Newton & Earlestown Gossip

[DaveH]

Sad to see The Old Crow has shut. Just goes to show you can't put a Knutsford pub into Earlestown. Gastro pubs don't work here where folks think sausage egg and chips is Cordon Bleu style cooking. Serves him right for sacking yours truly !!

[RodBell]

Not that your bitter about that

[mikey]

Any substance to the rumour Dave, that the Legh arms maybe closing its doors to the public in the New year. ?

[neileen]

dont know about the legh arms but the houghton and the sunbeam are closing

[Buzzin80]

Oh no, hope the Legh Arms doesn't go. If it gets boarded up it won't make the drive into Newton very attractive.

[DaveH]

Combination of things. Smoking ban plus not a decent landlord amongst them. The pubs are full of total tossers whom decent people don't want to be anywhere near. A landlord must make up his mind...does he want a small hard core of thoroughly unpleasant people or does he attempt to attract a more family orientated crowd of people. I used to promenade quite often with the missus around the local pubs but she won't go near any of them anymore. The best landlord I ever came across was Eric Frodsham who had the Bottom House for a long while. Never any trouble in Eric's pub for the local hardcases knew they'd only get second prize in any tussle they had with Eric. He made a handsome living out of the place and was able to retire to a very nice property in Rainford. I doubt anybody will ever be as successful as he was with any of the present day local pubs.

[neileen]

jimmy frodsham was one of the best landlords at the sunbeam, fair but firm with anyone who tried it on, he turned a sinking pub into the busiest in town ,for 10 years and still missed as a great mate

[DaveH]

Agree about Jimmy..Sound as a pound. He even paid me 25 quid on a Saturday night just for playing some music on a duff PA system after a certain quizmaster got fed up of doing it. That certain quizmaster also *borrowed* my tapes and never gave them back. Can't quite remember his name but it'll come to me............

[Ann Layland]

So the Houghton Arms is closing My grandfather'd turn in his grave if he knew. I did a stint as a barmaid there many years ago (please don't ask me when, even thought this is the history forum!). I loved pulling on those old pumps and could pull a pint with a real decent head on it. so I was told - took an old regular to guide me through though - ' till I got it reet to 'is "satisfactory"!!! I remember it was almost a family affair in there in my time, one of the old landladies used to make a stew for a regular who became a "new mom" I guess you don't get that today. Am I old or what. The Bottom house was another I have fond memories of, the Leigh Arms only occasionally, as close I lived to the Sunbeam only remember going in once. It's a sad state of affairs...

[DaveH]

My local for around 40 years was the Sunbeam. About 6 of us used to squash into the lounge corner,you old fogies will know which corner I mean. One by one my mates stopped going in and I was left on my own..old habits die hard don''t they ? One of the last nights I spent in there there was a group of not so young men having a playful brawl complete with bottles and glasses flying everywhere...on the floor near the door to the gents were two young women on the floor simulating lesbian love. I just stood there wondering what the hell was I doing in there? The top hat was put on it a short time afterwards when they wanted to charge me two quid for getting in on New Years Eve. This had been my local for decades and I wasn't about to pay an admission charge to get in. I told them where they could shove their pub, which was a warm, dark, damp place. Unfortunately a lot of the pubs in Earlestown are now similar to this. The pubs in Newton are still ok though.

[WizenWitch]

Being a Earlestown lass, lived on Sankey Steet, then moved up the Common , I attended St. Mary's Catholic School, and was among the first to go to the every so posh (at the time) St. Aelreds. Now, reading all the doom and gloom over there (I now live in Canada) is so sad. God help all the young un's. I was over visiting with my husband in February and its very sad, its like the whole area is drying up, non of the hustle bustle that used to go on when the area attracted more industry like the Vulcan, Viaduct McCarkadales (sp) good to read your posts though, keep up the good work

[Bdoug]

At the rate things are closing in Newton we'll soon have the UN dropping in humanitarian aid....

[DaveH]

*For Sale* notices have gone up outside the Bottom House. A hard sell indeed when you consider it's right next door to the biggest eyesore in the country. I suppose the anti-smoking zealots won't be satisfied until there isn't a single pub left in Newton or Earlestown. Welcome to the brave new world of the total control freaks who seem intent on managing all our lives.

[neileen]

i agree with your comments about the smoking ban and the effect on pub business, but there are other issues, i saw a purchase order for the supply of 22 gallon(176 pints) kegs and the brewery were paying£ 43.30 per keg which equates to 24.6 pence per pint , they then sell it to their tied landlords for £254 which equates to £1.44 pence per pint, on top of that there is a minimum rent of £350.00 per week, council tax for the living area, business rates for the pub area, electric,gas,staff etc, how do they expect landlords to compete with free houses who can sell at £1.50 a pint

[Bdoug]

I think there is also a problem with supermarkets undercutting pubs to a huge extent.For the price of a couple of pints in a pub you can get 12 bottles of beer on offer in some supermarkets.I never thought I'd say it but beer is too cheap in the shops, it's not helping the growing problem of under age drinking and is speeding up the closure of pubs.