Pub of the Month December - Blue Bell
Blue Bell
170 Barlow Road, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3HF
The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Month award for December 2024 goes to the Blue Bell, Barlow Road, Levenshulme, writes Jim Flynn.
Tucked away a short walk from the A6 (turn down Cromwell Grove and keep walking), there has been a pub on this site for seven hundred years (Oliver Cromwell’s troops were billeted here and a perhaps unlikely legend has it that Dick Turpin once slept in this old coaching inn). The current Blue Bell, though, was built on the site in the 1930s, but during the last war the building suffered bomb damage, with shrapnel marks still evident on the west wall.
Sam Smith’s have owned this impressive pub since 1948, and in 2005 the pub was shut for 11 months while a very extensive refurbishment took place. Prior to its reopening very early the following year, Mark and Mary Dunn were appointed as licensees (Mark has worked for Sam Smith’s for 30 years) and they have been at the pub ever since; and it must be said what a fine job they have made of it. Not very long after their appointment came the excellent cask beer, Old Brewery Bitter.
Having removed most of the post-war additions during the refurbishment, the pub has an elegant authentic feel to it, with a spacious vault, a large lounge with a roaring fire and a small snug, both off the main lounge bar area. The extensive light oak woodwork gives the pub a warm and cosy feel, and it is understandably very popular with a wide range of locals (a variety of groups use the facilities). To the rear is the well-hidden gem of the pub, its extensive tree lined garden, which in the summer is a real sun trap.
What really makes the Blue Bell special though is the dedication of Mark and Mary, the fine beer and the pub’s special position at the heart of the community. That is why the local CAMRA branch will be marking Mark and Mary’s commitment to excellence over the last 19 years on Monday, 30 December from 8pm onwards, when a great night will we are sure be enjoyed by all, no doubt in front of a roaring fire.
The pub is less than 10 minutes from the 150, 171 192 and 197 bus routes, and adjacent to the 172 route, and Levenshulme train station, so there is no excuse not to turn up and celebrate with us.