Springfield Hotel, Springfield, Wigan

What a beautiful looking pub, tucked away in the back streets. The interior remains pretty unspoilt and traditional with the multiple rooms, the barmaid was friendly and the beer is typical cheap Wigan prices. Sadly no ale on with all the clips turned around. A few TVs showing football and ticking over with blokes on a Saturday afternoon. It’s worth a look, not too many pubs like this still around.

This is a superb, impressive heritage pub, well preserved and well used by the local community. Camra list it as a historic pub interior of national importance, and it is also Grade II listed. (See Camra's website for a detailed description and photos.) The entrance is too a drinking lobby beside the central bar, which has three hand pumps (and a cuddly toy - see photo). We went for the Black Sheep Bitter, which we thought was pretty good if not top notch, but then, just before we had to leave to go to the match, we noticed the licensee pulling through a fresh barrel, so we had a swift half of that to see us on our way. It's a fairly short walk to the ground - about 10 minutes - but it would have been a lot quicker when Wigan played at Springfield Park, which is now covered in houses.