In which I return to this proud Lancashire city after a gap of a few years to check out the state of the local beer scene, and at the same time have a wander around what is a very interesting and friendly place....
It takes just over an hour on the direct train from Halifax to Preston, and an early morning dental appointment meant I was well-placed to get away early. And so I duly arrived via an unexpectedly quiet Blackpool-bound train at about 11.40. I walked up the concourse to Fishergate, where across the road the Old Vic was already open. Once across the always busy road, I popped into this popular, no frills free house and got myself a half of Moorhouses White Witch, which I nursed for half an hour or so whilst I made my plans for the day. As I sat there with the January sun streaming in through the windows, there was a steady flow of early drinkers; the old guy calling for a leisurely pint or two with his pals, the couple calling for a bite to eat, the triumphant shopper with bags a-plenty, the group of lasses dressed up to the nines in readiness for a good gossip over a steady flow of halves of lager and the odd glass of prosecco....
Despite the sun, it was a pretty chilly day which made me wish I'd worn a different coat or at least brought a scarf and so as I walked along Fishergate having left the Old Vic I nipped into Marks and Sparks and bought myself a new scarf. Suitably kitted out and back out on to the street, I was off to my next port of call, which was not a pub but the town's famous bus station, not that I was getting a bus anywhere. I had been wanting to come here to look at it for a while, but had never managed it on previous visits to the town. This iconic building dates from the late 1960's and has been described as one of the most important examples in the of Brutalist architecture, which typically features minimalist construction with the focus more on showcasing the structure and materials used rather than any decorative design. When it first opened, it had the capacity for 80 double decker buses and was supposedly the second largest bus station in Western Europe, although the capacity was later reduced to 40. It was granted Grade II listed building status in 2013, and it certainly is a very striking building, which is situated just behind the city's Guild Hall. And while we are on the theme of road transport, when the Preston bypass opened to the east of the then-town in 1958 it was the first motorway in the country.
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| Preston Bus Station |
The bus station is close to the city's Minster and opposite that is the next pub I visited, which was one of the two Wetherspoons in Preston. The Twelve Tellers is an attractive stone-built building which was a bank in a previous life and internally retains some features from those days, including the ornate ceiling and vaults, with much wood-panelling giving it an air of importance. It is largely open plan, with a large seating area which was pretty busy when I walked in, and the bar beyond towards the rear of the pub. The cask beer range was rather uninspiring, and from what there was I got myself a half of Oakham Citra, which was nothing special, a bit thin and characterless (NBSS 2.5). So a rather disappointing visit but at I least I was able to get a picture for one of my young granddaughters who enjoys visiting Spoons pubs!
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| The Twelve Tellers, Preston |
I headed back up Fishergate and then turned right down Lancaster Road. I walked past the Guild Hall where just beyond I came to the next pub, the Guild Ale House. This was the first micropub in the city when it opened in 2016 and I had been here once or twice before. I walked in to find it reasonably busy, with those present skewed towards the older age bracket. A regular CAMRA award winner, there were 6 beers available on cask, mainly from relatively local breweries. I went for a pint of Liberty, a 4.1% gluten-free pale ale crammed with American hops. The beer came from Tatton brewery in Knutsford, who after starting out in 2010 closed in 2024, but re-opened a few months later after a tie-up with Wantsum brewery from Kent. It looked like they'd had a rebrand too, with quite eye-catching pump clip design which was shared with some others of their beers which were on display behind the bar, along with those from several other breweries which had presumably been on here over the past few months. (I noticed one from Two by Two, which gave the place a few extra marks!). Back to the beer, I rated it as a 3.5 on the National Beer Scoring System scale.
Due to the lack of available seating I stood at the bar where I was enjoying both my pint and the atmosphere at this friendly pub. A guy walked in, it was a familiar face from the Halifax pub scene who a few weeks ago had recommended that I take a trip to Preston! He had called here for a quick pint before heading off elsewhere, and I stuck around for an extra half for a chat before I too moved on. This time I went for a half of a beer from a brewery who I had never seen before, Golden Triangle who are from Norwich and have been brewing on an occasional basis since 2011. The beer was Bonny's Gold, a 4% golden ale with a citrus hop profile and a solid malty backbone, which was in good condition (NBSS 3). I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here, it's a cracking little pub.
I headed down to the Grade II-listed market, which was only a few minutes walk away. I was visiting the micropub that is based here, but first I had a wander around the market itself. I have a fairly recent rule whereby if I come across a dedicated artisan cheese stall in a traditional market I have to buy some of their cheese, just to give me a break from the mass-produced stuff churned out by the likes of Cathedral City. And with a couple of samples duly purchased I walked the short distance to the micro which is based at one corner of the building overlooking a covered square with open sides.
Like the Guild, I had been to the Orchard before, although I didn't enjoy my visit here as much, even though it is its sister pub. It opened in 2018, with the wood used in its construction recycled from old market stalls. It was friendly enough, the guy behind the bar was sound, and the beer I had, Winter Wilds from Birmingham-based brewers Glasshouse, was most enjoyable. I don't particularly like the layout, it feels too open with large windows on two sides, and the seating is quite limited. There is another room to the front overlooking the square, but that is even less appealing with windows on each side. I also had my head pecked by a guy who just wanted to talk rather than engage in conversation, with nowhere to go and get away. So I didn't hang around as a long as the beer, a 4.5% best bitter from one of the two available from the three hand pumps, really warranted for its quality (NBSS 3.5). Hopefully next time I will warm more to the Orchard.
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| The Orchard |
It was only a few minutes' walk to the next pub, which is situated on Friargate in the main shopping centre. The Black Horse is probably Preston's best-known pub, and what a classic it is too. A multi-roomed Robinsons house, it is Grade II-listed, and has a nationally important historic pub interior. It was built in 1898 by Kays Atlas Brewery of Manchester who opened it as a pub and small hotel. Built in brick and stone on the corner with Orchard Street, it is unusual in having three separate entrances. Inside it retains many outstanding features including a magnificent sweeping ceramic bar counter in the public bar, one of only 14 in the country, mosaic flooring, much impressive ornate tiling, and dark wood panelling. Much use is made of stained glass, which comes into focus in the stunning U-shaped seating area to the rear of the pub where leather banquette seating adds an opulent touch. There are two smoke rooms off to either side of the corridor as you enter from Friargate, in each there are many traditional features with photos of old Preston adding to the sense of history. I took my pint into one of the smoke rooms where there was a welcoming fire on a chilly but sunny day.
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| The Black Horse...stunning interior |
Service is from the bar in the public bar, which only gained internal access to the rest of the pub when an archway was knocked through in the 1990s, or from a servery in the corridor. The bar has up to 8 beers on hand pump, of which 4 are from Robinsons, with the additional ones sourced via Titanic. Whilst Plum Porter is usually on, other beers can come from anywhere in the country. I considered the options, but settled on a pint of Unicorn bitter from the hosts. And very good it was too, not something you can always say about Robinsons beers, but this was packed with flavour and in excellent condition (NBSS 3.5). If you only have time to visit one pub in Preston (unless you are between trains and on limited time), make sure you get to the Black Horse.
I left the Black Horse from where it was around 10 minutes' walk to the Chain House Brewing Company Taproom (opening image) which was somewhere new to me. I turned off from the busy main road and headed down Market Street West where next door to a couple of terraced houses and just before a sharp bend I came across the brewery and taproom with its large glass windows which give the place a light and airy feel. They have been brewing here since 2021, prior to which the owner had been brewing in his garage after viewing a number of You Tube videos and catching the brewing bug. The taproom consists of a single room with a combination of bare brick and painted walls, with the brewing kit on the right as you go in and the bar to the left, with light wood tables and seating in between. There was a very pleasant atmosphere, the place getting busier as the Friday teatime drinkers assembled to kick-start the weekend. On the bar were two hand pumps featuring a beer each from rising stars Courier and Colbier, whilst the keg selection included a number of collaborations between Chain House and others including Silent Mill and Courier. I opted to try one of their own, as I have only had their beer on a couple of occasions. So I opted for a 4.5% hazy pale called It's All A Big Swizzle which was most enjoyable. I enjoyed my visit here; the beer was spot on, the staff friendly and the ambience was very chilled. Well worth making the relatively short detour to visit here as it brings an extra dimension to Preston's drinking scene, and rather appropriately their what3words location is pints.half.enjoy!
The time had flown by and by the time I left Chain House the afternoon sun had given way to the onset of evening. I had just about time to visit one more place for a quick half before I headed back to the station, unless I hung on an hour for the next train. So I called in at Plug & Taps, a friendly micropub with 4 cask beers on hand pump and 10 keg lines. It opened in 2018 and I had been here once before when it had been pretty quiet. This evening it was very busy and a squeeze to go to the bar. They have a Rivington beer on permanently on hand pump, and so I had a half of Moving South, a 4.2% New Zealand pale showcasing the Nelson Sauvin hop, which was most enjoyable (NBSS 3.5), and an enjoyable way to round of an excellent afternoon's drinking. Plug & Taps has a wide and interesting selection of beers from both cask and tap, and is another place I can highly recommend.
From there it was a few minutes walk back to the station, and the train back to Halifax was more or less on time. There were a few places I'd not had chance to visit this time, but no worries, I'll just have to come back here in the not too distant future to what is an excellent place for good pubs and beer....
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