The Victoria, Blackburn

Nicknamed the Butcher's Brig, in reference to a long departed neighbouring slaughterhouse and the nearby bridge that spans the now defunct railway line, the Victoria is a wonderfully preserved traditional pub dating back to 1905. You enter through a terrazzo floored porch with a frosted glass front door flanked by etched glass side panes, into a quite remarkable tiled corridor with at least two different repeating patterns running throughout, including a floral motif that visitors to the Adelphi in Leeds will be familiar with. A large painting depicting a scene from within the pub takes pride of place in this part of the corridor, although it can't upstage the traditional décor. To the right there is a small front bar with bench standard and high stool seating, lots of old pictures on the walls and a stack of Good Beer Guides from yesteryear next to the magnificent tiled servery with it's spectacular etched glass screens which can apparently still slide down. There is also still a small serving hatch with a similar sash window which would have previously been used for off sales, but is now sadly out of use. On the opposite side of the corridor there are two other rooms - the Commercial Room with wood block flooring, bench seating and a dartboard at the front, and further back, the Parlour, which has similar seating, a nice fireplace and lots of old paintings on the walls. As you pass the rooms, the servery remains accessible to your right hand side, with a hatch followed by a longer stretch of counter, again with dazzling tile work and access to most of the hand pumps. An staircase stands next to a door marked Public Kitchen, which I found a bit confusing and therefore didn't explore, although I did hear the clack of pool balls later during my stay, so perhaps this is now a games room. Beyond this there are two more rooms which I failed to properly explore, one of which seemed to have a very decorative fireplace. There is a large garden to the rear which until recently boasted one of the area's largest crown bowling greens, but now contains a children's play area. Covered outdoor seating is also available. It's also worth noting the toilet doors, which are relocated etched glass doors from the former Smoke Room (Gents) and Jug and Bottle (Ladies). A whiteboard in the front room lists all of the ale options, should you not want to brave the bar blockers along the main stretch of bar to the rear. The options on my visit were Roosters Yankee, Moorhouse Pride of Pendle, Goose Eye Chinook, Phoenix Navvy, Bowland Hooky Killick and Reedley Hallows Filly Close Blonde. A very friendly and welcoming barmaid poured me a good pint of the Yankee and I was so enamoured with the pub that I stayed on for a pint of the Hooky Killick as well, which was even better. The pub seems to have a sizeable local following who the staff have a good rapport with, although I was afforded a very warm welcome as a first time visitor. As I wandered through the drab back streets of Great Harwood to reach this place, I wondered what I was letting myself in for, but I was so glad I made the effort to find this place - a hidden gem if ever there was one. This is well worth the bus ride from Blackburn or Accrington and deserves to be much more widely known.

This pub is a real find for people who like pubs as they used to be. There were about 5 or 6 small rooms decorated in an old fashioned sort of way. The beer garden was one of the biggest I have ever seen. At one time it used to be a bowling green. The best part though is the selection of real beers on sale. There were about 5 or 6 different ones on sale when we were there! Lovers of real ale could spend a few happy hours there. The staff were friendly and when time permits i will return to try the beers I missed. If you are in the area don't miss it.