The Black Lion, Nantwich

This atmospheric old pub is reputed to be the oldest in town and seems happy to play up to this claim by creating a traditional ale house ambiance. You enter into a small front bar with scuffed dark floorboards, timber framed walls, lots of dark beams across the ceiling and a small servery to the right. The bar has a nice panelled counter and traditional bar back which blend into the room's old-fashioned aesthetic. There are a couple of tables and chairs to the front and left, whilst a staircase to the rear leads up to what I assume is an upstairs overspill seating area. A fireplace next to the stairs was helpfully lit on a bitterly cold evening, and from here, a step at the rear takes you into an intermediate room with a padded bench and a few more tables and chairs. Three walls here are covered with fancy floral wallpaper and decorated with elaborately framed mirrors, in sharp contrast to many of the other walls which bear numerous ancient looking timbers. Moving on again, you reach a rear bar with a quarry stone floor, banquette and chair seating and plenty of typical traditional bits on display, such as ceramic and earthenware collections, old black and white photos, a grandfather clock, old bed heating pans and so on. The ceiling is visibly sagging in places and a sign on the stairs warns of uneven steps for some additional 'old building' authenticity, whilst the 70s pop/rock soundtrack felt hip and contemporary by comparison. Weetwood beers dominate the handpulls, with the range on arrival comprising Best, Cheshire Cat and Old Dog plus one guest ale that I forgot to note down. Two very young barmaids gave punters a friendly welcome and they poured me a good pint of the Cheshire Cat, which I enjoyed drinking whilst taking in this interesting building. I suppose in many ways this is Nantwich's destination ale house, inasmuch as its a surefire bet for some decent ale and it has an historic, traditional interior that's worth visiting for in its own right. I enjoyed my stay and whilst it didn't exactly blow me away, I still thought it was better than any of the other pubs I saw around town. Date of visit - 18th January 2024

The Black Lion entrance leads to a small front bar area with long table in the window and a large round table against the left wall that must be a nice spot on a cold winters evening when the fire is glowing. The bar, that runs up the length of the right hand wall, serves this front area, a small mid-section with seating and a larger rear bar, where all of the locals were assembled during a recent Thursday evening visit. I didn’t note the presence of any televisions, but there was some background music playing in the rear bar. Upstairs is a dining room and lounge that I didn’t visit on this occasion. The bar supports eight handpumps, four in the front bar and four in the rear. The cask ale options during my visit were Weetwood’s Old Dog, Cheshire Cat and Best alongside Coach House Brewing’s Innkeepers Special Reserve and Tatton Brewery’s Gold. A limited standard keg range is also available, as is food. The cheeseburger is priced at £11.95. This is a traditional 17th century pub with low beams, exposed brickwork and stone floors that is certainly worth a look if visiting Nantwich.

A very good olde world timbered pub in ancient market town. Like many pubs in town, a small front view leads into a long interior split into different parts. Weetwood Bitter and Cheshire Cat were doubled up on both bars, with Sandstone Edge and Stonehouse Station added on the front bar, and Weetwood Old Dog and Rudgate Brew No43 added at the rear bar.

Small half timbered building split into three areas. A front bar with four pumps, a rear bar with four pumps of different beers and a small sitting area in between. Old boards in the front two rooms, new flags in the back. There's an outside area with a couple of humourously named spaces but I didn't investigate too far. Classic olde English pub, the beers not bad. The layout makes service a bit difficult for the staff so you may have to track them down or shout.

Unchanged since the previous reviews this is a great little pub , lots of little nooks and crannies to poke around on the two floors and a friendly ghost to bump into and the odd low beam . Good beer selection with the pumps split between the two bars , no carling for lager drinkers its warsteiner or kaltenberg . A great pub well worth a visit.