retiredmartin

February 2025. Stockport.

There’s always a point in every “culturally curated exploration of a town containing pubs” where things go off-piste.

Appropriately for top skier Karen of Inverurie, it was her that swerved us off-piste into The Midland at 15:23 last Friday as we left the cramped and crafty Magnet.

“We should go in there“.

“I don’t know if it even does cask” I say, the CAMRA man fighting to the surface.

“Oh go on, live a little ! You know the best pubs are the ones NOT in your silly book“.

Well, Mrs RM is right, and Karen gets a Gold star for dragging us in what was the surprise of the day.

“Blimey. They brought back Wilson’s Mild as well now ?“.

A year ago, standing in The Baum admiring their mirrors, I wrote;

“If only someone would revive Wilsons, said no-one ever.“

Well, resurrecting the pump clip* is a start. Someone will do Webster’s next.

The Midland was friendly, and chatty, and charming.

And had proper bench seating.

Four halves of Wincle, Theakston and Thwaites for £7.30, somewhere close enough to NBSS 3 I reckoned.

We were more focused on the wallpaper,

and the tiling,

and a repurposed Action Man head,

the “other stuff” than the beer. Just like 95% of people who actually go to pubs.

*No, of course there’s no actual Wilson’s beer. Yet.