CityLife

good

Hidden away but well worth finding. A haven for all Real Cider and Real Ale drinkers with a atmosphere that you might think had been lost in the 1970 era. Fab music most night too, a little gem!!

great pub

16 different beers on at any given time and I've never had a badly kept pint in here.<br /> <br /> A classic pub, multi roomed, real fire, bands on in the beer garden in summer, pool and darts.<br /> <br /> A good atmosphere, never any trouble...just a great pub.<br />

STOCKPORT is not known for the quality of its bars and pubs and, with a handful of notable exceptions, the south Manchester town has to little to attract the discerning drinker. Or even the people looking for a quality mainstream experience.<br /> <br /> In fact it’s the largest town in the country that hasn’t been colonised by the branded bar chains, the only option being a rather dog-eared Wetherspoons, leading the charge among a bunch of decidedly down-at-heel pubs.<br /> <br /> Unless fake Burberry caps and tracky bottoms tucked in socks are your idea of style, you’ll agree this is the land the style bar revolution forgot.<br /> <br /> Not that it’s a landscape totally barren of quality places to drink.<br /> <br /> Circumvent the horrors of central Grotport and there are a few gems to be found on the outskirts. Like the Crown Inn.<br /> <br /> Viaduct<br /> <br /> A Grade II listed building located under the arches of the famous railway viaduct, the pub was built in the 1700s and run as a small brewery from 1823 to 1833. Fast forward to 2009 and it’s swapped brewing for retailing, but the commitment to top quality beer is still evident.<br /> <br /> It is CAMRA Pub of the Year 2008 award vouches for the quality of its cask ales: dispensed through 16 hand pumps, with many changing daily. Also available are guest farmhouse ciders – plus a respectable range of continental bottled brews.<br /> <br /> The pub has a traditional feel: it’s warm and welcoming, serves good pub grub, is fronted by friendly people, you can take your dog and, an anachronistic quirk, doesn’t accept cards (so take lots of cash – because you’ll want to sample your way around these beers).<br /> <br /> But as well as ticking the basic boxes, the pub has plenty of added extras: regular music evenings, a small folk club (notable for a group of happy looking people jamming unobtrusively together on guitars), Thursday night pub quizzes, and, for day to day distraction, there’s a pool table, dart board and a jukebox.<br /> <br /> Most impressively, it does this with a sense of continuity and coherence – unlike other places where it might give the impression the licensee was chasing new crowds. It’s a fantastic pub.<br /> <br /> 154 Heaton Lane, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 1AR (0161 480 5850).<br />