The Rifle Volunteer, Towneley, Burnley

Well described below, not much to add other than to confirm that this is indeed worth walking out of town for. Fans of the traditional boozer will find much to admire here. Brisk trade early on a Friday evening; long may it continue!

Roughly a 10 or so minute walk from the town centre or Manchester Road station, this is a nice, homely pub with a nice community feel to it. You enter through a lobby with some lovely glazed tiling, into the main bar with a couple of drinking areas to either side. The servery is on the rear wall and has a nice curved counter and a canopy lined with some lovely old ceramic barrels. The bar back is mirrored and has a great photograph of nearby Turf Moor as its centrepiece. Walls are half panelled and there are a few paintings and mirrors to create a bit of visual stimulus. A low, high backed bench opposite the bar serves a couple of small tables and acts as a screen for the front lounge area, which sees comfortable banquettes and low stools arranged under white anglypta walls with a wallpaper dado. A small fireplace to the right would make this a very cosy area if it were ever put into action and there was something that looked like an old punch clock in the front corner of the room. The left side of the pub has what appears to have once been a separate room, now opened out so that it can be seen from the bar. It effectively acts as another lounge, with more of the same sturdy, well upholstered seating in a carpeted space with similar smart decor to the rest of the pub. There was a TV in this area showing Sky Sports News whilst music played quietly in the background. I visited straight after Burnley recorded a home win, so there were a fair few customers in, all in high spirits, creating a very upbeat atmosphere within. There were three ales on the bar when I arrived, Draught Bass, Reedley Hallows Filly Close Blonde and a football themed beer which I couldn’t discern much information about – possibly a house beer? Anyway, I fancied trying their Bass, the high consistency of which has helped the pub find its way into the 2017 Good Beer Guide. A friendly barmaid pulled me a pint which was in excellent condition, nicely rounding out an all round enjoyable visit. This is a fine local’s pub which seems to pride itself on maintaining high standards, be it the smart and clean interior or the well kept ale. I suspect it’s location on the fringes of the town means that it misses out on a fair bit of custom, but I found this was well worth the walk and would rank it above some of Burnley’s more well known ale houses.

Official site of the Rifle Volunteer, includes drinks menu - www.theriflevolunteer.org.uk