Bruce Arms, Macclesfield

The Bruce Arms is a backstreet boozer with a double sided bar counter on the left wall that serves a small and thin front bar, where all the locals were assembled, and a seating area towards the rear that is decorated with framed prints of old films such as the Godfather, James Bond and the Italian Job. To the right of the entrance is a large area with a dartboard on the right wall next to a large trophy cabinet full of awards and a jukebox. On the front wall in here is a large projector screen for showing live football. Above a fireplace on the rear wall is a second dartboard adjacent to another smaller trophy cabinet, show offs! A second projector screen was rolled up above the dartboard and a television was showing muted Sky Sports News. To the right some steps at the rear lead up to a room that houses a pool table. One of the three hand pumps on the bar was in operation drawing Robinson’s Unicorn. Premium keg was also available alongside the overpriced Beavertown Neck Oil. I didn’t see any food menus, but there was an empty heating cabinet for pies etc. on the bar. The ale choice may turn some off this place, but I thought it was a friendly local that I would have no problem revisiting.

This is a nice old-fashioned brick built corner local. There are three rooms: a tiny and basic tap room on the left, with two larger rooms to the rear. The room on the right has just a corner of the unusually shaped bar as a servery, while the larger room to the left has two hand pumps. The third hand pump is in the tap room, and this was serving Lancaster Blonde, the others being Courage Directors and Robinsons Unicorn. I had the Blonde, which was in good condition. It was very quiet on my late afternoon midweek visit, but I got the impression of a friendly local pub which is worth the short walk from the town centre.