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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Bate Hall, Macclesfield
Macclesfield
SK11 6BX
Pub Type
Town Centre Pub (Marstons)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Old Boots left this review about The Bate Hall
Allegedly an old pub, it was deserted when I called in, I noticed some old ceiling beams that looked original and maybe in situ. There’s a back bar with servery and pool table. Otherwise there’s not much to recommend the place, it’s nicely decorated apart from the dodgy animal heads on old portraits wallpaper, there’s a mix of furniture high and low, it also claims some ghosts. On the counter to the rear left we have three pulls with a dispiriting choice of Pedigree, ( what happened to that excellent beer?) and Hobgoblin Gold, now an equally nasty drop, I suspect it’s the filtering and reseeding they get up to that produces beer this poor. Anyway back to the pub, not much more to say it’s so bland and featureless, the most exciting thing was the barmaid and her boyfriend having a quick snog and grope.
On 13th February 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]
Strongers . left this review about The Bate Hall
The Bate Hall is a long and thin Marston’s pub that reportedly dates from the 16th century, which I could sense even with the knocking through of rooms over the years. The Oak Bar is found in the left front where seating in the front window is separated from the bar counter across the rear by a flagstone floor. There’s a mix of standard and high tables on laminate to the right where a burner sits on the rear wall. I sat on one of these high tables facing the television in the bar that was showing an England pre Euro24 friendly. About five minutes from the end of the first half the landlady turned the sound off and declared that Love Island would be going on for the start of the second half. Steps to the left of the bar counter lead up to a rear bar where the pub’s dart team were practising ready for a Monday night league match. They weren’t very friendly, maybe they were just in the zone awaiting the arrival of their opponents, who knows! In the right rear of the pub is an nice parquet floored room that is being used as a dining area, although it looked like half the table and chairs were missing.
Standard keg was available alongside Ringwood’s Razorback and Wainwright’s Amber, the former being very much past its best. This isn’t a pub I’ll be revisiting.
On 13th June 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Bate Hall
I've walked past this pub a couple of times on previous trips to Macclesfield, but it was reading the review from ROB Camra below that prompted me to make a visit. Not because I like sour beer - I don't even like deliberately sour beer, never mind an iffy Pedigree. No, it was more a matter of facing a challenge. We now know what the pub is like, but can I hack the beer?
There were three hand pumps on the bar, one offering Wainwright Amber, one Ringwood Razorback and the middle one a Santa hat (see photo). I went for the Ringwood (or the no-longer-brewed-by-Ringwood - I guess we should be saying Banks's) while my drinking companion went for the other non-hat option. What he got was not Wainwright Amber - see his photo at https://retiredmartin.com/2023/12/08/macc-macc-will-tear-us-apart-again/ - it looks like a blonde to me. My Razor was NBSS 3. Martin said his Wain was "a comfortable NBSS 3", while I think mine needed a little shove to get across that line.
There's a smart dining room at the rear (empty on an early December Tuesday afternoon) and a pool room. It's good that they've spent some money to try to get people to use this pub, but I tend to agree with the previous reviewer about lost character and wonder if smartening the place up absolutely has to also remove it. I wonder if the present version of this pub will last long enough to develop some character of its own, or will it "need a refurb" two or three years down the line? Maybe I'll come back to see, but there are definitely better pubs in Macc than this, and they'll be my priority, I reckon.
Date of visit: 5th December 2023
On 24th December 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Bate Hall
Much of the character that this pub must once have had has been removed, although there are a few old bits knocking about. A split room at the front and a further area to the rear. Two Marstons beers on the bar and my pint of Pedigree was sour. The barmaid had disappeared, so I had to hang around the bar for a good 5 minutes to get my beer changed. The Banks's was in OK nick, if not great. A decent enough looking pub, but the beer is a bit iffy.
On 2nd November 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bate Hall
Venerable town-centre pub, with "Oliver Cromwell stayed here several times" being its claim to historical fame. Nowadays, though, it's a fairly basic town-centre boozer; and on a cold, wet Saturday afternoon, populated by older blokes watching the horse racing or playing darts. Apart from that, the two-part front area houses the main bar and a pool table, and a separate lounge bar can be found behind this and then a back room beyond. As a Marston's house, it was no surprise to find Pedigree on one of the three handpumps, but Banks's Amber (£3.00) was also available on another.
On 13th February 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Sam Hale left this review about The Bate Hall
Decent enough pub - clientele are a little rough but landlord runs a tight ship. Great location on main drag.
On 12th June 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Bate Hall
A pleasant enough town centre pub. A bar area at the front with 3 real ales on from Marston's. A passageway at the side of the bar leads to another drinking area. A patio at the rear for outside drinking.
On 15th July 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Bate Hall
This pub is on a pedestrianised street in the centre of Macclesfield.
Once inside here the pub was quite smart and very busy, this is a Marstons tied house and there were two real ales on the bar i had a drink of marstons bitter and this was a decent drink the other beer was Pedigree.
Pub visited 23/9/2000
On 23rd September 2000
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]