Pubs of Bolton
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Bruce Rioja
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Pubs of Bolton
I think we should have a thread about our local boozers, don't you? Especially given that they're tearing down the Flying Shuttle just now.
Saw this on FB and decided to share. Me and a pal were only discussing last week that for a dare we should one day go and have a pint in The Rocket, Breightmet, but now I'm not so sure. Oh, and by the way, when the regulars in the Lord Clyde tell you that somewhere's a bit rough.....................
About five years ago, I was in the pub with two of my friends when we were talking about a pub shutting down up the road. One of my friends mentioned he had never been in the pub, my other friend and I both said we had ‘ticked it’. So my mate became determined to have a pint in the pub before it closed. We then starting talking about other pubs in Bury which we had not been in and we said we should visit as many pubs in our town before they disappear for good. The night passed in a drunken haze and like so many challenges set when we had had a beer or two, I presumed this would be forgotten, but no.
The next day I received an email from my friend, which listed every pub in the borough of Bury, taking in Bury itself, Whitefield, Prestwich, Radcliffe, Ramsbottom and Tottington. The next week was spent pouring over the list by all three of us, to work out which pubs we knew were shut and which pubs we had all ticked. We got the list down to 184 pubs.
I had two weeks summer holiday booked and had no plans, so I told my mates I was gonna tick as many pubs as I could, the rule is you must have at least one alcoholic drink in each pub. They said they would join me, however as they didn’t have holidays booked, spurious injuries and ailments were invented to keep them off work for the duration.
And so our hobby of ticking pubs began. We would visit every pub in the Bury area and tick them, this was no mean feat, the cost of the beer, taxis, the frustration of getting to a pub to find it was shut and then having to make a return trip at a later date. But we all managed it, we had ticked every pub in our home town.
Once this was completed, we were looking for our next challenge. one of my friends came up with the idea of just continuing ticking pubs that we had never been in, so we carried on, in our own way. Various challenges were set, one was to tick 100 different pubs in a year. This was easily surpassed by them half way through the year. So this question was posed: I bet you cant do 365 in one year? challenge on.
One of my friends managed 402 in one year my other friend had a frantic December to get to 368 before the New Years Eve Midnight deadline. I went along for the ride but my heart wasn’t really in it. I managed a rather puny 180 pubs.
Midnight 31 December 2010
I was out drinking round Blackrod & Horwich that night, any pubs before midnight were classed as 2010, any after midnight were counted as 2011. I ticked 3 pubs after midnight, so I’d already had a good start to the year for my 365 challenge.
I kept a list of the pub names I visited and the town where the pubs were. Throughout the early part of 2011 I have a very good drinking partner who would join me and enjoy visiting different pubs around the area. At first it was easy to find pubs I’d not done but as time went on, the challenge would take me further and further afield, my drinking partner would spot pubs on her travels then text me and we would plan a visit to somewhere, like Atherton, Wigan, Birkenhead, Pontefract and the like. We wanted to visit pubs that were likely to close down, ones on council estates, None of my ticking friends were interested in visiting chain pubs, such as Yates’s or Weatherspoons. We wanted pubs with character and in some cases, pubs that had been neglected due to perceived rough reputations.
This brings me on to The Rocket.
I intended to go to Bromley Cross to tick several pubs I had identified, but due to my confusion I got off at the wrong train station and I wanted to get something out of my night, I went on walkabout. I ticked a few pubs and then ended up at a lovely pub called the Lord Clyde on the outskirts of Bolton town centre. I got talking to the locals and I told them of my mission and asked if there were any pubs nearby. They laughed and told me about a pub called The Rocket in Breightmet. I ordered a taxi, but they warned me not to go there, they strongly advised me not to go. I ordered a taxi anyway. I’ve always had a mentality that if someone tells me not to do something I will end up doing it. The taxi arrived and I told the driver my destination. He seemed shocked and he also advised me in no uncertain terms not to go there, but this just added to my sense of adventure and nothing was gonna stop me now. It was starting to get dark when the taxi pulled up outside The Rocket.
I walked in and straight up to the bar, The landlord said to me, before I even ordered a drink, “Are you a cop?” I said no, he said “we don’t serve cops in here” I said I’m not a cop. I asked for a pint of Carling, the pub was out of Carling, so I asked for Stella, the pub was also out of Stella, I asked him what drink he could offer me and he gave me a can of Woodpecker cider and charged me £2.70. I took my warm cider and sat down on my own. There were a group of drunk locals sitting round a table, all between the ages of 40 – 50. They looked at me, I looked at the carpet, They shouted “Oy, are you a cop?” Once again I said I wasn’t, “what you doin in ‘ere then? this is a local’s pub” I explained I was on a pub crawl and popped in for a quiet drink before heading on my way. One member of the group pointed to the lady in their group and said “She hates cops, if you are a cop, she’ll scratch your f**king eyes out” I said calmly and politely that I was just in for a drink before being on my way.
Sitting drinking warm woodpecker cider from a can in a pub where everyone is staring and thinking I’m a cop. I needed a cig, I went out to the car park, I was followed by the woman who would “scratch my eyes out”. I don’t want to appear facetious at this point but the lady, and this is my poor knowledge of the English language that leads me to describe her in such an accurate but blunt manner that you would have a picture of this lady in your mind, if I described her in just two words as a toothless crone.
She asked if I was a cop, I told her I wasn’t and she asked for a cig, I gave her one. We bonded a bit, maybe due to my nervousness, she told me to come and join her friends, I joined her group of people and I felt very scared. They all asked if I was a cop and told me that cops aren’t welcome in this pub, I felt very nervous, I went to the gents toilets with my can of woodpecker and waited there for about ten minutes, Whilst I was drinking my can (quickly) I tweeted this “Somebody save me. This pub is from The Hills Have Eyes. If I give birth to a mutant tomoz, you’ll know why!”
All the time I was texting my mate, so that he knew where I was and what was happening, just in case something did happen to me. Whilst sending one message, the toothless crone looking at the screen of my phone and yelled “I CAN f**king read y’know” I felt like saying “Well, so can I” but this didn’t seem like an opportune time to be playing ‘Keeping up with the Jones’s’
The pub smelt horrible, of stale chip fat, the smell I always associate with going in to the flat of someone with learning difficulties. The carpet was torn and I stuck to it when trying to walk, the tables and decor reeked of a place that had gone unloved for well over 20 years. The pub was large with another room through a set of double doors, There was a guy in there playing pool on his own. I decided to stay put in the front room. The walls were stained with years of nicotine abuse.
I was chatting to the locals but I was still very apprehensive. I felt that at any moment the mood could change from a relative calm to mayhem. My lady friend, had taken a shine to me, and started stroking my arm. I’m thankful that I was wearing a shirt, jumper and a coat because I’ve not had a tetanus jab for several years. Her boyfriend got slightly jealous and called her a “slag” I said I’m very flattered by your attention, however I have a girlfriend and she wont be pleased if I’m in here with you. I tried as best I could to drink as quickly as possible. I asked them all if they knew of any other pubs round here. To which they took great offence. “What’s wrong with this pub? not posh enough for you, why don’t you f**k off back down South, you posh f**king c**t”
with those words ringing in my ears I excused myself and melted in to the night air.
I’ve ticked the pub, which none of my mates have done and I never have to go back. Every time I speak to someone from Breightmet, I ask them about The Rocket and they all say it is rough and that they have never been in for that reason. The Rocket will always have a place in my heart as the roughest dodgiest pub I have ever been in. On reflection I’m so glad I went there and I hope the pub is still around in 30 years time.
Saw this on FB and decided to share. Me and a pal were only discussing last week that for a dare we should one day go and have a pint in The Rocket, Breightmet, but now I'm not so sure. Oh, and by the way, when the regulars in the Lord Clyde tell you that somewhere's a bit rough.....................
About five years ago, I was in the pub with two of my friends when we were talking about a pub shutting down up the road. One of my friends mentioned he had never been in the pub, my other friend and I both said we had ‘ticked it’. So my mate became determined to have a pint in the pub before it closed. We then starting talking about other pubs in Bury which we had not been in and we said we should visit as many pubs in our town before they disappear for good. The night passed in a drunken haze and like so many challenges set when we had had a beer or two, I presumed this would be forgotten, but no.
The next day I received an email from my friend, which listed every pub in the borough of Bury, taking in Bury itself, Whitefield, Prestwich, Radcliffe, Ramsbottom and Tottington. The next week was spent pouring over the list by all three of us, to work out which pubs we knew were shut and which pubs we had all ticked. We got the list down to 184 pubs.
I had two weeks summer holiday booked and had no plans, so I told my mates I was gonna tick as many pubs as I could, the rule is you must have at least one alcoholic drink in each pub. They said they would join me, however as they didn’t have holidays booked, spurious injuries and ailments were invented to keep them off work for the duration.
And so our hobby of ticking pubs began. We would visit every pub in the Bury area and tick them, this was no mean feat, the cost of the beer, taxis, the frustration of getting to a pub to find it was shut and then having to make a return trip at a later date. But we all managed it, we had ticked every pub in our home town.
Once this was completed, we were looking for our next challenge. one of my friends came up with the idea of just continuing ticking pubs that we had never been in, so we carried on, in our own way. Various challenges were set, one was to tick 100 different pubs in a year. This was easily surpassed by them half way through the year. So this question was posed: I bet you cant do 365 in one year? challenge on.
One of my friends managed 402 in one year my other friend had a frantic December to get to 368 before the New Years Eve Midnight deadline. I went along for the ride but my heart wasn’t really in it. I managed a rather puny 180 pubs.
Midnight 31 December 2010
I was out drinking round Blackrod & Horwich that night, any pubs before midnight were classed as 2010, any after midnight were counted as 2011. I ticked 3 pubs after midnight, so I’d already had a good start to the year for my 365 challenge.
I kept a list of the pub names I visited and the town where the pubs were. Throughout the early part of 2011 I have a very good drinking partner who would join me and enjoy visiting different pubs around the area. At first it was easy to find pubs I’d not done but as time went on, the challenge would take me further and further afield, my drinking partner would spot pubs on her travels then text me and we would plan a visit to somewhere, like Atherton, Wigan, Birkenhead, Pontefract and the like. We wanted to visit pubs that were likely to close down, ones on council estates, None of my ticking friends were interested in visiting chain pubs, such as Yates’s or Weatherspoons. We wanted pubs with character and in some cases, pubs that had been neglected due to perceived rough reputations.
This brings me on to The Rocket.
I intended to go to Bromley Cross to tick several pubs I had identified, but due to my confusion I got off at the wrong train station and I wanted to get something out of my night, I went on walkabout. I ticked a few pubs and then ended up at a lovely pub called the Lord Clyde on the outskirts of Bolton town centre. I got talking to the locals and I told them of my mission and asked if there were any pubs nearby. They laughed and told me about a pub called The Rocket in Breightmet. I ordered a taxi, but they warned me not to go there, they strongly advised me not to go. I ordered a taxi anyway. I’ve always had a mentality that if someone tells me not to do something I will end up doing it. The taxi arrived and I told the driver my destination. He seemed shocked and he also advised me in no uncertain terms not to go there, but this just added to my sense of adventure and nothing was gonna stop me now. It was starting to get dark when the taxi pulled up outside The Rocket.
I walked in and straight up to the bar, The landlord said to me, before I even ordered a drink, “Are you a cop?” I said no, he said “we don’t serve cops in here” I said I’m not a cop. I asked for a pint of Carling, the pub was out of Carling, so I asked for Stella, the pub was also out of Stella, I asked him what drink he could offer me and he gave me a can of Woodpecker cider and charged me £2.70. I took my warm cider and sat down on my own. There were a group of drunk locals sitting round a table, all between the ages of 40 – 50. They looked at me, I looked at the carpet, They shouted “Oy, are you a cop?” Once again I said I wasn’t, “what you doin in ‘ere then? this is a local’s pub” I explained I was on a pub crawl and popped in for a quiet drink before heading on my way. One member of the group pointed to the lady in their group and said “She hates cops, if you are a cop, she’ll scratch your f**king eyes out” I said calmly and politely that I was just in for a drink before being on my way.
Sitting drinking warm woodpecker cider from a can in a pub where everyone is staring and thinking I’m a cop. I needed a cig, I went out to the car park, I was followed by the woman who would “scratch my eyes out”. I don’t want to appear facetious at this point but the lady, and this is my poor knowledge of the English language that leads me to describe her in such an accurate but blunt manner that you would have a picture of this lady in your mind, if I described her in just two words as a toothless crone.
She asked if I was a cop, I told her I wasn’t and she asked for a cig, I gave her one. We bonded a bit, maybe due to my nervousness, she told me to come and join her friends, I joined her group of people and I felt very scared. They all asked if I was a cop and told me that cops aren’t welcome in this pub, I felt very nervous, I went to the gents toilets with my can of woodpecker and waited there for about ten minutes, Whilst I was drinking my can (quickly) I tweeted this “Somebody save me. This pub is from The Hills Have Eyes. If I give birth to a mutant tomoz, you’ll know why!”
All the time I was texting my mate, so that he knew where I was and what was happening, just in case something did happen to me. Whilst sending one message, the toothless crone looking at the screen of my phone and yelled “I CAN f**king read y’know” I felt like saying “Well, so can I” but this didn’t seem like an opportune time to be playing ‘Keeping up with the Jones’s’
The pub smelt horrible, of stale chip fat, the smell I always associate with going in to the flat of someone with learning difficulties. The carpet was torn and I stuck to it when trying to walk, the tables and decor reeked of a place that had gone unloved for well over 20 years. The pub was large with another room through a set of double doors, There was a guy in there playing pool on his own. I decided to stay put in the front room. The walls were stained with years of nicotine abuse.
I was chatting to the locals but I was still very apprehensive. I felt that at any moment the mood could change from a relative calm to mayhem. My lady friend, had taken a shine to me, and started stroking my arm. I’m thankful that I was wearing a shirt, jumper and a coat because I’ve not had a tetanus jab for several years. Her boyfriend got slightly jealous and called her a “slag” I said I’m very flattered by your attention, however I have a girlfriend and she wont be pleased if I’m in here with you. I tried as best I could to drink as quickly as possible. I asked them all if they knew of any other pubs round here. To which they took great offence. “What’s wrong with this pub? not posh enough for you, why don’t you f**k off back down South, you posh f**king c**t”
with those words ringing in my ears I excused myself and melted in to the night air.
I’ve ticked the pub, which none of my mates have done and I never have to go back. Every time I speak to someone from Breightmet, I ask them about The Rocket and they all say it is rough and that they have never been in for that reason. The Rocket will always have a place in my heart as the roughest dodgiest pub I have ever been in. On reflection I’m so glad I went there and I hope the pub is still around in 30 years time.
May the bridges I burn light your way
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mrkint
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
they're tearing the shuttle down? about time! however, it will mean that the dregs of highfield will have to saunter down to the Connie Club/Kings Arms for a pint (alternatively they will just go in the Grapes with the rest of the bad eggs)
That pub sounds well crazy, and not in a good way. Trying to wrack my head for a dodgy pub story. You got any, Brucie?
That pub sounds well crazy, and not in a good way. Trying to wrack my head for a dodgy pub story. You got any, Brucie?
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Lost Leopard Spot
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Haha. Great story Bruce. I have a few tales, but not of Bury/Bolton pubs I'm afraid.
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Lost Leopard Spot
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
just to say that these are the regulars outside The Roscoe Arms in ~1979. One of Liverpool's equivalent to the Rocket in Breightmet.
One of those chaps was called fishfry. I could tell you about him, but you don't want to know. Suffice it to say that it was one of the roughest pubs I've known. I did however get Kudos because of my girlfriend (now wife). She's a southerner and had come up for the weekend and we ended up in the Roscoe. It was quite crowded and she was sitting on a stool by the servery hatch and the landlord had come by a few times and every time he'd bent down and said something in her ear. On about his fifth passage he grabbed her by the collar and propelled her out of the door with a boot up the backside. Well this was legendary: nobody had ever been barred from the Roscoe, it was too rough for barr-age. While she retired over the road (to another pub, called the Grapes I think), there was a steady stream of visitors from the Roscoe buying pints to winkle out the tale of what the landlord had said, but the missus stayed shtum. I found out later that the landlord had kept saying "will you move that effing stool out of my way", but she couldn't penetrate the Scotty Road accent and had no idea what he was asking and so every time she'd just shook her head in incomprehension.
One of those chaps was called fishfry. I could tell you about him, but you don't want to know. Suffice it to say that it was one of the roughest pubs I've known. I did however get Kudos because of my girlfriend (now wife). She's a southerner and had come up for the weekend and we ended up in the Roscoe. It was quite crowded and she was sitting on a stool by the servery hatch and the landlord had come by a few times and every time he'd bent down and said something in her ear. On about his fifth passage he grabbed her by the collar and propelled her out of the door with a boot up the backside. Well this was legendary: nobody had ever been barred from the Roscoe, it was too rough for barr-age. While she retired over the road (to another pub, called the Grapes I think), there was a steady stream of visitors from the Roscoe buying pints to winkle out the tale of what the landlord had said, but the missus stayed shtum. I found out later that the landlord had kept saying "will you move that effing stool out of my way", but she couldn't penetrate the Scotty Road accent and had no idea what he was asking and so every time she'd just shook her head in incomprehension.
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Bijou Bob
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Top story Bruce, almost rivalling the Millwall epic!
I've been in the Rocket, the Havelock and The White Lion in Farnworth, but its not quite the same when there's ten of you kitted up and armed with large polycarbonate sticks
I take my hat off to you!
I've been in the Rocket, the Havelock and The White Lion in Farnworth, but its not quite the same when there's ten of you kitted up and armed with large polycarbonate sticks
I take my hat off to you!Uma mesa para um, faz favor. Obrigado.
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Bruce Rioja
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Oh Bob - It's not my story, it's someone else's that I've shared off of Facebook. Apologies for any confusion.
I did once go into The Schooner on Johnny Fow and ask for a blackcurrant and lemonade. That went down well with the locals.
I did once go into The Schooner on Johnny Fow and ask for a blackcurrant and lemonade. That went down well with the locals.
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Lord Kangana
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
What was that one at the end of Bradshawgate, The Trotters? I remember going in there once on a matchday in about '94, with my Wanderers gear on and being made to feel, shall we say, "most unwelcome".
You can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks.
Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it's staring right back.
Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it's staring right back.
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Bijou Bob
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Ah The Schooner - I used to go in there for the Bolton CB club when I was 16. Lots of grizzled middle aged blokes in cowboy hats jumping out of Ford Capri's with a confederate flag tied to the aerial.
Uma mesa para um, faz favor. Obrigado.
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Lost Leopard Spot
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Bruce! How very disappointing. I was awaiting part two where you said you'd gone back and the toothless crone was now your wife.Bruce Rioja wrote:Oh Bob - It's not my story, it's someone else's that I've shared off of Facebook. Apologies for any confusion.
I did once go into The Schooner on Johnny Fow and ask for a blackcurrant and lemonade. That went down well with the locals.
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Gary the Enfield
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
I was in The Rocket when I was three years old (albeit with my Dad when we lived in Padbury Way). I've also been in the Schooner a few times when I was seeing a punk lass back in the mid-Eighties. Local band played there a few times called One Potato, Two Potato.
Happy days.
The scariest pub I went in was the Greenock Arms in Greenock, outside Glasgae.
Walked in, turned round, walked out followed by about 10 locals who clocked that me and two of my mates weren't Scotch before we opened our mouths. Took sanctuary in the pool room of the Bent Brae Arms where we were observed from the snug. One pint of heavy later we departed.
Happy days.
The scariest pub I went in was the Greenock Arms in Greenock, outside Glasgae.
Walked in, turned round, walked out followed by about 10 locals who clocked that me and two of my mates weren't Scotch before we opened our mouths. Took sanctuary in the pool room of the Bent Brae Arms where we were observed from the snug. One pint of heavy later we departed.
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Bruce Rioja
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Nah, that was a different toothless crone 
One of my colleagues tells the tale of when he was at college, to supplement his income he took a part time job with Kershaw's. His role was to visit all the pubs in an area of Bolton selling a range of seafood from a basket - prawns, cockles, mussells, crab sticks and so on. Course, being from Bury he new nothing of Rocket, let alone its infamy, so trundled up in his Austin Allegro and into The Rocket he went. He describes what happens next as being "a free for all from out of the wild west" as Rocket regulars simply pounced on him and helped themselves to his ware in return for no money whatsoever. He thought that they were basically having a laugh and hung around expecting to get paid - until the mood changed - then he left. Because it was a commission only job he had to pay for all the looted stock himself, too.
One of my colleagues tells the tale of when he was at college, to supplement his income he took a part time job with Kershaw's. His role was to visit all the pubs in an area of Bolton selling a range of seafood from a basket - prawns, cockles, mussells, crab sticks and so on. Course, being from Bury he new nothing of Rocket, let alone its infamy, so trundled up in his Austin Allegro and into The Rocket he went. He describes what happens next as being "a free for all from out of the wild west" as Rocket regulars simply pounced on him and helped themselves to his ware in return for no money whatsoever. He thought that they were basically having a laugh and hung around expecting to get paid - until the mood changed - then he left. Because it was a commission only job he had to pay for all the looted stock himself, too.
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TANGODANCER
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Been in most Bolton pubs at one time or another and played darts in a few like the Greyhound, New Zealand Chief etc. The Rocket's been a roughouse for donkey's years. The Griffin definitely in a league of its own at one time along with Wood Street Club and The Wine Lodge.
When asked why the police let Wood Street stay open, the reply was " So we know where to find the fxckers without trying".
When asked why the police let Wood Street stay open, the reply was " So we know where to find the fxckers without trying".
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TANGODANCER
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Memory not what it was, but there was a Duck and Firkin in that location at one time.Lord Kangana wrote:What was that one at the end of Bradshawgate, The Trotters? I remember going in there once on a matchday in about '94, with my Wanderers gear on and being made to feel, shall we say, "most unwelcome".
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Lost Leopard Spot
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
same pub, just got renamed when part of the Firkin Empire.TANGODANCER wrote:Memory not what it was, but there was a Duck and Firkin in that location at one time.Lord Kangana wrote:What was that one at the end of Bradshawgate, The Trotters? I remember going in there once on a matchday in about '94, with my Wanderers gear on and being made to feel, shall we say, "most unwelcome".
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Bruce Rioja
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
We used to start our Bradshawgate crawl in there on the understanding that the night could then only get better.Lost Leopard Spot wrote:same pub, just got renamed when part of the Firkin Empire.TANGODANCER wrote:Memory not what it was, but there was a Duck and Firkin in that location at one time.Lord Kangana wrote:What was that one at the end of Bradshawgate, The Trotters? I remember going in there once on a matchday in about '94, with my Wanderers gear on and being made to feel, shall we say, "most unwelcome".
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TANGODANCER
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
If you want a few Bolton pub memories, have a trawl throught this:
http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/lancashire/bolton.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/lancashire/bolton.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Bruce Rioja
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
When we were about 19 me and my mate decided to have an alternative night out in town - starting at the Greyhound, then from memory - Hen & Chickens, Gypsy's Tent, White Lion, Griffin, Clifton, York, Wheatsheaf and The Ancient Shepherd. By the time we ended up in the New Zealand Chief we were rather refreshed and ended up in a fight with a couple of the regulars. Well, to find a fight with a couple of regulars in there was to find a fight with all of them, Landlord and all. Chairs started flying and the lot. We didn't run off from many (not that we ended up scrapping regularly you understand) but we fecking well ran from that!TANGODANCER wrote:Been in most Bolton pubs at one time or another and played darts in a few like the Greyhound, New Zealand Chief etc. The Rocket's been a roughouse for donkey's years. The Griffin definitely in a league of its own at one time along with Wood Street Club and The Wine Lodge.
When asked why the police let Wood Street stay open, the reply was " So we know where to find the fxckers without trying".
May the bridges I burn light your way
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Harry Genshaw
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
The Mrs used to work at the Bolton Evening News and in the 1980s they had a thing doing the rounds of the pubs called 'Sing like the stars'. Basically a karoke version where all the locals would have a bash and a winner would qualify for the grand final at the Willows in Salford.
It was either The Rocket or Tansy Green? I forget which but it was the only place where somebody attempted to bribe one of the judges (with a tenner!). The BEN staff that were there were told to park away from the pub as anyone parked nearby was assumed to be a visitor and fair game to have their car robbed.
Any road, just before they start one of the contestants a huge guy with a shaven and scarred head said to one of the judges - "I only got out of a 10 year stretch for armed robbery the other week"
When he started to sing 'Please release me' the wife said it was only her sheer terror that stopped her from laughing!
It was either The Rocket or Tansy Green? I forget which but it was the only place where somebody attempted to bribe one of the judges (with a tenner!). The BEN staff that were there were told to park away from the pub as anyone parked nearby was assumed to be a visitor and fair game to have their car robbed.
Any road, just before they start one of the contestants a huge guy with a shaven and scarred head said to one of the judges - "I only got out of a 10 year stretch for armed robbery the other week"
When he started to sing 'Please release me' the wife said it was only her sheer terror that stopped her from laughing!
"Get your feet off the furniture you Oxbridge tw*t. You're not on a feckin punt now you know"
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TANGODANCER
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
Think you just missed The Albion off that list for a full house.Bruce Rioja wrote:When we were about 19 me and my mate decided to have an alternative night out in town - starting at the Greyhound, then from memory - Hen & Chickens, Gypsy's Tent, White Lion, Griffin, Clifton, York, Wheatsheaf and The Ancient Shepherd. By the time we ended up in the New Zealand Chief we were rather refreshed and ended up in a fight with a couple of the regulars. Well, to find a fight with a couple of regulars in there was to find a fight with all of them, Landlord and all. Chairs started flying and the lot. We didn't run off from many (not that we ended up scrapping regularly you understand) but we fecking well ran from that!TANGODANCER wrote:Been in most Bolton pubs at one time or another and played darts in a few like the Greyhound, New Zealand Chief etc. The Rocket's been a roughouse for donkey's years. The Griffin definitely in a league of its own at one time along with Wood Street Club and The Wine Lodge.
When asked why the police let Wood Street stay open, the reply was " So we know where to find the fxckers without trying".
Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos?
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Lost Leopard Spot
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Re: Pubs of Bolton
So what's the best real ale pub in Rammy these days. I passed through just last week and was nearly tempted to stop off at one of Hare and Hounds or Eagle and Child, but didn't. And I've also previously been intrigued by the Three Pigeons, what's that like?
That's not a leopard!
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