June - Blossoms
Blossoms
2 Buxton Road, Heaviley, Stockport SK2 6NU
The Stockport & South Manchester Pub of the Month for June 2020 was the Blossoms in Heaviley. For obvious reasons it was not possible to make the award in that month, and was actually presented on Thursday 23 September 2021.
The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA winner for June is the Blossoms at 2 Buxton Road, Heaviley and here is why.
The Blossoms is an excellent, unspoilt local with three rooms radiatingoff a traditional drinking lobby. Two of the rooms, notably the rear Smoke Room, retain many original features, with fixed seating and panelling. Upstairs is a large and well-used function room.
This landmark pub, prominently sited on the A6, was reputedly built as a coaching house in the 18th century and in the 19th was used for the planning meetings when the nearby St George's Church was being designed.
Today it's a Robinsons' 'Ale Shrine' and in normal times sells a wide range of their cask beers. At the moment, though, it's just Unicorn, but an extremely well-kept pint of it, thanks to the cellar skills of Jerry Evans, whose partner, Roxanne Bailey, runs the pub. A couple of the handpumps are currently dedicated to cider from the Westons' stable.
Another feature is the collection of brewery memorabilia on the walls - the old photos of brewery life and the advertising material are particularly fascinating.
We will be presenting this well-deserved and much-delayed award to Roxanne and Jerry on Thursday 23 September. This will also be the launch event for this year's Stockport Beer Week so do come along and join in the celebrations.
The Pub of the Month award is sponsored by Stephensons, a local family firm that has been supplying the local pub and catering trade for over 150 years. Check out their advert on the previous page.