The Plough Hotel, Gorton, Manchester

The Plough is a Robinsons pub with steps up to a central tile floored foyer that is served via a hatch from the bar area to the right. This thin bar has an ornate counter across the rear that supports eight keg fonts with a mix of premium and Robinsons keg. Only one of the four hand pumps was in operation, drawing Unicorn. High backed wooden seating runs along the front windows and up the short right wall, they were surprisingly comfortable. The two televisions were showing different Champions League matches via TNT Sport and a couple of dart players were changing the standard board to a much smaller Manchester board. Back into the foyer, two carpeted seating areas with banquettes, fireplaces and televisions are found to the left and at the rear is a games room with a pool table and dartboard. The service was a bit frosty when I arrived, but the women working behind the bar warmed during my stay. This place is worth including on a crawl for the historic interior, but one pint will be enough.

This is how a lot of pubs used to be and is well worth seeing if you're interested in pub heritage. (See link below.) The Plough Hotel is Grade II listed and is a three star "interior of exceptional national historic importance" on Camra's new rating system. The bar is to the right on entering, with other rooms to the left and rear. There are still four hand pumps, but no real ale when I was here last autumn. (WhatPub says availability of cask beer can be variable, but the lass behind the bar told me that "all those who used to drink it have died".) I had a half of Robinsons Smooth, one of the worst keg beers I have had recently - fiendishly cold and not at all a decent drink. Still, it's a place to see and to say you've been. There is old bench seating around the walls, with no cushions or upholstery - maybe the other rooms are more comfortable, but I was happy enough where I was. According to one of the regulars I got chatting to here, the nearby Vale Cottage is "packed out" on Saturdays, with everyone drinking real ale, so you'd think that with a bit more effort they could entice some of them here. Date of visit: 7th October 2022

The Plough page on the Robinsons website - www.robinsonsbrewery.com

The Plough page on the Robinsons website - www.robinsonsbrewery.com