November 2025. Levenshulme.
It’s been a slow start to ticking the new cohort of Greater Manchester Guide pubs.
If you’re approaching middle age like it’s wise not to drink too much before a match or a gig, but a pint in Levenshulme gives me time to admire the red brick,
the panda art,
the High Street shopping experience,
and the cultural melting pot of cuisines,
before I nip in the Station Hop.
This is also in the Matthew Curtis Manchester Beer Book, a rare double tick, and while shop conversions will never match Edwardian Holt pubs for splendor the Hop is a lively little place.
It’s Bring Your Own Vinyl Sunday, always a delight, though I doubt they’d have been delighted as my Milton Primary School teacher was in 1974 when I brought the Spiderman Rockomic LP in.
It was all electronic prog today, and the enthusiasm was the star. “You’ll remember them from the Old Grey Whistle Test“. I didn’t.
I remembered Blackjack, who have taken over the Hop and maintained the same standards as at their GBG bars in those artisanal markets around town.
The Stout was spectacular, rich and chewy (NBSS 4), the perfect accompaniment to the 12″ version of Cuba by the Gibson Bros, which isn’t electro prog.
This was such a happy pub I was torn between staying and letting Matt use my ticket for the City game, but if I don’t attend a minimum number of games in person they’ll sell my season ticket to a tourist, so I pressed on.
retiredmartin 
but if I don’t attend a minimum number of games in person…
How do they check this, by facial recognition or saliva test as you scan your ticket?
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Facial recognition has been built into the entry gates. Not something they’ll be doing at Rodney Parade anytime soon !
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Oh to be threatened for not attending RP often enough as they need me valuable space for a glory hunter from another continent. I shouldn’t joke as this is already happening at Wrexham.
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I’ve not been keeping count, but you seem to have mentioned middle age in about 95% of your recent blogs. But you haven’t mentioned when your birthday is. Am I correct in thinking it might be about six (6) weeks away? I need to start saving up for your traditional present of a previously opened bottle of Doom Bar.
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I’ll finish that one you started at the Bath. And the cake.
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Pound Palace Plus… not plus class that’s for sure! Hard to appreciate pavement spillage like this.
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It’s a peculiar feature of northern towns, Lana, and not just seaside towns!
Have you been to Stourport ? Similar shops there.
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I went to Stourport in 2013. I don’t recall the town but I do have photos of interesting caves – and the river.
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I’m only just starting to realise (via your blog) just how many unheralded town you have visited, Lana !
There’s some great geology around Stourport and Kidderminster, not to mentions the Kinver caves.
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Why don’t we mind when restaurants do it?
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“If you’re approaching middle age like it’s wise not to drink too much before a match or a gig”
Pfft. Include driving more than an hour at a go. And ‘rest stops’ out here in the hinterland are few and far between!
“the High Street shopping experience,”
(looks down)
I’m curious about the ‘D.I.Y. drinks’. Do they sell you a still or brewing kettle and whatnot?
“and the cultural melting pot of cuisines,”
(looks down)
I’ve heard of Hyderabad and Iran, but where the heck is Lamb?
“and while shop conversions will never match Edwardian Holt pubs for splendor the Hop is a lively little place.”
(can’t resist)… so, it’s ‘hopping’?
“It’s Bring Your Own Vinyl Sunday, always a delight,”
Blimey. I’d been down there one week with the Bonzo Dog Band’s ‘The Intro and the Outro’, followed the next week with Weather Report’s ‘Birdland’, and topped off with Pat Metheny’s classic ‘As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls’.
““You’ll remember them from the Old Grey Whistle Test“. I didn’t.”
So, you’re not quite middle-aged, yet.
“the perfect accompaniment to the 12″ version of Cuba by the Gibson Bros, which isn’t electro prog.”
I am not in a position to question that.
“This was such a happy pub I was torn between staying and letting Matt use my ticket for the City game, but if I don’t attend a minimum number of games in person they’ll sell my season ticket to a tourist, so I pressed on.”
Blimey! Couldn’t they just swab his cheek to prove he’s a very close relation?
Cheers
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Lamb ?
It’s a famous Edwardian Holt pub in Eccles, favoured by Steve Coogan.
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Pfft. The other two were a city and an entire country. For the UK they scaled it down to just a pub? 😏
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