The Jolly Sailor, Macclesfield

Traditional pub that’s yet another opened up into one big room but retaining discrete areas. To the right are two very different spaces, one with a kitchen table and comfy chairs, the only with an open fire and armchairs. The square servery sits towards the back left and presents six pulls and a Guinness fount on the front face, a low T-Bar of favourites on the right and an unadorned face at the back. A reasonable selection of Salopian Darwin’s Origin, Taylors Boltmaker, Wainwright and Bass. The red triangle appears on a mirror, an old advert and painted on the floor in the front left portion. It has a mad and extensive collection of stuff, mirrors, photos, books, old radios and tellys, not to mention the odd bits and pieces. I quite liked the place, shame about the grey plague.

This is a pleasant town centre boozer with a nice traditional multiple room layout. You enter into a bare boarded area with a well presented lounge space immediately to the right and the bar further back to the left. The lounge has some leather armchairs around a lit fireplace, making it a very cosy spot on a freezing cold January evening. A grandfather clock in one corner adds to the traditional feel, as does the large collection of old photos on the back wall, the big brewery mirror above the fireplace and even the few golf clubs on the lintel above. An ancient TV stands on a shelf to the rear, but looks far too old to ever get any use. Over to the left is a more spartan seating area with some amazing, intricately carved pews around the front window bay and opposite the bar, centred around a modern looking fireplace with flowers on the hearth and a big whisky mirror above. More old paintings and maps line the walls and guitars, jugs, earthenware and other such bits round out the eclectic decor. The bar is on the left side of the room and has a tongue and groove counter and simple bar back, whilst the canopy is lined with old pump clips and there is a stunning old fashioned cash register at one end, although it looks too good to be true and may well just be a replica. The floorboards here have a highly scuffed Bass logo painted on them and to the right there is a snug of sorts, opposite the bar, with comfy benches and shelves full of board games. Further to the rear is a small lounge with similar seating and full height bookcases, whilst a corridor that runs past the toilets has been lined with local black and white photos, and emerges onto a rear beer patio, which I failed to properly explore. Three handpulls were operational when I arrived, presenting me with a choice from Bass, Thwaites Wainwright and Theakston Bitter. I took a pint of the Wainwright, which was in good condition, and I thought the staff and the few locals I spoke to, were all lovely. This was a bit of a last minute addition to my Macclesfield itinerary, having found myself with some spare time on my last evening in town, and I'm glad I gave the place a go. I thought it was a really nice place to settle down over a pint or two and perhaps only lacked a more diverse or interesting ale range for it to be one of the best in town. A successful wildcard and worth considering as part of a crawl around the town centre. Date of visit - 17th January 2024

The Jolly Sailor has a seating area with armchairs and a log fire to the left of the entrance before a small U-shaped bar counter that comes out of the left wall. Behind the bar is another seating area and a large bookcase loaded with reading material. There is more seating to the right of the entrance where the walls are covered with old paraphernalia such as a Bakelite radio, grandfather clock, black and white television etc. In fact, most of the pub looks like a living room stuck in time. I didn’t spot a functioning television, but there was some background music playing. The bar supports standard and premium keg and I counted five hand pumps, four of which were in operation drawing Bass, Well’s Bombardier, Wainwright and TT Boltmaker. I enjoyed having a nose around in here and the governor was extremely hospitable. This pub should certainly be part of any crawl of Maccy Town.

A lovely little pub with a friendly greeting at the bar. Lots of paraphernalia around the place; breweriana with a Bass slant, many mirrored signs and some old bric-a-brac. Ostensibly a single room but has four distinct areas. Sensible level piped music, 60s classics was the afternoon’s choice. Four fairly mainstream casks (Landlord, Wainwright, Bombardier and Bass). My Bass was getting to barrel end but fine (NBSS 3). Took a seat by the roaring log fire on a Chesterfield overlooking the grandfather clock and enjoyed my stay. My favourite of the day.