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The Anvil, Wigan
Wigan
WN1 1ND
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Anvil
Imposing red brick building housing a large and slightly shabby locals pub inside, feeling the history of insensitive knock-throughs and cheap ad hoc refurbs alongside battered tables and wood panelling glooped in a nasty off-red colour. The right-hand area was the codger zone, watching the snooker. Plenty of people in and a great atmosphere alongside genuinely friendly service. Five cask, three regional and two from Wigan Brewhouse (Allgates no longer a thing now). My WB Porter was sightly flatlining but in good nick (NBSS 3.5). I think I spotted cider and a couple of continentals as well. It’s place where the customers make it, I can imagine feeling less positive on a wet Monday afternoon. GBG’23 listed. 7.5
On 11th March 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Anvil
The Anvil is an old school feeling boozer with at least three rooms / sections, and what looked like it could possibly be a function room at the end of the corridor near the gents. At the bar on Wednesday lunchtime I found five hand pulls offering cask ale, an additional two unclipped, and a final two dedicated to real cider. My Old Boston (plum porter) by Wigan Brewhouse slipped down very nicely. At least one or two other ales by this brewery were also available.
A handful of what I assume to be locals / regulars were spread across the main section of the pub at the time of my visit, though I imagine it can get a bit livelier later on. Having said that, it doesn't seem like the kind of place that would attract or tolerate idiots.
There is banquette seating, old worn varnished tables, and a slightly faded patterned carpet. There was a TV on in one of the rooms but not sure what it was showing. This is a clean pub (including the toilets) and there was a slight smell of bleach or chlorine throughout. Well worth a look.
On 10th March 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Anvil
The Anvil has a central bar that faces banquettes under the front windows. More seating is found in areas to the left and the right of the bar. Televisions are located throughout for airing Sky Sports. The bar supports nine handpumps, four of which were unused during a recent Monday evening visit. Mallinsons Brewing’s Motueka and Moutere, Wigan Brewhouse’s Dry Bones, Thwaites Wainwright and Thistly Cross Cider were the cask options. A standard and premium keg range is also available. This is a decent pub that’s well worth a visit.
On 15th September 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Anvil
Fine real ale pub, retaining three distinct areas in the partly opened-out interior, with the bar in the central section. Separate rooms can be found on either side; one refurbished in the same lighter style but the other darker despite it being on the corner and having windows on two sides. Patio seating can also be found out in the rear yard. An array of nine handpumps offers two draught ciders and seven cask beers in a wide range of styles, including Deception (£2.55) as one of a pair from Abbeydale.
On 6th July 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Anvil
I think this was only converted to a pub in the 80s or so. that said, it's all traditional and very much a boozers boozer. very popular with Wigan's oldies as well as football and rugby fans, it's definitely the best pub in Wigan for beer if nothing special in any other department.
On 31st July 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Anvil
A decent pub this one and well worth a visit. All the ales we tried were in excellent condition. There were 7 ales and 1 cider to choose from on our visit. We tried ales from Allgates and Nottingham Brewery.
On 22nd February 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Anvil
This pub is effectively Allgates brewery tap. We met Dave Mayhall from Allgates here who had worked with one of our crew in the past and very kindly offered us a brewery tour and a couple of beers. The pub is as described by PSM below. There are 7 handpumps including a couple of Allgates beer, a Hyes beer and a real cider. We tried 4 different beers between us, all were in great condition. The pub gets packed when Wigan football or rugby teams are at home, but it's a very pleasant place for a pint or two when it's quieter. It's a very good pub and is listed in the CAMRA GBG2014.
On 11th September 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Anvil
This town centre pub, close to Wigan bus station and the Allgates Brewery, is one of the town’s finest ale houses. The pub has a three room interior with the servery on the rear wall of the middle room. There are limited seating options here, with a few tables opposite the bar and a TV screen showing the day’s early FA Cup fixture. To the right there is a nice lounge with bench and standard seating in a well lit room which was packed with football fans watching the match on a second screen in readiness for Wigan Athletic’s own Cup tie later that afternoon. To the left of the bar there is a quiet room with three tables along a single banquette. Posters for the Phoenix brewery and pump clip displays from Hyde’s hang alongside a fine collection of CAMRA and Cask Marque certificates, confirming the pub’s commitment to quality ale. The décor is a bit odd, with the floor partly carpeted and partly laminate wood and the walls are an odd grey/green combination which doesn’t look that great. A door at the back of the lounge area leads out to a compact, decked outdoor seating area.
I believe the pub is now run by Allgates and two of their beers – Milk Stout (£2.35) and All Black – were available alongside Ossett Yorkshire Blonde, Hyde’s Original. Crouch Vale Brewers Gold and George Wright Pipe Dream, plus a single real cider. I gave the Milk Stout a try, which was in good condition, if not my favourite example of this style. The bar staff were working hard to keep up with the demand from the football crowd and seemed like a friendly bunch.
This is a stand out pub for Wigan and the beer range alone should be enough to mark it out as an essential part of any town centre crawl. I’d like to return here when it’s a little less manic as I got the impression it would be a nice pub to unwind in for a few hours.
On 18th January 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Anvil
Don't be put off by the Hydes pubsign,this place is home to much more than just boring brown beer.It sits on a street corner and the bar is to the left of the entrance with a flat screen,beyond which is a seating area and then the lavs.To the right of the entrance is a large square lounge with a big flat screen and bench seating around two sides.There is a doorway to a courtyard for smokers with a few benches.
Listed in the 2012 GBG,there are eight handpumps with ,on our trip,two from Allgate All Black and Ostrava,Northumberland Best,Phoenix Arizona,Dark Star American Pale Ale, Hydes Best and a scrumpy cider.
All beers consumed were in great nick,and the atmosphere was blokish with some serious quaffing going on.Good to see one punter who had one over the eight being firmly ordered to go home by the strict landlady,before wobbling off.The screens were showing Rugby League ,which is a semi religion in these parts.If there is a better ale house in central Wigan,I would like to hear about it.I am sure I will be back.
On 10th July 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
BEN UNSWORTH left this review about The Anvil
A great pub in wigan which used to be Hydes of Manchester but is now run by Algates who have there own brews on the bar plus a good choice of guests.The drinks we had were in good condition and were at very reasonal prices.
On 15th August 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 75 recommendations about 69 pubs]