Ring o' Bells, Manchester

Old JW Lees pub on the higher ground just beyond the church, with what looks like a later brick extension (housing the pool table, etc. on the right-hand side). The original part has several small seating areas, and each has been given a semi-traditional refurbishment at some stage. All four handpumps were in use on a Monday evening, with the Grodziskie-style Don't go off Wandering (£3.80) and the But Does it Work? from the more experimental The Boilerhouse brand in addition to the regular Bitter and MPA.

Located opposite the church, this was one of my more interesting stops on a trip to the north of Manchester. It was another JW Lee's pub which regularly stocks their Bitter & MPA. However, there were also a couple of seasonal beers - Dray Rumble & The Boilerhouse Pre-Prohibition Porter. The bar was packed on my late Friday afternoon visit. With many people standing at the bar itself, I had to shout over the crowd to place an order with the barmaid. The Porter was very enjoyable indeed and was the first JW Lee's beer I can say I actually liked. I don't recall much about the pub itself, other than it being packed with people who had been to a funeral. The only seat I could spot was a stool in a corner where I got chatting to a local couple who were recounting various ghost stories involving the pub itself, the church opposite and their former house nearby. We also discussed the local pubs I had visited. So thank you to Hayden and his wife, whose name I have inevitably forgotten for an entertaining half hour in this pub! I left the pub keeping an eye out for any ghostly apparitions from the church opposite. But none were forthcoming. This was my favourite of the 8 JW Lee's pubs I tried, no doubt helped by the excellent Porter and the lively atmosphere and excellent conversation.

Found it open on this visit. It's up a bit of a hill and facing St. Stephens, hence the name. The main room is split into two by a partial wall and there's also a small pool room to the rear. It's all old beams almost throughout with loads of bric-a-brac attached to them. There's a large beer garden to the rear. Sadly there were schoolkids in uniform sat at the bar at 4:15 on a Friday afternoon. There was also a huge dog the size of a St. Bernard that was afraid of one of the little girls! It's a Lees pub with the Bitter and MPA available. The MPA was a decent pint and reasonable enough at £3. There's live music advertised on a Saturday once a month. A decent enough pub, but I'm not impressed by the schoolkids being in.