The Egerton Arms, Astbury

A case study in how to ruin a good country pub. Years ago, the Egerton Arms was a welcoming village pub with separate rooms, and a traditional wood and glass bar at one end. It was a lot like the Harrington Arms in Gawsworth still is, and which pleases our CAMRA crowd.

Then, the philistines took over. That fine historic bar was ripped out, and thrown in a skip. The welcoming rooms were all opened up, destroying the character of the place. A chintzy restaurant was added on the back. A great big horrible bar was built right in the centre, dominating the whole pub.

Even worse, the big bar was then covered in thick 1970s formica � with contrasting panels crudely stuck on with double sided tape. The rest of the pub is decorated in rough plaster, and lacks any character. No wonder English Heritage cancelled the Egerton�s Listed Building status, saying everything worth preserving had been destroyed. Grim.

The result ? If you want to stand and talk, or just wait for your drink at the bar, you are in a big corridor between the kitchens and the toilets, constantly moving out of the way of young staff carrying meals, and people pushing through on their way to their ablutions.

Sit down, and you have a choice of cheap furniture that makes the place like the canteen in a working men�s club. None of the traditional farmhouse chairs, comfortable settles or scrubbed tables you�d expect in the promised �country pub with a difference�.. And certainly not the �comfortable lounge� claimed by Robinsons.

The only place where you can stand in peace is a small alcove near the gents � which doubles as a shrine to the landlord�s wife. Restricted, and uncomfortable,

A welcoming local in a Cheshire village ? Never. The layout, furniture, d�cor and welcome from the brusque landlord would make Morse spin in his grave.

So, if you like Robinsons, or you need to feed a family on heaps of average food in canteen surroundings, you�ve got reasons to visit. But if, like my hubby, you want a good drinking pub but don�t enjoy Robinsons, there�s no reason to go there � and plenty of better alternatives within a few miles. And if you like Robinsons, the Horseshoe or the Coach & Horses are a better choice.

So, give the Egerton a miss.

Doris the Spider

23 Jul 2009 15:26