The Raven, Wigan

Seven hand pulls at the bar, with five in active service at the time of my visit on a weekday afternoon in April. I think one of these was a cider (Thistly Cross). I went for the Raven House Bitter by Moorhouse's and this set me back £1.75 for a half. My ale was certainly drinkable without being anything special - but that's what you get for choosing the house ale. This is a traditional feeling pub with dark stained wood, stained glass, a tiled floor in the corridor and around the bar, with the rest of the flooring made up of patterned carpet. Banquette seating to the two front windows. Wi-Fi is advertised, and it is presumably dog friendly as one was present - it looked considerably more compos mentis than its owners. Golf was showing on the TV. An old lady waiting for her friend decided to randomly park herself down at my table, which seemed a little odd at first but we ended up having a little chat. There is a rear room that looked like it may have been geared up more for dining. Toilets were traditional and basic, but clean. I was pleasantly surprised by this place and would be happy to return.

A characterful pub inside and out, mildly surprised it isn’t CAMRA Inventory listed (I read elsewhere that it was renovated around 2012 so perhaps a chunk of the fittings aren’t original?). Edwardian feel - dark wood and stained glass gantry, original mosaic flooring and tiling, plus a fine wooden staircase and curved banquettes. Impressive display of old bottles and jugs. The nice surrounds were somewhat undermined it by being freezing cold – so cold in fact that even the locals were moaning. Three localish casks on, I went for the house bitter by Moorhouse which was GBG standard (NBSS 3.5) as befitting its 2024 entry. I didn’t note any cider, though I was on a tight turnaround before my train so might have missed it. I’d be happy to try it again on a warmer day but if they can’t be arsed to warm the place up during a bitter winter’s day then it’s a no from me for 4 months of the year. 6.5

The Raven is centrally located, being on Wallgate. The interior is traditional with a few different rooms and spaces off the central corridor. It was quiet on our Monday afternoon visit, with just a handful of other customers accompanying us. 4 real ales are served. There was a house beer, which was a re-badged Moorhouse's Premier, Abbeydale Absolution & Dry Bones & Porteresque from Wigan Brewhouse. Another handpull was clipped with Thistly Cross Whisky Cask cider. Still in the latest Good Beer Guide, it is worth a visit if you're in Wigan town centre. Little has changed since my last visit over 8 years ago.

The Raven has a bar counter on the right wall and booth seating under the front windows. At the rear is more seating with a couple of fireplaces and beyond is a large seating area that looked primed for dining. The pub inside and out has original features that will be of interest to fans of history. The bar supports seven handpumps that were drawing Bank Top’s Port O’Call, Tetleys Original, Marston’s EPA, Coach House Brewing’s Blueberry and Black Dragon Cider. Two handpumps were unused and a standard and premium keg range was available. Out the back is a cobbled beer garden with picnic tables and three covered booths. The service was friendly, I’d revisit here if in the area.

Very attractive-looking pub when viewed from the street, and - for once - the interior certainly doesn't disappoint. Yes, the corridor may have been partly opened-out to provide access to the bar on the right-hand side, but the place still looks fantastic and any non-original features here and in the rear dining room (apart from a couple of unobtrusive TV screens and a slot machine) seem to fit right in. A few small tables can also be found out on the pavement at the front. The choice of five real ales in a wide range of styles - including the regular Tetley's cask and an excellent Moorhouses Penhul (£2.95) - a cider and a perry from the seven handpumps would be difficult to fault.