January 2024. Darwen.
Two east Lancashire ticks to complete the county meant a first opportunity in 2024 to take the campervan out for the night. Parked in the posh bit just outside Burnley, it felt a real night out.
Darwen isn’t really posh Burnley, or Blackburn, but I have enjoyed its renaissance over the last decade.
though new micro Loom & Shuttle sounded upmarket, what with its advert for cocktails (top).
The shutters were down, the door was open, so in I went.
“Sorry mate, deliveries delayed. Be open later“. Blimey, a second shuttered micro fail in 2 days.
“When’s “later” ?“
“About 5“
5pm ? On a Saturday ? What do you do for an hour in Darwen, anyway ?
Bring my lovely readers photos of industrial relics from a Lancastrian mill town, I guess.
A few reminders that mill towns used to be affluent,
back in the days when southerners lived in slums.
But the industrial relics stand only as reminders of a time past,
though you can see the potential for refurbishment of buildings like this;
The big refurbishment here was, inevitably, Methodist chapel now repurposed the Spoons. For 1 pint, name another classic Methodist-Spoons conversion.
A lovely art display on the top floor, set against those windows.
Sadly, the Spoons seemed to be the centre of Saturday trade, my favoured Italian deli closed for the day and the market square quiet.
Luckily, the Loom & Shuttle had resolved its delivery issues, by 4:45 in fact,
and I joined a procession of other impatient Old Boys and Gals at the bar wondering why the late arrival of gin and lager had delayed the pouring of the cask.
Health and Safety, apparently, you can’t risk slippery floors when customers are in. Yes, Health and Safety. In Darwen !
The keg taps were a bit routine (Beavertown, Shindigger, Tiny Rebel), the cask supreme.
Aided no doubt by the glitterball, the Brew York Bitter was cool, malty and, er, bitter (NBSS 3.5/4).
I wasn’t over enamoured by the Brew York tap a while ago, but every beer I’ve had from them of late has been superb.
Excess cushions apart, the Loom & Shuttle (also known as Loom + Shuttle) is a gem. Friendly young staff (“There ya go, pal“), a great sound system, top lacings.
Sometimes a pub is worth waiting for (not often though).
retiredmartin 
“About 5“ may be the battle cry of opening hour renegades. Some don’t like our need for defined times. I may get that slogan printed on some T-shirts.
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For 2 points can I mention the Baptist Chapel Spoons conversion in Folkestone
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Re Methodist/Spoons, was going to say the one in Bodmin with the unpronounceable name, but that one may be closed.
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The Richard Oastler in Brighouse. An excellent conversion and a very good Spoons
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That’s the one !
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Yes, I used that several times back in the day, to while away the time during which my car was being serviced over the road. That was, until I found more reliable servicers for such work.
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In Brighouse, I hope.
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It’s complicated.
But not entertaining.
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Does the pint have to be Doom Bar?
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Doom Bar Reserve if available.
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I know I’m too late for the free pint, and I’d have been wrong anyway, but I was going to guess Yr Academi in Aberystwyth, but having checked it’s not a Spoons. An old Wesleyan chapel which itself was build on the site of an earlier pub in the first place. No cask according to WhatPub and a bit naff from (poor) memory.
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