106 The Druid's Arms - Hathershaw

First  visited  :  6  December  2015

This  one  didn't  look  too  promising  either.  It's   a  little  further  towards  Oldham  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  road  , tucked  in  amongst  Asian-owned  fast  food  outlets  and  taxi  firms  with  a  Krishna  Community  Centre  behind  it.

I  was  quite  surprised  to  find  it  well  patronised  this  afternoon  with  only  Welling  v  Carlisle  on  the  TV.  It  has  the  one  large  lounge, over-lit  and  cheaply  decorated  but  clean  enough  and  advertises  live  entertainment  at  weekends. There  was  nothing  calling  for  a  return  visit  but  it  was  OK.

105 The Colliers Arms Cross Hotel - Hathershaw

Not  visited

This  one  was  further  up  the  road  from  The  Honeywell  Arms  towards  Oldham .Although  some  of  the  signs  for  it  are  still  in  place  it  is  now  a  white  goods  store.

104 The Honeywell Arms - Hathershaw

First  visited : 14  November  2015

I  certainly  wasn't  looking  forward  to  visiting  this  down-at-heel  Robinson's  pub  situated  just  outside  the  Park  Cakes  factory  which  is  presumably  the  reason  for  its  survival  ( although  many  of  the  employees  are  Muslims ). The  peeling  paintwork  and  rotting  window  frames   promised  absolutely  nothing  and  my  visit  was  as  brief  as  possible.

I  only saw  the  lounge  area. I've  been  in  dirtier  places  but  there  was  nothing  charming  about  it. A  few  tawdry  Christmas  decorations  had  gone up  or  possibly  were  left  over  from  last  year  and  somebody's  hand  drawings  of various  celebrities  had  been  framed  and  put  on  the  walls.

The  barman  was  a  grizzled  middle  aged  guy  wearing  an  anorak  and  bobble  hat  as  if  ready  to  vacate  the  premises  at a  moment's  notice. Some  guy  wearing  white  overalls  passed  through  but  none  of  the  seven  or  eight  guys  drinking  at  the  bar  looked  like  they  worked  at  the  factory,  or  anywhere  else  for  that  matter. Some  younger  people  were  playing  pool to  the  side  of  me,  all  of  them  swearing  away   like  troopers , particularly  the  females. The  best  thing  I  can  say  about  the  place  is  that  I  got  out  unharmed.    

103 Hathershaw Hotel - Hathershaw

First  visited : 25  October  2015

I  didn't  have  high  hopes  for  this  one  as  Hathershaw  isn't  the  nicest  area  in  Oldham  ( or  the  worst  to  be  fair ).

It's  a  large  red  brick  building  which  has  seen  better  days. It's  now  just  called  "The  Hathershaw"  which  seems  more  in  keeping  with  the  area. When  Simon  and  I  called  today  the  front  door  was  shut. A  lady  nearby  told  us  this  was  to  keep  the  numbers  manageable  with  the  Manchester  derby  being  shown. This  proved  to  be  comically  unnecessary  as  there  were  barely  a  dozen  people  there  - and  that's  including  Simon  and  I  - when  the  game  kicked   off. That's  the  biggest  impression  the  place  made  on  me, how  much  larger  it  is  than  it  now  needs  to  be. It's  cold , cavernous  and  sparsely  decorated  and  some  of  the  seating  is  appallingly  shabby  but  it's  not  unwelcoming  and  the  staff  were  friendly  enough.

It  hosts  live  bands  at  weekend. There  didn't  seem  to  be  a  stage  for  them  but  looking  at  the  picture  above  it  seems  like  there  might  be  a  function  room  on  the  upper  floor.

I'm  not  likely  to  call  again  but  it  could  have  been  much  worse.    

102 The Black Diamond - Bardsley

First  visited : 23  June  2000

I've  marked  this  one  in  the  book  as  Hathershaw  but  it's  really  in  Bardsley , just  across  the  borough  border  into  Oldham.

This  one  was  visited  much  earlier  than  the  others  nearby  because  it  was  the  venue  for  the  post -walk  drink  after  a  stroll  up  to  Hartshead  Pike  from  the  nearby  museum  complex  at  Bardsley  Bridge. It  was  the  last  in  a  series  of  evening  strolls  I  led  for   Manchester  Christian  Social  Group  which  were  always  as  closest  to  the  longest  day  as  I  could  get  partly  because  the  previous  group  co-ordinator  had  the  habit  of   keeping  everyone  waiting  for  someone  who'd  said  they  might  turn  up  so  previous  strolls  through  parks  had  ended  up  being  in  the  dark.

It  wasn't  a  great  night  weather-wise  but  I  was  still  disappointed  that  only  four  including  myself  and  Julie  turned  up, the  worst  turnout  I'd  had  for  a Friday  walk.  I  think  by  that  point  it  had  become  clear  that  there  was  a  bit  of  a  clique  at  the  heart  of  the  Group  who  were  supporting  each  other's  events  but  weren't  too  fussed  about  coming  to  those  organised  by  members  outside  the circle  particularly  if  there was  some  effort  involved  in  getting  to  the  start.  Less  than  six  months  later  we  were  out  of  the  Group  after  I  tried  to  break  this  up  by  advertising  the  Group  on  the  internet . I  hadn't  asked  their  permission  having  an  inkling  that   it  wouldn't  be  given  by  the  Calvinist-inclined  new  co-ordinator ; I  think  I  was  hoping for  an  influx  of  new  members  before  they  realised  where  these  people   were  coming  from  but  they  cottoned  on  quickly  and  stamped  on  me. My  initial  response  was  to  fight  my  corner  but  a  moment's  reflection   made  me  realise  the  position  was  hopeless  so  we  left  for  pastures  new  and  the  Group  dwindled  away  into  nothing  over  the  next  couple  of  years.

Anyway  it  was  a  reasonable  walk. Julie  was  still  a  law  student  at  the  time  and  enjoyed  chatting  to  George  who  was  a  magistrate. As  far  as  I  can  recall  the  pub  was  quite  nice  inside  ; the  only  discordant  notes  were   hit  by  the  fourth  person  present ,  Barry, first  by  doing  an  impromptu  dance demonstration   and  then  sticking  up  for  his  absent  friend  Annetta  when  George  and  Julie  started  bitching  about  her, which  made  the  latter  exceedingly  cross.

101 The Dog and Pheasant - Ashton-under- Lyne

First  visited  : 23  August  2015

This  one's  a  bit  further  up  Oldham  Road   on  the  right  hand  side. The  car  park  is  very  well  hidden  to  the  rear  of  the  building. It's  a  large  pub  with   four  separate  but  very  similar-looking  old-fashioned  lounges. Its  over-decorated  with  the  usual  pictures, tea-tins, books  etc  but  unpretentious.

I  went  there  for  lunch  with  Simon  and  Julie. The  pub  was  near-empty  when  we  got  there  though  one  or  two  more  came  in  afterwards. The  young  guy  behind  the  bar  was  very  friendly. The  food  was  OK; the  portions  were  generous , the  prices  reasonable  and  the  quality  average. I  wouldn't  recommend  it  but  wouldn't  put  anyone  off  either. Julie  thought  the  cutlery  could  have  been  a  bit  cleaner.

100 The Dog and Partridge - Ashton-under-Lyne

First  visited : 21  June  2015

The  Dog  and  Partridge  is  almost  opposite  the  Woodman  , just  beyond  the  lights  at  Wilshaw  Lane.

This  was  quite  lucky  as  the  pub  only  re-opened  about  six  weeks  ago.  I  say  pub  but  it's  pretty  much  a  restaurant  now  with  only  a  small  drinking  area  and  high  drinks  prices.
Inside  it's  fashionably  light  and  airy  with  tasteful  decorations. Simon  and  I  had  lunch  there  and  it  was  quite  good  with  friendly  service. The  food  prices  are  reasonable  rather  than  great  value  but  I  certainly  wouldn't  be   averse  to  going  back  there.