Queens Head, Stockport

The Queens Head is a small Sam Smiths pub with seating in the front window where the only other customers, three women, were playing cards. The bar on the left wall faces a small length of banquette seating with a table and a tiny cubby with two bar stools for those that like to cosy up. At the rear of the bar is a snug with banquettes and beyond is a rear seating area with more banquettes down each side leading to a coal fireplace on the rear wall. Through the skylight one can see the planes that can be heard flying into Manchester Airport. The bar supports the usual SS keg and cask OBB. It was quiet, but I found the governor to be very friendly and the pub to be immaculately kept. I must also say that I felt a lot more welcome in here that I normally do in this chain’s pubs. This place is worth a look if in the area.

This is a Sam Smith pub, and a fine example of a proper old school feeling boozer. It still smells of smoke inside and it felt pretty relaxed despite the usual signs up with all the pub chain's various rules on electronic devices and swearing. OBB on cask, £1.50 for a half, with stout, mild and various lagers on keg. There are two sets of very old looking beer taps on the bar, though not in use they certainly add to the olde worlde feel of the place. Toilets are upstairs and I found them to be very acceptable. I believe there is another room to the rear of the main bar, though I did not investigate. Cash only, of course. A place I feel no need to rush back to, but I am glad to have experienced all the same.

I liked this one even more than the Boars Head, the narrow interior is very intimate and cosy. Just one of those pubs that feels instantly relaxing as you walk through the door, even with Humphrey’s laws plastered everywhere. Spot on OBB too.

A charming little Sam's outlet under the Petersgate bridge (you might get lost looking for it like I did). Enter to a small and narrow main bar with wood floor, brown painted/varnished wood panelling and grandfather clock. There is a further room and snug to the rear. Main point of interest at the bar is lovely decorative flyover font (apparently left over from its days as a wine vault). Can’t imagine much has changed in here since at the least the 1960s. Cask OBB available, and a good drop it was too. In a pub this tight you get to know the locals and fortunately they were a genuinely friendly lot. I really enjoyed this one, a great start to the day’s crawling. Inevitably, and justly, it’s on the CAMRA National Inventory list.

Set in the shadow of the Petersgate Bridge, this is a very quaint and compact little Sam Smith’s house. The front bar sees you in a narrow bare boarded room with the servery along the left hand wall. Fixed bench seating runs around much of the remaining wall space supplemented by a handful of low stools and standing room is at a premium, so I can imagine it gets extremely uncomfortable in here with even a modest amount of customers in. The place was quiet on my Friday night visit, but still busy enough that I couldn’t get a seat. Instead, I stood at the bar where I was able to admire the attractive counter and green tiled bar back inlaid with a fruit image and topped with nice Sam Smith’s mirrors. The most notable feature had to be the marvellous old spirit font on the bar counter which is a really rare find – I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such an example before. Elsewhere, old paintings and framed documents provide a suitably traditional decorative element. Beyond the end of the bar, there is a glass screened room with some limited bench seating which serves a couple of tables in what amounts to a rear snug space. Another compact room to the rear has modern wallpaper with some nice benches and stools and more of the same traditional decor. As you might expect, Sam Smith’s Old Brewery Bitter was the only cask ale option across the four handpulls and my pint came in at a highly pleasing £2.00. It was in good condition and for once the bar staff didn’t try to serve a short measure, as seems to be the case in most other Sam Smith’s pubs. This is a nice little pub with a few interesting old features that make it worth a look irrespective of whether you’re a Sam Smith’s fan or not. Stockport certainly has a good line in traditional pubs and this place is no exception, fitting in nicely to any crawl around town.