Pub of the month - Victoria, Withington
Victoria
438 Wilmslow Road, Withington, M20 3BW
The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Month award for September 2025 has been awarded to the [[pub,id=MAS/4499, title=Victoria]] on Wilmslow Road in Withington, writes Jim Flynn.
This extremely busy, late 19th century pub, with its period exterior and etched windows, has been a Hydes house for 121 years. Although over the years the pub has been opened out, the refurbishments have generated distinct drinking areas that have the feel of separate rooms, giving the place an intimate feel. At the rear, there is an attractive outdoor patio, where you can enjoy a beer in the early autumn sunshine.
Alyson and Paul Mitchell
Any pub is more than just its structure and décor; its excellence is measured by the quality of its fare and the warmth of the welcome. Under the guidance of its longstanding licensees, Alyson and Paul Mitchell (pictured here with a previous award), who arrived in the pub 13 years ago, the Victoria scores extremely highly on all of these points. Throughout their tenure they have demonstrated a passion for cask beer, with four or five different Hydes cask ales regularly on sale, and which are always in excellent form – the pub is a regular in the Good Beer Guide.
It is Paul and Alyson’s dedication to customer care that really sets them apart, creating what must be one of the friendliest and most welcoming pubs in the whole area, and ensuring that the Victoria is at the heart of its community, attracting an eclectic mix of customers including families, pensioners, locals and students. The pub benefits from big-screen sports, boasts a popular poker school on Monday/Tuesday evenings, darts teams, DJs (Friday and Saturday) and weekly quiz nights (Thursday and Sunday). Nevertheless, such is the pub’s layout, you can always get away from all this activity and just enjoy the buzzing atmosphere and lively conversation.
So, join us on Thursday, 25 September when the Pub of the Month award will be presented to Alyson, Paul and their staff. I am sure a really great night will be enjoyed by all; don’t miss it!
The pub is on one of the UK’s busiest bus routes with, amongst others, the 41, 42, 43, 142 and 143 from the city centre/south Manchester, the 42 from Stockport, and other routes including the 42A (early evening) from Reddish and the Heatons.
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.
