please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Still going still serving decent ales - although this visit I was subjected to some utter dickhead nattering on his mobile phone for the duration of my visit. I had to leave otherwise my glass might have gone towards his face. Why do so many ignorant piles of shit think they have to inflict their inane boring phone calls on the rest of us ? totally spoilt an otherwise decent pub. A pub is not a fucking personal phone box - go outside or somewhere quiet so as not to inflict your shit on others. (and believe me it was boring shit).
anonymous - 15 Feb 2014 23:04 |
Love this pub but it always saddens me to think it might not be around for long. Popped in on Friday night for a quick pint of Bass which was up to the usual standard. Pubs like this should be preserved not knocked down
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Popped in last weekend to this wonderful pub thinking it could be my last visit.
The landlord informed due to the recession the Coachmakers may be safe for another couple of years as the proposed development has been postponed.
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This was my first visit to the Coachmakers, and to be honest I didn't see what all the fuss is about. It was decent enough and it will be a real shame when/if it goes, but I don't feel it's up to the standard of some of the great pubs of the country.
Six available beers can be enough if chosen properly, but when two of them are Bass and London Pride I'd like a bit more choice although what I had was well-kept. I also think there's a difference between authentic and scruffy and the line is crossed here. Maybe it's unfair to judge a place with such an uncertain future but l'd heard so much about it and had been looking forward to my visit; it's a pity the reality was disappointing.
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Popped in last week. Truly heartbreaking that this pub is being knocked down.
THe destruction of the Potteries continues. Visit this pub before it goes
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A visit for a pint of Titanic Mild today saw the very unwelcome news confirmed that the Coachmakers' will NOT survive beyond next Easter. The new buildings are under way on the opposite side of the road, but once they are complete, the pub will close for ever to make way for...an entrance road to the new bus station. Absolutely criminal.
PLEASE get to the Coachmakers; whilst you still can sample another bit of old and proper England before it dies.
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the best pub in the potteries..DO YOU HEAR...A PROPER GEM
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Glad to see it's still here and though the beer range wasn't as wide as on my previous visits the pint of Adnams Ghost Ship was on top form. Still a freindly and amiable place and still the best pub in the six towns. It does look like it's days will be numbered once the old bus station next door closes - that's progress as they say.
anonymous - 11 Apr 2012 22:07 |
My favourite pub in the Stoke area. Great beer, friendly staff and locals and a throwback to a different time. Am amazed that this pub is under threat but seeing how Hanley has been destroyed over the years nothing surprises me.
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I'm afraid 'Martinish', that you have the wrong end of the stick with this place, perhaps you need to re-visit.
This place is far the best boozer in the area, let alone Hanley! And this ins't due to lack of competition but because of its uniqueness.
A pub must differentiate itself for it to become interesting and thus become a desirable place to visit, drink and enjoy. Quirky inconveniences such as the mechanics on the door, and a hatchway where to order your beer, are the sort of things that make this place a gem (a short trip through the back courtyard to find the Gents is another). Too many pubs consist of one big room behind one big fire door....not this place. This is full of several small individual rooms, that all offer something different; books, a piano, board games, and local characters. I am not local anymore but still visit knowing that a stranger might start up a conversation or tell a joke or two. The Coachmakers hasn't achieved this uniqueness by doing anything special, it just hasn't conformed with modern minimilisation, and to its credit, stands out because of this.
This place is one shining light in the Stoke area and should be cherished. A drinkers pub with top selection of ale and cider. 10/10
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This is an excellent pub, the sort that I'm sure Admiral wish they had many more of. Its proper pub history with the old style rooms, in such a dire town for pubs this one stands out by miles if you are a real ale lover. Keep up the great work and cant wait to return
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Well, having heard about this place from many sources, I must say that when I finally visited there last week, I was completely underwhelmed !
Sure, it�s a good example of a fairly unspoilt, four room traditional local. Sure, it sells a reasonable range of well kept real ales. Sure, it�s almost certainly the best pub in Hanley [ mainly due to lack of competition ! ] But, other than that I wouldn�t say it was anything special.
On entering from the front, there is a very small roon on the left, which houses the main bar, and which (due to the mechanics of door opening) it is almost impossible to get into if there are more than two people in the room already. Then there is a hatchway giving access to the bar, which is presumably where you are expected to order from because all the pump clips were turned sideways to face this.
I had a pint of Titanic Mild, which wasn�t particularly enjoyable, but that may be due to the beer itself and not the way it was kept. [ I don�t particularly like Titanic beers, but usually find the mild quite acceptable] Other beers on include Bass and Kinder Scout. [ All 6/7 beers were either �2.90 or �3 per pint ]
I drank it the small room on the right of the entrance, which was pleasant enough. The only thing I can remember about it is it�s red and black colour scheme, which I thought was a bit off-putting.
6/10 � nothing special in my book
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Visited here on a cold Boxing day evening. The pub was extremely quiet. But it will be a disaster if it were to be demolished. The 4 small separate rooms are full of character. Only the front bar to the left has access to the bar. This bar had particularly nice woodwork with leather on the walls and on the bar itself. The other 3 bars are accessed from a serving hatch in the central corridor. The front bar to the right seemed to be the most popular amongst the locals. The two rear bars were not occupied on my visit. The one to the right has a roaring fire and looked particularly cosy. The corridor itself had some nice original brown tiling and leads to the outdoor toilets. No music is played and I couldn't see a TV. So the traditional atmosphere is preserved. 6 real ales were on - Theakston Mild, Camerons Monkey Stout, Titanic Iceberg, Hopback Summer Lightning, Bass & Wychwood Bah Humbug. Westons Old Rosie was the cider. If this pub seriously does disappear, make sure you get there sooner rather than later. However, I sincerely hope it stays as long as possible.
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Thankfully now open again.
A good selection of 6 real ales on from local and national breweries and in the freezing weather in the Potteries over Christmas a coal fire in one of the rooms.
One of the better pubs in Hanley hope it stays open and the "developers" keep their hands off it.
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To correct the last post the "Coachmakers" now open but for how long we don't know due to the city councils mental redevelopment proposal, don't allow this to happen to the best pub in Hanley posibly the potteries.
I was in last week with a group of friends on a very cold Thursday night, there were quite a few people in and an excellent pint of Brekspear Oxford gold. That good I had several.
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Absolute disaster has finally struck. The Coachmakers closed over the August Bank Holiday when the licensees packed up and left after allowing the beer to run dry. There are unconfirmed internet comments that it would be temporary and would re-open "in a couple of weeks" with new licensees. That two weeks has passed and as of yesterday, there is nothing to suggest it will re-open and the chalkboard outside the door still reads "Elvis has left the building".
Please God that it is a blip on the road to saving this pub, but I do fear this may be the last we have seen of the Coachmakers.
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This is an excellent old style establishment close to Hanley Bus Station. A fairly small place with various rooms, a good selection of top form ales, convivial bar staff and decent clientelle. Had an excellent pint of Screech Owl from Castle Rock and returned later for an equally good pint of a 3 B's of Blackburn brew. There are so few unspoilt alehouses like this left and typically when you come across one you find it's under threat. Can't fault this place in any way as it is your quintessential English town centre pub which is very much an endangered species. Very much worth making the effort to get to.
anonymous - 5 Jun 2010 22:51 |
Fine traditional town pub situated just south of Hanley's shopping precinct, about a mile or so from Stoke station.
It's a multi-roomed gem with 2 rooms either side of the splendid tiled central corridor. The pub has recently been added to CAMRA's National Inventory of Unspoilt Interiors.
The first bar on the left - a small simple bar with the feel of a tap room - is where the locals congregate and here beer and conversation are the staple diet. I quickly fell into conversation with other drinkers, a mixture of regulars and fellow pub/beer enthusiasts. The walls here are covered with a splendid collection of pump clips, reflecting the wide range of beers that have been offered over the years. The other rooms are serviced through a hatch in the corridor and are also unspoilt and traditional.
Beers on - well those that I wrote down - included Burton Bridge Gold Medal Ale, Leeds Pale Ale and RCH Old Slug Porter. The Leeds Pale Ale was an excellent pint, as befits a GBG regular pub.
As we all know by now, the pub is sadly under threat of demolition. Arriving at the pub for my first ever visit recently, and seeing its location ( part of a mini shopping parade in a slip road just off a major roundabout ) , I had jumped to the conclusion that a road widening scheme was being proposed, but the friendly locals and staff explained to me that a "regeneration" of the immediate area is intended. It's not known for sure when the pub's fate will be decided - so people are keeping their fingers crossed in the meantime. CAMRA have highlighted the pub's plight in a recent edition of Whats Brewing.
It's a real classic town community pub - so do try and get there if you can - or, at the very least, sign the petition ( details provided in an earlier posting here )
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Just a great pub and a fantastic warren of rooms. Everything a pub should be and more besides. A gem.
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Great pub, welcoming friendly place, very well-kept beer & interesting range, good conversation - not much more you could want really!
Just off to sign the e-petition - if you've enjoyed this place, please do the same.
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fabulous pub. excelent real ales. very friendly locals. this pub cannot be closed down.
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Brilliant pub with cracking beer
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Finding myself recently relocated to within 30 minutes of Stoke means I simply had to get to the Coachmaker's asap, duly achieved last night. Everything's been said about the layout and character of this marvellous place...pretty quiet at first, but it soon filled up with chatty, friendly locals all there for the excellent range of beers. Signed their petition even before ordering the first beer and have since done so on-line as well. Please God the planners don't get their way.
The next action meeting is on Monday 29th June at 8pm - be there!
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Hope the plans never come to fruition as this is a classic place, described in the guides as a dying breed of Potteries pub. There is a wonderfully tiled central corridor with four rooms leading off it, as well as a hatch giving access to the bar. The bar room to the front left displays the impressive amount of real ales on offer- at least 8, many from local Staffordshire and Cheshire breweries. The room to the front right is cosy and simply furnished and provides for excellent conversation. At the back things are (slightly) more sophisticated with a leather couch and games such as chess, but this does not spoil the atmosphere in any way. Toilets out the back of course! If you visit be sure to sign the petition. A crying shame if the philistines at the council get their way. Indeed, Piloti of Nooks and Corners in Private Eye has written an article about the place.
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Some of the reports posted for many pubs are obviously the work of sad stooges: probably fed with a half-pint of watered beer from a grateful landlord. But on this occasion I could never disagree with the superlatives that have been mentioned. This is a real pub. Sadly not too many left. A tegestologist's delight � try counting the beer mats in one evening. Fantastic character to this place. Where could you find a four piece (dysfunctional) jazz band practising in a room for only about eight customers? As mentioned by Alph there is a real chance of demolition. Please, Stokies, unite to resist this wanton destruction.
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One of the best in the city, excellent drinks, frequented by real charachters rather than the sort of plankton you'll find in the chains. Certainly deserves saving from these parasites at the council.
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walk through, no sghould say push your way through the door and you are cast back forty years!
BUT the ale is excellent, with very knowledgeable staff!
First class man's pub!
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Classic old-style local with real characters - best beer range in Stoke area but Bass is best here.
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Recently become my local.Usually around six guest beers to choose from and even cask lager if that's your preference.The pub has been going since the turn of the century and probably hasn't changed much inside. Outside loo's for the gents a beer corridor and a few smaal rooms.regular CAMRA pub of the month plus friendly and helpful staff.Marvellous.
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