Pub Of The Month June - White Lion
White Lion Coaching House
20 Great Underbank, Stockport, SK1 1LW
June’s Pub of the Month is the White Lion Coaching House on Great Underbank in Stockport. Jim Flynn put it forward and here tells you why it won.
There has been an inn on this site since the 14th century, with the current reconstruction 120 years old, forming part of what is now the Market/Underbank Conservation Area. However, in 2008 the pub closed. We all feared that it would never open again and would be turned into residential accommodation – yet another part of Stockport’s rich drinking history lost. But, with the rebirth of the Underbanks area, fifteen years later the White Lion was reborn, becoming an essential part of what has been styled the ‘New Berlin’.
The owner, Jon Dootson, has interests in other businesses on the road, including Alfredo’s Social in Winter’s. He is working with the Council and with, general manager Mark Chalmers, has really done us proud, retaining much of the pub's Edwardian feel. The building's historic doorway and entrance have been retained and revitalised, while the stained glass throughout the building also provides a link back to its past. Outside on Underbank is an outside drinking area; great for people watching!
The pub is upmarket without being pretentious or unwelcoming, with the casual drinker being as welcome as the diner partaking of a classic pub meal. Mark has extensive experience of management in the licensed trade and has assembled a team of smart and friendly staff who provide a real warm welcome. The ground floor bar has four well-kept cask beers, with one often from Timothy Taylor’s and another from Bradfield Brewery near Sheffield. In the basement is a sports bar, the ‘Lions’ Den’, which is very busy when football is on, and a smart private function room, ‘The Boardroom’.
Unsurprisingly, in the year the White Lion has been open, it has grown to be very popular. So come on down on the evening of Thursday 26 June and congratulate Mark and his team for restoring this important part of Stockport’s history back to its former glory, and for being part of the successful efforts to put the buzz back into what, until a few years ago, was an increasingly forgotten part of town. Being right in the centre of Stockport, public transport is excellent; five minutes from the interchange and main A6 bus routes, and less than ten minutes from the station. There is really no excuse for not coming along!