More tenuous titles for you as I finish Merseyside GBG for the year, AND break my Meghan Trainor duck. You don’t get nonsense like this with Pubmeister, you know…
Oh, perhaps you do.
As I’ve said before, only slavishly following the Beer Guide path takes you to the world’s most unexpected places. Like Rainhill, in the lovely borough of St Helens., scene of the famous train trials of the 1820s (Percy was acquitted).
Like Newton-le-Willows to the east, this is a neatly manicured stone built suburb that would make the basis for a fun family holiday.
Or so I thought in 2003 when I dragged my family to the Premier Inn whose adjacent Ship provided an easy tick. In truth, the highlight is the astonishing public art in neighbouring Clock Face Colliery.
Loads of great rural Merseyside pubs on this blog here.
Sadly, your view of the iconic “White Van On A Hill” is rather spoilt by the concrete pile to the right.
More unspoilt are the buildings at St Bartholomew’s.
Micro pubs like the Skew Bridge Alehouse seem designed to open at 4pm to ensure I get knocked down in the stampede of smartly-dressed pupils from St Barts RC school. The end of the school day rarely provides the best conditions for a middle-aged blogger to take innocent photos, does it Si ?
The Big Pub is the Commercial, a longstanding Cains pub before the Dusanjis wrecked the brand a decade ago. I still remember the longstanding landlady saying “Nicely Done” when I returned my glass to the bar; funny how lovely Scouse accents stick in the mind.
The Guide used to rave about the Joseph Jones windows, so here they are.
I wasn’t popping in for a half of GK IPA. Perhaps I should have.
My target was in the rather less imposing surrounds of Dane Court Shopping Centre, setting for a grim piece of Nordic Noir some time in the distant future.
With the micro not opening early, even for me, I stocked up on CDs in the YMCA shop. 99p for the Meghan, and then these two punk rarities, expertly displayed against the GBG.
So the Big Question is,
“Why does Lily’s sophomore album cost a penny more than her debut ?”
There’s more to say about Lily Allen than there is about the Skew Bridge.
Back to the Herne masterplan, with tables (some low ones) round the side, people keeping themselves to themselves and the Usual Micro Beers.
I had the North Riding Citra. It was £3. It was OK (NBSS 3). I admired my purchases. What else is there to say ?
Nice lacings, I guess.
And that was that, bar the rather attractive Lyons sign. I really fancied a Lyons Maid ice cream.
*Thanks due to Pub Curmudgeon for explaining Meghan to me in the Big Bull’s Head.
retiredmartin 
The Novelty of this blog is Sans Pareil. Your Perseverance is the equal of a Cycloped and your ratings will Rocket when people learn that Percy was never on trial.
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Is Sans Pareil a font ?
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Maybe, but it was also a locomotive at the Rainhill trials.
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Deep
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“I still remember the longstanding landlady saying “Nicely Done” when I returned my glass to the bar” –Love these little memories; funny how you can’t predict which little moments will stay caught in your mind.
I had Meghan Trainor pegged as a “one-novelty-hit wonder”, but she proved me wrong and went on to have a career. I do like a lot of Lily Allen songs; funny that she never quite managed to get on the radio here in the States — bit like Robbie Williams that way.
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Oi! If you’re going to borrow a picture from a less-well-known pub blog, you might at least give me a plug.
http://merseypub.blogspot.com/2012/04/clock-face.html
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Eek, rumbled me Phil. Credit to excellent blog added. I’d assumed the white van was stolen,😱
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Thanks, I think!
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I didn’t think you were supposed to drive to the top of the hill 🐯
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“Pubic art?” In St Helens? Oo-er!
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Got put off by the phallic art next to the van.
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That Joseph Jones will be the Knotty Ash Brewery taken over by with seventy pubs by Higsons in 1927 and closed the following year.
Badminton horse trails then Rainhill train trials. Are sheep dogs next ?
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Next are the retiredmartin trials of 2018 for paying with Zloty in Spoons.
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Tim Martin is worth nearly four billion zloty so I doubt if he’ll be worried about two zloty.
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The lighting on that photo doesn’t really bring out the centre parting on the statue’s hair 😳
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“Oh, perhaps you do.”
Agreed.
But them, he couldn’t do it without your help. (LOL)
“is the astonishing public art in neighbouring Clock Face Colliery.”
I’m so very glad ‘clock’ had a ‘l’ in it. 😉
“Sadly, your view of the iconic “White Van On A Hill” is rather spoilt by the concrete pile to the right.”
It needs a touch of Union Jacks… then it would be a ‘thorn’ in some MPs sides. 😉
“Innocent photo 1”
I will admit, that’s a nice assortment of flowers.
“Innocent Photo 3 – phone box without defibrillator or books shock”
Isn’t if odd how defibs took off all over the Western hemisphere a few years ago?
“The Comm”
Imposing.
“setting for a grim piece of Nordic Noir some time in the distant future.”
I think that’s why the police are stationed there; to avoid future Viking raids. 🙂
““Why does Lily’s sophomore album cost a penny more than her debut ?””
Since it says ‘gift aid item’ I’m guessing the extra penny goes toward charity?
“Seating hell”
More like bloody hell. But then, sometimes a micro is just a micro (i.e. not a ‘pub’). 😉
“I really fancied a Lyons Maid ice cream.”
I hear they used to do ice cream beer:
https://retiredmartin.com/2018/07/26/tewkespury-reignites-the-cob-v-bap-debate/#comment-25383
Cheers!
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It’s all about the Bass – no treble….
I think you might have been still suffering from micro pub mania when you made your YMCA purchases (…..who is the Meghan Trainor album for…?)
I admire any charitable purchases – even Meghan Trainor – no really…🙄
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I would buy ALMOST any CD for a quid.
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You have my utmost respect….but would you play them for a quid…?
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I think you might have gone to the YMCA shop to buy a Village People CD but they’d sold out so it had to be Meghan Trainor instead.
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PS – I think I found where Willy was ( or Wally wis) in the second photo…
PPS – I think I’ve been seriously affected by your purchase of a Meghan Trainor album.
PPPS – if you don’t meet up with me for a pint on the way to the Isle of Wight, I’ll tell everybody you’re a Meghan Trainor fan…
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Ah yes, the Isle of Wight. Is it still there ?
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I can’t tell right now – it’s dark – I’ll check and let you know in the morning…
Are you coming soon – or saving it in the hope that there’ll be no IOW GBG pubs in the 2019 edition…?
Any prize for finding Wally…?
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Meghan Trainor is better than Lily Allen and not just because Hermit rightly pointed out she sings about Bass! 1960’s shopping precincts are terrific aren’t they?
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Well they’re certainly full of life ! That one is straight outta Shirley.
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