The Arden Inn, Accrington

Advertised as a live music pub and at half six on a Saturday was a band belting out early rock and roll classics to an appreciative audience. Some dunce has got the grey paintbrush out in the interior but the semi-octagonal bar with stained glass leaded uppers still looks decent. Papers on a rack, always good to see. GBG listed, three cask ales and a Lilleys cider; I plumped for the Acorn Raspberry Porter which lacked a little bit of turnover but was in fair nick (NBSS 3). 6.5

A neat Victorian building sparingly greyed on the outside. Inside has been almost completely opened out apart from a bit to the left which retains some 19th century charm, to right is the counter, a short L shape with a bit more relatively untouched oldness beside it. Four pulls on the corner, dodging the bar blockers I saw the beers were Hobgoblin, Bradfield Farmers whatsit and unexpectedly two from Wye Valley, HPA and a rather good Butty Bach. Taylor’s beer mats suggested they were at least one of the guest beers. Two horseshoes serve a range of mostly ordinary kegs. How can two people take up eight linear feet or more of counter? Further back there’s a pool table and to the left the remnants of a back side room which was fairly bare but evidently used for live music. A bit of the nice old pub remains above head height with acanthus leaf architraves and possibly the Lincrusta, there are touches of modern repro here and there too.