The Swan & Railway Hotel, Wigan

A pub that I would love to come back to and explore even more. I am sure that I will. A little unassuming on the outside, it is one of those labyrinthine pubs inside, with plenty to investigate around a central bar area. The bar opens out in one room, if you battle your way through or through a little serving hatch under an ornate swan stained glass window. I got into a lengthy conversation about Bass with a knowledgeable and friendly owner. The wifi password is bass related. They sell bass :-) Took it into the room on the left as you look at the pub where a bunch of other pub enthusiasts were enjoying a day out before moving on to another tick. That's half of the 8 Good Beer Guide pubs in 2025 visited and I really enjoyed three of them, making Wigan a promising pub town for the beer tourist. I'll be back :-)

It's not my fault that this is my first visit to this gorgeous pub since before Covid - a cancelled train in September 2022 on my way to watch Leeds Rhinos win a semifinal against Wigan Warriors meant that I didn't have time for a drink here before the match - so my last time here was March 2020 when Luton Town's goalkeeper pulled off a stunning save in the final minute to gain a valuable point against Wigan Athletic. Clearly my motivation for visiting Wigan's pubs depends on sporting fixture lists, but luckily my cycle ride with my aunt along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal this week gave me an unexpected opportunity before my train back to Sheffield via Manchester. It's more than five years, but the seven hand pumps were much as before, with Bass in the middle, but only five other beers rather than six (one just being changed or cleaned, I think). Bank Top Dark Mild was on (as in the previous reviewer's visit a year ago) and I had a half of that accompanied by Karma Citra (groan!) from Wily Fox (NBSS 3.5 to 4, total price £3.85). I took my drinks to a delightful room on the left of the corridor towards the rear which seems to be a sort of shrine to former Wigan rugby league players. I didn't have long enough to get a good idea of who they were and what eras they played in, but this is clearly a room that means a lot to the people who created it and the RL fans of Wigan, and worth a visit. The pub itself deserves a longer and more leisurely visit, which I hope to get around to before long, fixture lists permitting.

Official site of The Swan & Railway Hotel - swanandrailwayhotelwigan.co.uk

Official site of The Swan & Railway Hotel - swanandrailwayhotelwigan.co.uk

I'd hoped to get back to the Swan & Railway on my last visit in February, but we ran out of time. With a little time to kill on a more recent April visit, we made sure to head here first. The last time I had a drink in this pub was in 2011 when it was still run by Marston's. These days, it is independently owned and has a much better range of cask ales. I seem to recall the pub being closed for a few years. But it has now re-opened and the impressive interior has been refurbished to a high standard. There is a tiled entrance corridor with the bar itself on the right-hand side and the main room is the other side of the bar to the right. On the left is a decent-sized room with the corridor eventually leading to another large room at the rear. Sports news was showing on the TV and background music was playing. There was a good local crowd in, especially in the front two rooms. We retreated to the rear with our pints, where we had the room to ourselves. Regular ales are Draught Bass & Bank Top Dark Mild. Guest beers for our visit were Blackedge Shake Tropical Pale Ale, Bootleg Fool's Gold, Bradfield Yorkshire Farmer, Moorhouse's Straw Dog & Rudgate York Chocolate Stout. Ciders were Farmer Jim's Apple Red, Thistly Cross Whisky Cask, Snail's Bank Fruit Bat & Lilley's Strawberry Cider. Certainly one of Wigan's best pubs and really handy for either railway station.