Swan with Two Necks, Stockport

The Swan with Two Necks has an L-shaped bar that serves a corridor that runs through the pub along the right wall and a separate small front seating area. There are five keg fonts and five handpumps, two of which were unused. Robinson’s Dizzy Blonde and Unicorn were available alongside White Label Citra Pale. At the rear of the bar is a ‘Smoking Room’ and there is another room beyond, both well-kept with banquettes, tables and wood panelled walls. Out the back is a paved beer garden with separate seating areas, and the gents which is in an out building. This pub is well worth a look for the interior.

still a very nice traditional pub and beautifully unchanged inside, wood panelling galore. It was ticking along on a Saturday evening with a mixed clientele but I suspect it’s busier earlier on. Two Robbies ales on this time. Definitely worth a visit, there are not too many pubs like this anymore.

A CAMRA heritage Robbie's pub (naff battleship grey exterior paint job excepted) which was slated for demolition for a shopping centre previously. A porch entrance with a room to the left, lobby bar and a wonderful lounge (‘smoke’) room beyond this, naturally lit by a skylight. Vast amounts of light varnished oak wood panelling, clock-inlaid bar back, bell-pushes and traditional seating, a real museum piece (“last refurbished in the 1920s” proclaims a sign). Upright piano spotted. Four pumps with one ale – Unicorn – (the Old Tom was sadly still conditioning) which was in great shape. There were also two pumps for (unavailable) cider. A shame that given the timing (Friday), only one beer was on, surely a bit of pump mismanagement there. Would have been a higher mark otherwise. 7.5

Walking through Stockport's retail district, the last thing I expected to find was this marvellous old Robinson's pub - a real survivor in a heavily redeveloped area. The pub has a classic lobby bar set-up, with a nicely tiled porch leading you through into the lobby where the bar appears over on the left hand side. There are three or four small tables opposite served by low stools, under some excellent wood panelled walls. The bar has a short, smart counter and rather unusual, blocky bar back with a clock set into it. The front porch has a second door which leads you into the front left vault bar which is a cosy carpeted room with standard tables and chairs, an upright piano, a large poster detailing the pubs of Manchester and Stockport and some more excellent wood panelling. Beyond the bar there is a Smoke Room - arguably the nicest room in the pub with its worn carpet, padded banquettes, fully panelled walls decorated with salvers, jugs, clocks and the like and a very attractive fireplace which breaks things up nicely. A corridor runs to the rear of the pub past some old whisky mirrors to a rear door with a fine stained glass pane depicting the eponymous two headed swan. From here you can access a rear patio garden and the outdoor toilet block. There are five handpulls on the bar, but just the one ale was available on my visit - Robinson's Unicorn - with Old Rosie cider occupying a second pump and Robinson's Old Tom still conditioning 24 hours after the main PuG crawl passed through. I tried the Unicorn and thought it was in fine shape. I'd pulled up a stool at one of the tables opposite the bar and after a few minutes I was joined by an old boy who told me I was sat at 'his' table - it's that sort of pub. We chatted about pubs in Stockport for a bit and the cheery barman chipped in occasionally between serving customers. I thought this was a very pleasant little pub that deserves to have survived the threat of redevelopment and has flourished into one of the town's top pubs. The staff and clientele were very friendly and welcoming and the beer, whilst not anything out of the ordinary, was certainly kept very well. A real treat this one and an ideal bolt-hole if you find yourself being dragged around the shops.