Frodsham was a good place to finish Cheshire’s Beer Guide entries this year, a typically attractive market town with an excellent tuna cob from the Devonshire bakery. Lots of smart people in a town looking like a Beaconsfield with half-timbered buildings.
More listed buildings than you could ever wish for too, though lacking the petro-chemical illumination beauty of neighbouring Runcorn.
The new Beer Guide entry could only really be called the Cholmondley Arms, but an attractive exterior disguises a huge disappointment inside. Not open at 12, disinterested service, and an odd selection from the Marstons list with a poor Revisionist whatever-it-was.
Once again I was virtually the only customer too, a worrying trend.
At least it had attractive windows.
Fortunately, Frodsham has an exceptional pub in the Helter Skeleter, I’ve seen some differing views on this one, but again I enjoyed a good age range of customers, a lack of prentension, and good Salopian Oracle (NBSS 3.5).
Frodsham has good hills to walk off the cobs and beer, but even better exercise was available at the Cheshire Cheese…
retiredmartin 
Ah, Frodsham brings back memories of my (not very) misspent youth.
Although to all intents and purpose it’s a fair-sized market town, the locals always refer to it as a village, probably because it was never a Municipal Borough or Urban District in its own right. I assume you know that until 1966 tiny Montgomery was the smallest Municipal Borough in the country.
It has a lot of attractive pub exteriors but many fewer unspoilt interiors, the handsome Bear’s Paw being a particular offender in this respect.
The Cholmondeley Arms is a typical example of the Cheshire branches’ “ooh, shinee, guest beers!” approach to GBG selection. And yes, I remember it when it was a Burtonwood pub with a number of small cosy rooms.
I once did a write-up of the Helter Skelter (ex Drovers Arms) for the local CAMRA magazine and was struck by the dearth of seating – I don’t know whether it’s changed since.
No prizes for guessing which is my favourite Frodsham pub.
The bouncy castle, by the way, is at the Cheshire Cheese 😀
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Added the Bear’s Paw pic, looked very foody. HS had a few seats around sides, but see your point. I had assumed your favourite was Kash 22 Brew & Chew 😉
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I used to spend a lot of time in Frodsham for work c.2008-2010 and really got to love the Helter Skelter. Chat when I wanted it, no bother when I didn’t, and always an interesting beer or two on. Superficially maybe lacking in ‘pubbiness’ (i.e. not brown enough) but I never found it less than cosy.
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Pretty much my view, easy to get involved or keep yourself to yourself, though structurally pub not perfect.
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By far the most internally characterful pub in Frodsham is the Ring o’Bells in Overton, the higher part of the town, opposite the parish church, now owned by JW Lees. For a time, Daniel Craig’s father Tim Craig was the licensee, and for a long time it was run by his stepmother Shirley Craig, who to us youngsters was a bit of a MILF :p
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Too much detail, Mudge, or perhaps not enough…
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Oh Happy memories. Not for the beer neither! Mrs C hails from Runcorn and we used to frequent Frodsham and Runcorn when I frequently visited. I could never get more than three pints of Greenalls down without feeling bilious, however hard I tried. Always a pleasure to go out with Mrs C’s old man as people were really friendly and he was well known in the area for his footballing exploits. One of his mates had the Travellers Rest at the top of the hill in Frodsham, circa early 80’s. They called him ‘Mushy’ and his wife was from Barnsley. I don’t know if it’s still going?
Although I wish there had been some variation in ales available when I used to drink there, I agree with Old Mudgie. Just because it’s a guest that you’ve never had before, doesn’t mean its any good. Far too often there is a dearth of ‘only average’ and very traditional beers that you’ve never heard of on the bar. I sometimes wonder whether licensees go on recommendation, do some research or just order from a list thinking that’s different, we’ve not had that one before, they’ll drink it.
What’s that? They just pick it off a list. Never!
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You’re wise beyond your years Richard 😉
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This discussion led me to dig out this blogpost from 2009 about the Ring O’Bells.
The Travellers Rest is the only one of the current Frodsham pubs I have never been in. I have actually been in Kash 22 many years ago when it was Kydd’s.
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Goodness me, there was an excellent comment on that post.
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The only other one I can defo remember was The White Bear. There was also one on the left just after the railway bridge on Church St and one on the opposite side to The White Bear to the west of Church St, a bit further down. I’m looking at a map now, but can’t remember any names! Oh and The Mersey View, a sort of posh WMC almost Country club meets Batley Varieties on the top of Frodsham hill. All Dinner dances and ‘turns’, I think you could just wander in for a drink though? A very eponymous location.
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