Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Monday, 15th December 2014
With picture contributions to 11567 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (6 more images)
Requested be closed with reason - For sale: See this : https://www.lancs.live/news/property/morecambes-historic-golden-ball-hotel-18478414. Pub is for sale for £825K.
Detail Pages
The Golden Ball, Morecambe
Snatchems
Postal town: Morecambe
LA3 3ER
Served areas
Reviews of The Golden Ball (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Golden Ball
Excellently described by the previous reviewer, whose conclusion I echo. There are three real ales available, Black Sheep Bitter and two from local Cross Bay Brewery, Sunset and Zenith, but this is not a pub to visit just for its beer selection. It's one of those rare pubs with a unique location, that should be experienced at least once, just so that you can say, I've been there.
Date of visit: 13th December 2014
On 13th February 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3740 recommendations about 3477 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Golden Ball
Occupying a rather isolated position on the banks of the River Lune, a few miles away from Morecambe and Lancaster, is The Golden Ball, or, to give it its apparently more commonly used name – “Snatchems”. Local folklore tells us that the name Snatchems derives from when the River Lune was used as a shipping channel and that, if the ship owners had insufficient crew for the planned voyage as they set sail, they would press gang “volunteers” by snatching unsuspecting customers from the pub as they sat there imbibing.
The pub is a stand alone listed building dating back to 1710 which, apart from a holiday caravan site in a nearby field, is in a somewhat remote location with, seemingly, no local village or housing within a reasonable walking distance from which to draw its clientele.
Inside the pub, we find several characterful adjoining rooms with something of an old fashioned air, served by a small L shaped kiosk style serverY. These rooms feature low dark beams, horse brasses, several grandfather clocks, ships capstans, bird paintings etc and comfortable padded fixed perimeter seating, creating what is a cosy and welcoming ambience.
Various photos dotted around show the pub flooded at high tide, when the road in front of the pub becomes impassable. This is not usually a problem as the car park is on a higher level at the rear of the pub, but you park on the road outside at the front at your peril. The main pub rooms are accessed from the rear car park by descending a steep staircase, rather akin to going down into a cellar. There is, of course, an entrance directly from the front of the pub, avoiding this staircase.
Rather weather beaten picnic tables outside at the front allow one to gaze out over the river to the salt marshes and hills beyond and an information board nearby tells us all about the wide variety of bird life to look out for should you feel so inclined. There’s also a large grass area alongside the pub.
A dining room extension at the higher level was added in 2012. Large windows allow good river views and there’s an outside balcony area here. It’s an unusually characterful largish room decorated with antiquities, the highlight of which is a splendid 18th century wall cabinet occupying pride of place in the centre of the far wall. The corridor to this dining room contains some original stonework, discovered during excavations and is decorated with photographs and memorabilia relating to the landlords former career as a Staff Serjeant who saw service in Bosnia. We learn how he acquired the pub in 2011 after Mitchells of Lancaster had put the pub up for sale and it closed temporarily. We also see the familiar red circular Famous Grouse Pub plaque ( 2011 ).
A sandwich board advertises “food all day – 10am to 8pm” and the menu is reasonably extensive, but it’s definitely of the unpretentious pub grub variety with, pleasingly, prices to match. I formed the view that, taken in isolation, the location and scenery would be a greater attraction than the food offering.
Real ales on were Zenith and Sunset from the local Cross Bay brewery plus Black Sheep, which, I gather is a regular fixture. Beers were in reasonable form, but I didn’t detect any real management interest in real ale and I didn’t see anything to suggest the range rotates regularly.
Alcoholic drinks ( not just the real ales ) come with a token, 10 of which will get you £1 off a subsequent drink. Alternatively, if you collect as many as 150, you can acquire a branded “Snatchems” polo shirt. After my recent mid-September visit, I can report that I still need a further 147.
I think this pub is worth seeking out if the opportunity presents itself.
On 3rd October 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
peter ashworth left this review about The Golden Ball
Pub overlooking the Lune estuary and known locally as Snatchems due to the notorious press gangs that would sometimes visit and drag the customers off to sea.If you plan to visit this pub check first for high tides, as the road gets flooded making the pub inaccessible.
On 21st March 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2318 recommendations about 2275 pubs]
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of The Golden Ball - www.snatchems.co.uk
- Facebook - Golden Ball Hotel at Snatchems Free House.
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Golden Ball - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : Yes last updated 30 January 2021 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
- Car Park : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
- Micropub : No last updated 30 January 2021 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
- WiFi : Yes last updated 19 February 2014 by Alan Hurdle
