend. The community decided to go 


for an Asset of Community Value application with the help 

of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. ACV’s are 

part of the localism act as legislated for in 2011, whereby 

a local community group, which is not incorporated, 

applies to have a building listed as an ACV by their local 

authority. If accepted, then the building is placed on the 

ACV list for up to six years. If the current owners decide 

to sell the building, the group which puts in the ACV has 

an opportunity to buy the property; it does not, however 

(unlike in Scotland), mean they have a right to buy it. 

The Rushton Spencer Group was successful in their ACV 

bid but now had to make a decision as to the way forward. 

They needed to come up with a business plan: so, after 

finding out how much the brewery wanted for the pub, they 

presented them with said plan. In 2013, the pub was put 

up for sale. Marston’s wanted about £200,000 plus VAT to 

sell the pub to the group. Sandra said they sought help off 

the Co-operative Bank to see if they were prepared to give 

them financial support and, based on their business plan, 

the bank was prepared to loan them the money that was 

needed. They had decided to go down the co-operative 

(CIC) route as this would guarantee that they could issue 

shares out to people, mostly from the local area, at about 

£50 a share, the minimum amount being £250. They 

needed to get at least 100 people investing in the CIC, 

but eventually got over 160 shareholders. Having raised 

the capital required and after further negotiations with 

Marston’s, they were able to buy the Royal Oak from the 

brewery in March 2015. 

Sandra said it had been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for all 

of the group. Marston’s were not prepared to give them 

trading figures for the pub, so they had to make a few 

guesstimates for the value of the building and how much 

it would cost in terms of running costs per annum and 

installing a licensee and paying them a decent income. 

Sandra mentioned that the CIC name for The Royal Oak 

cannot include royal in its title, as business law does not 

allow you to use the name without the express permission 

of the crown, hence the name of the CIC: Rushton Oak 

Ltd excludes the “Royal” for that reason. 

A lot of the work on the pub has been carried out by 

tradesmen at cost or been done voluntarily. This has 

helped them to keep the costs down to a minimum. 

More work still needs to be done which will see other 

improvements to the pub, without ruining its overall 

character, including having a milk collection point on the 

car park as a proposal by a local dairy partner. Most of the 

beers are locally sourced from breweries such as nearby 

Wincle and Storm, as well as most ingredients for the 

food, where practical. 

Towards the end of June, they celebrated The Royal Oak 

being in the ownership of the local community for over 

a year and no doubt there will be exciting developments 

to happen in the next few months for Staffordshire’s first, 

and hopefully not last, co-operatively run pub. 

Anyone wishing to join should contact Mr. Williams: 

Telephone: 01782 862606 

Email: ppippit@yahoo.co.uk 

Potteries Pub Preservation Group Meetings 

(8pm start): 

Wednesday, 21 st September: The Holy Inadequate, 

Etruria Old Road, Etruria, ST1 5PE. 

Wednesday, 19 th October: The Leopard, Market Place, 

Burslem, ST6 3AA. 

Wednesday, 16 th November: The Beehive, Honeywall, 

Penkhull, ST4 7HU. 

Saturday 8 th October: Mini-bus tour. Continuing The 

PPPG’s 20th anniversary celebrations, we start at 

Coachmaker’s Arms in Hanley (Lichfield Street, ST1 3EA 

& on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors) 

at 1pm, then travel to The Birches Head in Birches Head, 

The Holy Inadequate in Etruria, then Newcastle, Penkhull 

and Stoke, our last pub of the night being The Congress 

in Longton, arriving at 9pm to present them with our 

Community Pub of the Year award. 

THE CAMRA INVESTMENT CLUB 

Have you ever thought about putting some money into 

something you are interested in? Such as real ale? You 

can put anything from £5 a month into The CAMRA 

Members’ Investment Club and it is invested are your 

behalf into a range of companies, such as Adnam’s, 

Fuller’s and Greene King. The Club also arranges a 

number of brewery trips each year, to which members are 

invited. 

If you are interested, there are three ways of getting in 

touch. Either: 

(a) visit our website at www.CMIC.uk.com or 

(b) telephone Jannette on 01772 457 992 or 

(c) write to 31 Chapel Brow, Leyland, Lancashire, 

PR25 3NH 


THE CIDER CORNER 

APPLES ON TOUR: LEEK, 23RD JULY 2016 

The sun was shining brightly as our intrepid gang set forth 

in search of appley (and peary) goodness in the beautiful 

town of Leek. 

First port of call was 

the Wilkes Head, 

on St. Edward 

Street (ST13 5DS). 

Dating back to the 

18th Century, this 

characterful threeroomed 

pub has 

been the winner of 

the Moorlands Pub 

of the Year in the 

recent past. We took 

advantage of the sunny day and made use of the beer 

garden: most of us started the day on Weston’s Rosie’s Pig 

at a sensible 4.8%. Old Rosie (7.3%) was also available 

and up until the evening before, a strawberry offering from 

Cockeyed had been on but had unfortunately sold out 

before we could try it. 

We then proceeded up to the 

Green Dragon (St. Edward 

Street, ST13 5DS, about five 

doors away!). The national 

Wetherspoons Cider festival 

was in full swing, so plenty of 

choice was available in the 

form of eight ciders. I had a 

third each of Venton Applevice 

Straw Pressed (6.5%), Aspall’s 

Waddlegoose Bullhead (7.4%) 

and Thistly Cross Original 

(6.2%): other ciders available 

included offerings from Heck’s, 

Thatcher’s and Weston’s. It was nice to see some of the 

gang who normally prefer beer, trying some different 

ciders out and comparing tasting notes. 

The Roebuck (the Titanic pub on Derby Street, ST13 5AB) 

had a mini festival going on in the beer garden, complete 

with music, pirates, a bloke in a loud T-shirt (our very own 

Clubs Officer, Andy Parkin) and, more importantly, an 

outside bar! Behind this bar, in amongst a quality selection 

of real ales, were two ciders: Cockeyed’s Monkey Mango 

(4.0%) and Wizard’s Sleeve (4.5%) from Woodhalls 

(definitely a contender for the best-named beverage!) 

(Ed’s Note: Any lasting corruption caused by this article 

is solely the fault of the author.) The atmosphere in the 

pub was fantastic and the drinks certainly matched the 

ambience. 

The Fountain Inn (on Fountain Street, ST13 6JR) is a 

lovely, friendly pub which was awarded our Moorlands Pub 

of the Season trophy in summer of last year. It re-opened 

in 2013 following a full high-standard refurbishment and 

has been a popular fixture on the Leek pub scene ever 

since. Two real ciders were available when we visited: 

Weston’s Old Rosie and La Cantina Yesterday’s Dreams 

(5.9%), a rich, flavoursome perry which really hit the spot. 

The last port of call was The Earl Grey Inn (Ashbourne 

Road, ST13 5AT), which has recently taken the title of 

Staffordshire Pub of the Year 2016. A very interesting 

cider was to be had here: Maxonian Mist by SiDa, a 6% 

offering from Si and Dave (not the Hairy Bikers) who are 

based in Macclesfield and apparently started making 

cider on a home-brew basis before launching the brand 

in one of their local pubs. 

Many thanks to Steve Barton for helping to choose the 

pubs and thank you to everyone who came along to Leek 

on the crawl: it was nice to see some new faces as well as 

the cider regulars. See you all soon! 

Sarah Blundred 

CAMRA Potteries Apple Officer 


MILK STOUT MAYHEM 

What do you call a group 

of Micro Brewers? a 

Tun, a Mash, a Barrel?, 

well on Cup final day in 

May, such a gathering 

occured at the recently 

opened ELUSIVE 

brewery in Fleet, 

Hampshire, Andy of the 

afformentioned Elusive 

brewery, Dan of Weird 

Beard, London Brew Co, 

Carl of Twisted Barrel, 

Coventry, along with 

Chris Smith of Potteries 

branch (also a micro 

brewer), also present 

were myself (Jeff Smith), my daughter our driver for the 

day,also Phil from Otters Tears, Burslem, Chris from 

Wolverhampton, and Martin Ridge a familiar Potteries 

branch member. 

The reason,you may well ask? 

Chris Smith has constructed from scratch his owm micro 

brewery in a shed in his garden in Blurton, for the record 

he called his brewery Neck End Brewery, owing to its 

proximity to Longton, and it’s historical name of ‘Neck 

End’. 

big brewers in their own rites, Cloudwater, Black Jack in 

Manchester! 

Unfortunately shortly after all this Chris became ill, 

including several admissions to hospital, which brings us 

to his latest diagnosis of cancer, which has slowed him 

down dramatically!!! 

This has shocked all his family and friends! Also a lot of 

his micro brewer friends, 

When Andy of Elusive heard he said he like to brew one of 

his recipes commercially. 

This brings us back to 

Cup final day in May, 

when we all gathered 

and brewed his milk 

stout recipe, which has 

since been barrelled, 

some casks,some key 

kegs and has now 

been seen around local 

pubs here in Stoke, 

it has also gone to 

London, Manchester, 

Nottingham, and Birmingham beer bash. 

We would like to thank the local pubs, and micro pubs 

that took part, CONGRESS, LONGTON-BULL+BUSH, 

STOKE-HOP INN, NEWCASTLE-HOPWATER CELLAR, 

NEWCASTLE, HOLY INADEQUATE, ETURIA, OTTERS 

TEARS, BURSLEM, BOTTLECRAFT, HANLEY, and also 

the landlords of all these establishmen’s. 

Meanwhile Chris is continuing keeping positive and 

hoping to something with other brewers soon. 

His stout was called ‘Coswort’, if you weren’t lucky enough 

to try it, you missed a wonderful stout, to quote Shaun of 

the Congress, *beer of the year 

Thanks to Martin Perry for letting me tell this story in the 

excellent Potters Bar,and look out Elusive brewery really 

good beers!!! 

Chris did many brews of his own recipes! milk stouts, 

hoppy pale ales etc, and his trial tasters were me and my 

wife Ang,also the regulars of the Congress, Longton, and 

other micro brewers across England, many who become 

Jeff Smith 


The Clubs Corner: Supporting Local Beer Festivals 

Many people will not be surprised at the growing trend 

of beer festivals, both in The Potteries and around the 

surrounding areas. 

Whether it be a small festival (eight cask ales and two 

ciders) or a big one (40 cask ales and 20 Ciders), all 

have one thing in common, a ‘need’ to raise funds, for 

sports and other equipment (such as kit for their young 

participants) or charities which are important to their 

members. 

You will find that most of these beer festivals will have 

been well-supported by sponsors (many of whom are 

family and friends of members of the organisations or 

clubs) It is nonetheless surprising that many will charge 

an entry fee, as they either need to maximise the funds 

they require, or to cover outlay such as bars and bands 

etc. 

We can be proud of our local brewers such as Lymestone, 

Peakstones Rock, RAN Ales, Titanic and Weal Ales and 

many others who help sourcing the beers and ciders, offer 

advice and guidance, racking, setting up and occasionally 

help ‘man’ the stalls; you will also see some seasoned 

CAMRA members working as volunteers at many of our 

local beer festivals. This is an ideal time to join or rejoin 

CAMRA as often local brewers provide an additional 

incentive to the already many benefits of holding a 

CAMRA membership. 

Many beer enthusiasts complain that small beer festivals 

don’t offer a sufficient choice of beers, or that they have 

to pay entry fees, as most CAMRA events are either 

free or reduced entrance fees for CAMRA members. My 

personal view is that these local beer festivals are an ideal 

opportunity for the locals & club members to try beers 

that they have never tasted before, the various flavours, 

smooth, sharp, hoppy, citrate, smoky, chocolaty and 

fruity tastes of the ales and ciders which are available. 

An example of this happened whilst I was working on the 

Cider Bar at Gladstone Beer and Music Festival this year: 

there was a sweet perry (Westons Country Perry) that I 

encouraged a good number of people to try and all were 

pleasantly surprised and said that they would never had 

thought of trying it before but will again in the future. 

By listing some of the local beer festivals around our 

area, I am bound to miss some, so to help you promote 

your festival, please let me know in advance if your club, 

organisation, or charity is holding a beer festival and I will 

endeavour to promote it on the CAMRA Facebook page. 

In no particular order, these are some of the festivals to 

watch out for: 

Cricket Clubs: Audley, Barlaston, Bignall End, 

Caverswall, Cheadle, Leek, Porthill, Wedgwood. 

Football Clubs: Audley, Leek. 

Hockey Clubs: Leek. 

Rugby Clubs: Newcastle, Trentham. 

Plus: Milton Scouts, Newcastle Jazz & Blues, Penkhull 

Jazz & Blues, Pride in Northword Park, Gladstone Beer 

& Music, Baddeley Green Working Men’s Club, Hollybush 

Brown Edge, Hollybush Denford, Olde Bull & Bush 

(Stoke), Bulls Head (Burslem), Castle Mona (Newcastle), 

Congress (Longton), Holy Inadequate (Etruria), Marquis of 

Granby (Penkhull) Yewstock at The Yew Tree (Cauldon). 

I encourage as many people as possible to support their 

local beer festivals, not just for their own enjoyment, but 

for the benefit of the club or charity that is being supported. 

Andy Parkin 


Words from the Heart (of Staffordshire) 

Greetings from 

your chums in the 

middle bit of the 

county. Having 

taken refuge in 

the pages of this 

august journal 

for a year or so, 

we relaunched 

our own magazine, Beer at Heart, in June to a thunderous 

reception. We now have to prove it wasn’t a fluke and 

conquer ‘second album syndrome’ – if we do it’ll start 

appearing in pubs in our bit (and maybe yours) in mid- 

September. 

By the time you read this, our eagerly anticipated Beer and 

Cider Festival will have taken place – I’m sure many of you 

made the trip down the A34. Seven members of our beer 

festival team spent a day at Fownes Brewery concocting a 

bespoke Festival Beer, called Soul Forger, which contained 

no fewer than five different hop varieties, and the zest and 

juice of 30 oranges. By now we will know if they should – or 

shouldn’t – give up the day jobs. The photos were taken by 

Katy Coulman, at 19 the youngest member of the party; she 

pitched in with the brewing of Soul Forger and also handles 

the festival’s social media. Katy wrote that the day was “fun 

and engaging” and “moments like everyone urging me to 

take part and add something show that there is a place for 

young people in CAMRA.” 

We’re currently selecting our Summer Pub of the Season – 

the shortlist is the Junction Inn, Norbury; the Star Inn, Stone; 

the Navigation, Gnosall; and the Anchor, High Offley. The 

winner will be announced in the next Beer at Heart but all 

are worth a visit, particularly at this time of year, with their 

canalside locations and beer gardens. 

Lymestone brewery in Stone has another 20:20 festival 

in September (20 beers, 20 ciders) and Thursday 15 th is 

a ‘pre-opening night’ for CAMRA members only! Slaters 

brewery in Stafford is hosting an Oktoberfest on Friday 21 st 

(of October, in case you don’t speak German). It’s free entry 

but contact the brewery if you plan to attend. 

Our next branch 

meeting is at 8pm 

on Tuesday 6 th 

September at the 

Star Inn, Stone. All 

CAMRA members 

are welcome. 

We’re still planning 

our Autumn line-up 

of socials but on Saturday 10 th September we’ll be heading 

to the South Cheshire CAMRA beer festival at the Crewe 

Heritage Centre. (Some of my colleagues are drooling with 

delight at the prospect of steam trains!) Full details will be 

posted on our website www.heartofstaffordshirecamra. 

org.uk 

Andy Murray 

Editor, Beer at Heart, Heart of Staffordshire CAMRA 

THE BEER FESTIVAL AT THE SWAN INN, STONE 

Somewhere in the gelatinous recesses of my wardrobe, 

there exists a pale blue tee shirt emblazoned with the logo 

for the Swan Inn, Stone that I purchased from that very 

pub during the beer festival in the year that came to be 

known as 2006; I know this to be true as it says “2006” on 

the front. The Beer Festival at the Swan Inn, Stone quickly 

became my favourite beer festival of them all and I duly 

return every year, always more than once, sometimes as 

many as three times. This year was no exception, even if 

we were forced to hide inside when the heavens opened 

on the Saturday; I 

will return for my 

12th tour of duty 

come next year 

and no doubt 

Becky and Dani 

(pictured) will be 

there to dole out 

the beer. Cheers! 

Martin Perry 


CAMRA POTTERIES BRANCH LOCALE PUBS 

The brackets give an indication of 

what LocAle is sold and does not 

refer to the ownership. 

BOROUGH OF NEWCASTLE- 

UNDER-LYME 

Gresley Arms, Alsagers 

Bank (Varies) 

Audley Cricket Club, 

Audley (Titanic) 

Boughey Arms, Audley (Varies) 

Swan, Betley (Joule’s) 

Swan, Bignall End (Titanic) 

Royal Oak, Harriseahead (Joule’s) 

KPA Bar, Keele University (Varies) 

Blue Bell, Kidsgrove (Whim) 

Queen’s Head, Kidsgrove (Varies) 

Arnold Machin, Newcastle (Varies) 

Bridge Street Ale House, 

Newcastle (Varies) 

Castle Mona, Newcastle (RAN Ales) 

Freebird, Newcastle (Varies) 

Hopwater Cellar, Newcastle 

(Varies: Bottled Ale) 

Lymestone Vaults, 

Newcastle (Lymestone) 

Old Bull’s Head Inn, 

Newcastle (Joule’s) 

Victoria, Newcastle (Varies) 

Bush, Silverdale (Varies) 

Crown, Silverdale (Joule’s) 

Mainwaring Arms, 

Whitmore (Joule’s) 

Sheet Anchor, Whitmore (Varies) 

Porthill Park Cricket Club, 

Wolstanton (Lymestone) 

Crown, Wrinehill (Salopian) 

Hand & Trumpet, 

Wrinehill (Salopian) 

CITY OF STOKE-ON-TRENT 

Plume of Feathers, 

Barlaston (Varies) 

Bull’s Head, Burslem (Titanic) 

Duke William, Burslem (Joule’s) 

Roebuck, Burslem (Joule’s) 

Holy Inadequate, Etruria (Varies) 

Bench & Bar, Fenton (Varies) 

Potter, Fenton (Ran Ales) 

Coachmaker’s Arms, 

Hanley (Varies) 

Reginald Mitchell, Hanley (Varies) 

Victoria Lounge Bar, 

Hanley (Varies) 

Greyhound, Hartshill (Titanic) 

Congress Inn, Longton 

(Townhouse) 

Last Post, Longton (Titanic) 

Mason’s Arms, Northwood 

(RAN Ales) 

Glebe, Stoke (Joule’s) 

London Road Ale House, 

Stoke (Varies) 

Olde Bull & Bush, Stoke (Varies) 

Staff of Life, Stoke (Joule’s) 

Wheatsheaf, Stoke (Varies) 

White Star, Stoke (Titanic) 

Wheatsheaf, Tunstall (Varies) 

STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS 

Alton Bridge Hotel, Alton 

(Peakstones Rock) 

Blacksmith’s Arms, Alton 


Royal Oak, Alton (Varies) 

White Hart, Alton (Marston’s) 

Bradley Green, Biddulph (Varies) 

Rose & Crown, Biddulph 

Moor (Joule’s) 

Crossways Micropub, Blythe 

Bridge (Peakstones Rock) 

Foxfield Railway Bar, Blythe 

Bridge (Titanic) 

Hollybush, Brown Edge (Joule’s) 

Top Pub, Brown Edge (Titanic) 

Yew Tree Inn, Cauldon 

(Burton Bridge) 

Huntsman, Cheadle (Varies) 

Wheatsheaf, Cheadle (Varies) 

Star, Church Leigh (Marston’s) 

Black Lion, Consall Forge 


New Inn, Flash (Storm) 

Butcher’s Arms, 

Forsbrook (Joule’s) 

Fox & Goose, Foxt (Varies) 

Sea Lion, Ipstones (Varies) 

(Free House) 

Abbey Inn, Leek 


Cobblers, Leek (Wincle) 

Cock Inn, Leek (Joule’s) 

Earl Grey Inn, Leek (Varies) 

Fountain Inn, Leek (Varies) 

Green Dragon, Leek (Varies) 

Roebuck, Leek (Titanic) 

Wilke’s Head, Leek (Whim) 

Lazy Trout, Meerbrook (Varies) 

Royal Oak, Rushton 

Spencer (Varies) 

Black’s Head, Tean (Marston’s) 

Cross Keys, Tean (Marston’s) 

White Hart, Tean (Marston’s) 

Red Lion, Thorncliffe (Storm) 

Potteries 

Pubs of the Month 

May 2016: 

Jolly Potters, Hartshill 

June 2016: 

White Star, Stoke 

July 2016: 

London Road Ale House, Stoke 

Staffs Moorlands Summer 2016: 

Cock Inn, Leek 


A Campaign 

of Two Halves 

Fair deal 

on beer 

tax now! 

Save 

Britain’s 

Pubs! 

Join CAMRA Today 

Complete the Direct Debit form below and you will receive 15 months membership for the price 

of 12 and a fantastic discount on your membership subscription. 

Alternatively you can send a cheque payable to CAMRA Ltd with your completed form, visit www.camra.org.uk/joinus or call 01727 867201. 

All forms should be addressed to the: Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW. 

Your Details 

Title 

Surname 

Forename(s) 

Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) 

Address 

Direct Debit Non DD 

Single Membership £24 £26 

(UK & EU) 

Joint Membership £29.50 £31.50 

(Partner at the same address) 

Postcode 

Email address 

Tel No(s) 

Partner’s Details (if Joint Membership) 

Title 

Surname 

Forename(s) 

For Young Member and other concessionary rates please visit 

www.camra.org.uk or call 01727 867201. 

I wish to join the Campaign for Real Ale, and agree to 

abide by the Memorandum and Articles of Association 

I enclose a cheque for 

Signed 

Date 

Applications will be processed within 21 days 

Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) 

Email address (if different from main member) 

01/15 

Campaigning for Pub Goers 

& Beer Drinkers 

Enjoying Real Ale 

& Pubs 

Join CAMRA today – www.camra.org.uk/joinus 

Instruction to your Bank or 

Building Society to pay by Direct Debit 

Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send to: 

Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. 230 Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts AL1 4LW 

Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society Service User Number 

To the Manager 

Address 

Postcode 

Name(s) of Account Holder 

Bank or Building Society Account Number 

Branch Sort Code 

Reference 

Bank or Building Society 

44 POTTERS BAR AUTUMN 2016 

FOR CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE LTD OFFICIAL USE ONLY 

This is not part of the instruction to your Bank or Building Society 

Membership Number 

Name 

Postcode 

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society 

Please pay Campaign For Real Ale Limited Direct Debits from the account 

detailed on this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit 

Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Campaign For Real 

Ale Limited and, if so will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society. 

Signature(s) 

Date 

9 2 6 1 2 9 

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of account. 

This Guarantee should be detached 

and retained by the payer. 

The Direct Debit 

Guarantee 

This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building 

societies that accept instructions to pay by Direct 

Debits. 

If there are any changes to the amount, date or 

frequency of your Direct Debit The Campaign for 

Real Ale Ltd will notify you 10 working days in advance 

of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. 

If you request The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd to collect 

a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will 

be given to you at the time of the request 

If an error is made in the payment of your Direct 

Debit by The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd or your bank 

or building society, you are entitled to a full and 

immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank 

or building society 

- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you 

must pay it back when The Campaign For Real Ale Ltd 

asks you to 

You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply 

contacting your bank or building society.Written 

confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

POTTERIES BRANCH CONTACTS 

CHAIRMAN, BRANCH CONTACT: 

Corin Brown 

chair.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

BRANCH SECRETARY & APPLE OFFICER: 

Sarah Blundred sarah.potteries@gmail.com 

TREASURER: 

Bob Pilgrim 

treasurer.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

MEMBERSHIP OFFICER: 

Lyn Sharpe 

beerbunny@ntlworld.com 

SOCIAL SECRETARY: 

James Melia 

WEBMASTER: 

Gareth Mawby 

socials.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

webmaster.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

YOUNG MEMBERS OFFICER: 

Bryony Hall 

youngperson.camrapotteries@outlook.com 

CLUBS OFFICER, PUBLICITY OFFICER & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 

OFFICER: 

Andy Parkin 

sbfpublicity.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

POTTERS BAR EDITOR & PUB CAMPAIGNS OFFICER: 

Martin Perry 

pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com 

Mobile: 07763 379 584 

Address: 3 Edward Avenue, Newcastle, Staffs, ST5 2HB 

STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS SUB BRANCH 

CHAIRMAN: 

Steve Barton 

chair.moorlandscamra@gmail.com 

BRANCH SECRETARY: 

Kevin Upton 

sec.moorlandscamra@gmail.com 

PUBS OFFICER: 

David Edwards 

pubs.moorlandscamra@gmail.com 

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: 

Steve Darman members.moorlandscamra@gmail.com 

PUBS DATABASE OFFICER: 

Nick Willis 

databasemoorlandscamra@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 Potteries: http://potteriesbuses.com 

D&G Buses: 01782 332 337 or 

http://www.dgbus.co.uk/ 

Arriva Buses: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/ 

General Information (all bus companies): 

Ring Traveline on 0871 200 2233; logon to http:// 

stokebus.info or http://www.travelinemidlands.co.uk 

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 


SOCIAL DIARY 

SEPTEMBER 

Sat 3rd: Staffordshire Moorlands Sub-Branch Meeting, 

The Roebuck, Derby Street, Leek, ST13 5AB, 1pm. 

followed by Staffordshire Moorlands Pub of the Season 

Presentation, The Cobblers, Russell Street, Leek, ST13 

5JF, 3pm. 

followed by an informal social crawl around the other 

beautiful pubs that Leek has to offer. 

Wed 7th: CAMRA Potteries Branch Meeting, The 

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

7.30pm. 

Sat 10th: Pub of the Month Presentation, The Plume of 

Feathers, Station Road, Barlaston, ST12 9DH, 5pm. 

Tues 13th: Stoke Beer Festival Meeting, The Holy 

Inadequate, Etruria Old Road, Etruria, ST1 5PE, 8pm 

*** CAMRA Members Only *** 

Wed 21st: Cider Pub of the Season Presentation, The 

Holy Inadequate, Etruria Old Road, Etruria, ST1 5PE, 

7.30pm. 

OCTOBER 

Tues 4th: Pub of the Month Presentation, The Dog & 

Partridge, Turnhurst Road, Packmoor, ST7 4QF, 8pm. 

Thurs 6th: CAMRA Potteries Branch Meeting, The 

Greyhound, George Street, Hartshill, ST5 1JT, 7.30pm. 

Tues 11th: Stoke Beer Festival Meeting, Hopinn, Albert 

Street, Newcastle, ST5 1JR, 8pm 

*** CAMRA Members Only *** 

NOVEMBER 

Tues 1st: Pub of the Month Presentation, Potters Bar, 

Lysander Road, ST3 7TW, 8pm. 

Wed 2nd: CAMRA Potteries Branch Meeting, The Holy 

Inadequate, Etruria Old Road, Etruria, 7.30pm. 

Sat 12th: Staffordshire Moorlands Sub-Branch Meeting, 

The Fountain Inn, Fountain Street, Leek, ST13 6JR, 1pm. 

followed by an informal social crawl around the other 

beautiful pubs that Leek has to offer. 

DECEMBER 

Thurs 1st: CAMRA Potteries Branch Meeting, The 

Museum, George Street, Newcastle, ST5 1JU, 7.30pm. 

Tues 6th: Pub of the Month Presentation, Bignall End 

Cricket Club, Boon Hill, Bignall End, ST7 8LA, 7.30pm. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEER SCORING 

The Campaign for Real Ale uses The National Beer 

Scoring System (NBSS) to gain an overview of the 

beer quality in all of the nation’s pubs, and also to help 

construct The Good Beer Guide every year. 

Beer quality is scored using the following criteria: 

0: No real ale available at the time of attempting to drink it. 

1: Vaguely drinkable if you had a gun pointing at your 

head. 

2: Not bad, but doesn’t inspire you to smile and stroke 

the glass. 

3: Rather good! Another one, please! 

4: Very good! Another three, please! 

5: Best Pint Ever! Drink the barrel dry. 

Half marks can also be awarded. 

It has never been easier to return your beer scores. 

Simply log on to www.whatpub.com, enter your CAMRA 

membership number and password, search for the pub 

you require and enter the relevant beer score in the right 

hand column. 

It really is that easy! What could be more satisfying 

than knowing you have influenced the construction 

of the nation’s leading pub guide? 


PASSION 

FOR GREAT BEER 

APPETITE 

FOR LOCAL FOOD 

ENTHUSIASM 

FOR PROPER PUBS 

COMMITTMENT 

TO SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY 

SHIPPED 

FROM THE POTTERIES 

The White Star 

63 Kingsway 

Stoke 

ST4 1JB 

01782 848732 

The Sample Room 

Callendar Place 

Burslem 

ST6 1JL 

01782 823447 

The Greyhound 

67 George St 

Newcastle 

ST5 1JT 

01782 635814 

The Bulls Head 

14 St Johns Sq 

Burslem 

ST6 3AJ 

01782 834153 

The Olde Kings Arms 

1 High St 

Congleton 

CW12 1BN 

01260 408718 

The Hollybush The Roebuck The Royal Exchange 

Main Rd 18 Derby St 26 Radford St 

Seighford 

Leek 

Stone 

ST18 9PQ ST13 5AB 

ST15 8DA 

48 01785 POTTERS 281644 BAR 01538 AUTUMN 385602 2016 01785 812685 

The Cheshire Cheese 

37 - 39 HIgh St 

Buxton 

SK17 6HA 

01298 212453 

The Sun Inn 

7 Lichfield Rd 

Stafford 

ST17 4JX 

01785 248361

POTTERS BAR

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