A historic Greater Manchester pub has been recognised with CAMRA’s Historic England Conservation Award, having been lovingly restored to its former glory.
The Swan & Railway pub in Wigan was damningly branded as the “worst pub in Wigan” by a punter on TripAdvisor back in 2016 but now, following some extensive repairs by its new landlord, the drinking hole has been given a prestigious award acknowledging its historic importance.
Landlord John Brearley has invested significantly in the property – and now he has been awarded a prestigious award in recognition of the work he has done to improve the historic pub and honour its period features – which range from stunning hand-painted stained glass windows to original Victorian tiling.
The historic pub dates all the way back to 1898 / Image: The Swan & Railway
Dating back to 1898, the Swan & Railway suffered a serious fire in 1982 but still retains its late-Victorian footprint today. Grade-II listed in 1995, it was closed for a number of years before being taken on by its current landlord in 2018 and extensively refurbished.
Now, it seems that work has paid off handsomely with CAMRA choosing to honour both pub and landlord in one fell swoop at the belated 2021 pub design awards.
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Situated opposite Wigan North Western rail station, the Swan & Railway has now had a new roof fitted and been made waterproof but it still retains its impressive original features – which include foliated glazed wall tiles, a mosaic floor that spells out the name “Swan & Railway Hotel”, panelled and stained glass screens and an original settle.
It has some absolutely stunning original period features inside / Image: The Swan & Railway
It has also now got some brand new bathrooms, as well as a few new additions to its interior including an impressive new marble top bar counter and all-new soft furnishings.
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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, owner John spoke of his pride at turning the once ‘rather sad’ building into a ‘smart and welcoming place’ for punters to enjoy once again.
“We have sought to turn the Swan back to how it would have ‘come out of the box’ new in its extravagant Victorian heyday, bustling and lively but with corners to relax in and there for everyone to enjoy as a proper pub,” he said.
The food menu includes some brilliant pies from Pieminister / Image: The Swan & Railway
The cosy drinking area next to the bar retains an original settle / Image: The Swan & Railway
“We hope we’ve brought you something special as we’ve sought to turn the pub back to how in would have ‘come out of the box’ new in its extravagant Victorian heyday,” said the pub owners.
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“Bustling and lively but with corners to relax in we hope you enjoy it as a proper pub.”
On the drinks front, you’ll find some top-notch real ales here (it’s a CAMRA-awarded pub now, after all) alongside a carefully chosen wine list and a good selection of spirits.
These can be enjoyed in its stunning tiled drinking corridor, alongside some brilliant Pieminister pies from its food menu (this is Wigan, the home of great pies, after all).
The Swan & Railway pub also has some gorgeous rooms upstairs / Image: The Swan & Railway pub
You’ll also find some cracking scotch eggs and pork pies on the menu here, plus other pub favourites like sausage rolls, pork scratchings, olives, paninis and flatbreads.
Perfect for whiling away a pleasant afternoon or evening, the Swan also has rooms upstairs for those who’d like to indulge and don’t fancy driving home at the end of the night.
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You can find The Swan and Railway pub at 80 Wallgate, Wigan WN1 1BA. To see the full menus and find out more, head over to the pub’s website here.
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
News
Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd August 2021 
