The Old Harkers Arms, Chester

This is a very large and impressive pub situated on the ground floor of a canalside warehouse, upstairs is a separately run Thai restaurant individually accessed. Mr Harker was the canal boat chandler who ran his business from here many years ago. The interior is L-shaped with the bar in the middle returning along the turn of the "L". Distressed wooden floors with a few rugs, lots of exposed brickwork, huge windows, a ceiling partially boarded with port wine cases, plus a bar front made of panelled mahogany doors. Standard issue seating at varying sized tables, some of which look like old dining sets. Lots of interesting decor, old framed prints, articles, maps, adverts and I noticed an old factory clocking in machine. Very busy on Saturday afternoon, although I finally bagged a small table, the abundance of hard surfaces make for a noisy atmosphere. Beer wise there are two banks of five handpumps, the beers being listed with tasting notes on chalkboards over the bar. Saturday had Weetwood Cheshire Cat, Roosters Cream, Flowers Original, Three Tuns 1642 Bitter, Barista Espresso Stout, Otter Amber and the house brew, Brunning & Price Original Bitter, brewed I was told by Phoenix of Manchester. Not cheap, not far off London prices with most beers being £3.30-£3.40. There were also a perry, Two Trees plus Farmhouse Scrumpy, both at £3.70. Paper menus on the tables, repeated on a large chalkboard, most mains between £10 and £16 with steak a couple of quid dearer. Sandwiches came in between £5.25 and £7.95 (for fish fingers) and a cheeseboard could be had for £8.95. I liked it in here despite my whistlestop visit (literally, I was between trains) and the beer quality was spot on. A board by the entrance firmly states no kids allowed.

This large canal side pub is located inside an old Victorian warehouse that was once a canal boat chandlers before being rescued from dilapidation by the Brunning and Price chain in the mid-80's. Laid out in a large L-shape, the interior is open plan with bare floorboards and exposed brickwork which has been painted white in some areas. There are large tables throughout, with a mixture of seating including some nice long pews. The right hand wall is dominated by an enormous bookcase which looks fantastic and fits in nicely with the overall look of the pub. All of the windows have potted plants on their windowsills and part of the ceiling I noticed was covered in old port bottle crates. The walls are covered in old photos, paintings, sketches, maps and letters, as well as the occasional display case, such as one displaying old Toby jugs. Amongst all this I spotted an initiation certificate for the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, dated 1914 and you could spend a great deal of time looking through all of the interesting bits on dispaly. There was a good range of ale available, all detailed on blackboards above the servery. On my visit, the choice was from Brunning and Price Original, Slater's Top Totty, Flowers Original, Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale, Weetwood Cheshire Cat, Hornbeam Black Coral Stout, Titanic Black Ice and Ludlow Black Knight - a good mixture of styles and strengths. I tried the Snowdonia Ale and the Black Coral Stout, both of which were in excellent condition, with the latter being a particularly good drop. I thought this place might be a bit food orientated for my liking, but in the end, we barely noticed anyone eating at all and thought it was a nice cosy spot to enjoy some excellent beer after a stroll along the canal.

Old Harkers Arms page at the Chester Tourist site - www.chestertourist.com

Old Harkers Arms page at the Chester Tourist site - www.chestertourist.com