Grapes Hotel, Salford

The Grapes Hotel is a large imposing pub with an impressive unspoilt Victorian interior that is well worth a look. The central corridor is served by a hatch, that has been semi-covered by a Perspex screen to stop the spread of the flu. The bar to the right is L shaped with a small square seating area at the front that also houses a dartboard. Monday evening’s are Manchester darts nights in the local area so there were a few people practising. More seating runs up the right hand wall overlooked by the bar counter. There are two banks of two hand pumps, all badged with Holts Bitter. The standard Holts keg range was also available. To the left of the front entrance is the “Bar Parlour” that houses seating, another dartboard and a large television that was showing greyhound racing to an empty room. The next room along on the left is the “Smoke Room” which is larger with more seating, another TV and some disco lights, that were off during my early Monday evening visit. In the right rear is a large pool room. Centrally located in the corridor are a flight of stairs which I imagine lead up to some rooms, if this is in fact a functioning hotel? I found the pub to be very interesting, but the service was laboured and disinterested. Maybe the barperson just had the Monday blues, but they need to cheer up a bit.

A magnificent Holts's gin palace built in 1903. Four large rooms plus a bar area. At the rear to the right there's a billiards room which no longer has a billiards table, but there is a pool table and a dartboard and a great fireplace. To the rear left is a lounge with disco lights and speakers, also with a fireplace. To the front left is a room with a massive TV screen which was showing Racing UK to half a dozen stalwarts. To the right is a large tap room where 3 regulars and the barmaid were playing Crash. Being a Holts's pub built around the turn of the century there's lots of green tiling as have all their pubs around the same period. They must have bought a truckload at the time. My Holts Bitter was in good nick and at £1.10 is a bit of a bargain. If you're in the area it's definitely worth popping in for look and a quick half, just to see what late Victorian pubs used to be like.

Another one of Joseph Holt,s magnificent unspoilt pubs fantastic interior and bar one very well kept back room with a full size snooker table. Its a must when in Eccles to visit