The Bank Holiday weekend’s here at last, and we’d like to think we’ve earned the right to a few in a nice beer garden.
Handy for us, then, a new list of the UK’s favourite beer gardens has just been released.
Revealed via an interactive map created by UK company Roché Awnings, Google maps footfall data has been used to show off the most popular pubs across the country.
Even better, six of them are in Greater Manchester. Read on to find the one closest to you.
The Briton’s Protection
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Great Bridgewater St, Manchester
It’s no surprise to see this iconic Manchester pub on the list. Famous for holding the biggest collection of Jack Daniels in the city, The Briton’s Protection has over 350 whiskies and bourbons on its back bar. One of Manchester’s most beloved watering holes, the pub dates back to 1811. Popular with ale fans alike, it has one regular staple – Beartown’s The Britons Protection Bitter – and seven changing guest beers. It’s deceptively small inside but boasts a large beer garden to the rear.
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Terrace NQ
Thomas Street, Manchester
Thomas Street has changed a lot in recent years, but one thing that’s stayed (pretty much) constant is Terrace NQ. Like every other bar down there, it’s got a good number of tables out front – but venture inside and up the stairs and you’ll find not one, not two but three beer terrace gardens on its roof. Amazingly, it’s still considered by some in the city to be a bit of a hidden gem – perhaps due to the fact that, despite being right there in the name, the terraces weren’t actually open for the first three years of trading.
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The Courtyard
Chester Street, Manchester
Popular undergrad haunt The Courtyard has one of the biggest beer gardens in central Manchester. Set in the quadrangle underneath a big block of student halls, it’s partially covered and heated – making it an ideal choice for early spring drinks. It also prides itself on being cheaper than Wetherspoons, with some of the cheapest pints, ciders and spirit mixers in Manchester.
The King’s Arms
Bloom Street, Salford
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Originally housed across the road in the old gasworks office, today this Grade-II listed pub is housed in an impressive Victorian building. Dating back to 1879, it’s worth a visit for many reasons: including its famous house cat, Charlie, top beer selection and cracking little beer garden.
The Old Pint Pot
Adelphi Street, Salford
Also known as Adelphi, The Old Pint Pot in Salford is a popular stomping ground with Salford’s students and locals alike. Tucked a little off the beaten path, its outside terrace has some decent views over the River Irwell sitting as it does on the river’s horseshoe bend. You’ll find a good range of real ales here, plus lagers, ciders and spirit mixers – all reasonably priced.
The Palantine Public House
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Lower Broughton, Salford
A popular pub in Lower Broughton, Salford, The Palantine is a bit out of the way but well worth the trip if you want to make a day of it. Boasting a great beer garden out the back, it serves up a good mix of beers, spirit mixers and fun cocktails. The pub also shows live sport fixtures on big screens, worth a taking note of if you’re looking for somewhere to watch the Euro’s this summer.
Feature image – Terrace NQ
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Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of £2.5bn investment package
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Stockport is finally getting trams.
It’s been a long time coming, so long, in fact, that rumours first began swirling all the way back in July 2022 when then Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted at in PMQs, all before Mayor Andy Burnham insisted in October 2023 that he had ‘big ambitions’ to deliver the project once and for all, but now it’s finally been confirmed.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has today revealed that Stockport will be connected to the Metrolink tram network thanks to a £2.5 billion funding boost from the Government.
At this moment in time, Stockport is one of only a few boroughs in the region that’s not currently connected up to the expansive Metrolink network, but all of that is set to change very soon, as Greater Manchester is beginning the construction of the town’s very-first tram line.
It will help deliver:
🐝 Eight rail lines and 64 stations into the capped system by 2028
🐝 A new tram line to Stockport
🐝 A new tram-train service connecting Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Oldham
While the intention for trams to eventually travel to and from the town has been known for quite some time now, there hasn’t been much talk of timelines or when this would actually become a reality.
For now, it seems there’s still no timelines as such, but at least there’s confirmation.
The confirmation that trams will be coming to Stockport forms part of a lineup of exciting transport announcements this week, all of which Andy Burnham has called a ‘game-changing moment’ that will ‘underpin Greater Manchester’s green growth’ for years to come.
Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of a £2.5 billion investment package / Credit: TfGM
Other announcements include the fact that Greater Manchester‘s Bee Network is to become a fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030, local rail lines will be brought into the Bee Network before the end of the decade, fully joining up bike, bus, tram, and train travel for the first time outside London, and the introduction of new electric buses, tram lines, tram stops, and transport interchanges.
North Manchester, Bury, and Oldham are the areas set to receive new Metrolink stops to support delivery of thousands of new homes, and Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood, and Bury will all be connected to each other via the Bee Network.
“Building on our strong track record, we can now move at pace to deliver the next phase of the Bee Network – creating the UK’s first fully electric, zero emission integrated public transport system by 2030,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham as the funding package was announced this week.
The Bee Network become a fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030 / Credit: TfGM
“With a pipeline of major transport projects better connecting our towns and cities, and local rail lines brought into the Bee Network, our communities will be the first outside London to be served by fully joined-up bike, bus, tram, and train travel.
“Greater Manchester has had a decade of growth faster than the UK average, and this funding can be the key to unlocking even more growth in the decade to come.
“It’s a major boost for our own plans to deliver £10bn of investment over the next 10 years, build thousands of new homes, create skilled jobs, and open up new opportunities right across our city-region.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Police still searching for answers six months after remains of baby girl found in Little Hulton park
Emily Sergeant
Six months on after the remains of a baby girl were found in a park in Little Hulton, police are still searching for answers.
It was on 20 November 2024 that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) received a call from a member of the public reporting the discovery of what appeared to be human remains in a park in the Little Hulton area of Salford – but it was only when officers and detectives attended the scene that they determinted the remains to be that of a baby girl.
At the time, police referred to the baby simply as ‘Baby A’, but it’s now be confirmed that they chose to name her Ava.
Since that day, a dedicated team from GMP’s Major Incident Team has worked ‘tirelessly’ to uncover the truth about who Baby Ava was and what led to her being left alone.
Detectives have followed up on hundreds of public tips, conducted thousands of hours of house-to-house enquiries, reviewed extensive CCTV footage, and collaborated with police forces and agencies across the country in pursuit of identifying who baby Ava was and securing justice for her… but as of yet, there are no answers.
Police are still searching for answers six months after the remains of a baby girl found in a Little Hulton park / Credit: Google Maps
Information from the public also led police to speak with potential witnesses nationwide, and time was also spent trawling the national missing person database, focusing on cases involving females who were potentially pregnant and reported missing, yet these were unsuccessful.
To this day, police continue to work closely with a range of experts.
Currently, a botanist is helping detectives determine how long Ava may have been at the discovery site, and work is continuing with an anthropologist, archaeologist, and specialists in dental and bone analysis to establish Ava’s age and ethnicity.
As investigations continue at a rapid pace, police have reissued their appeal to the public for information.
Police have since named the baby Ava as their search for answers continues / Credit: GMP
“We will never forget Baby Ava, and despite the challenges in the investigation, we’re committed to uncovering the truth,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Whalley, from GMP’s Major Incident Team. “We are more determined than ever to find who Ava is, who her parents are, and all of the possible scenarios and circumstances which have led Ava to being separated from them.
“I know how heartbreaking this case has been for the communities of Greater Manchester and beyond. The support and compassion we’ve received has been unwavering, and we share the sadness felt for Ava as we continue our search for answers so that we can lay her to rest.
“If you are baby Ava’s mum, please know that you are not alone. You can contact us directly or ask someone you trust to reach out on your behalf. We want to help you.”
Anyone with any information that may be of assistance is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log 1319 of 20/11/24, or by heading to the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Georgina Pellant -
30th April 2021 
