November - Olde Vic
Ye Olde Vic
1 Chatham Street, Edgeley, Stockport SK3 9ED
The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Month for November is Ye Olde Vic on Chatham Street in Edgeley. John Clarke explains why it won.
Ye Olde Vic has proved to be something of a survivor. In the 1960s there were plans for its demolition to provide for the entrance to an underground car park. Luckily, and unusually for those days, permission was refused and it lived to fight another day.
Its days as a Wilsons pub came to an end in 1979 when it closed down. Fortunately the pub was bought and re-opened as a free house in 1983 and that's what it remains to this day. The ride hasn't always been a smooth one though. For many years it was owned and run by Kay Ord who introduced changing guest beers but she sold it on to an owner who rather neglected the pub's fabric. However he also made the wise move of installing Steve Brannan and Johanne Quinn as tenants.
Steve and Jo remain there to this day and during their reign the Vic has gained many CAMRA awards and is pretty much a permanent fixture in the Good Beer Guide. It looked as though all of this might come to a sudden end a couple of years ago when the owner decided to sell up. Steve and Jo couldn't afford to buy the pub but a consortium of locals came together and bought it (disclosure - I own a couple of bricks and a slate). Since then the Vic has seen considerable investment and now looks smarter than it has done for many years - it's now also weather-proof!
Internally, though, little has changed. The pub still resembles a licensed version of the Old Curiosity Shop with bric-a-brac and memorabilia everywhere. The pumpclips on the ceiling are a history lesson on forgotten beers and breweries. The beer quality - there are now six changing guests - is first class. Traditional cider is also available.
Join us on the evening of Thursday 22 November when we salute and celebrate the survival of this remarkable pub and the excellent beers it sells. The pub is close to the top of the station approach - the various buses that go to Edgeley and Shaw Heath (11, 28, 309, 310 and 368) will all drop you close by.