Pub Of The Month - Angel Inn
Angel Inn
19-20 Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1UN
Angel Inn
The Pub of the Month for November is the Angel Inn at in Stockport Market Place. Jack Lyons has been along to a pub with a surprisingly ancient history.
The Angel occupies one of the oldest buildings in Stockport, dating from the 16th century and with interior timbers dating from the 15th century. The unusual exterior stucco was added in Victorian times. When Robinsons took over the old Bell & Co. brewery in 1949, they inherited a swathe of pubs in Stockport town centre. The Angel was among them, and when it closed two years later, that was likely to be the end of its life as a pub. Selling it on as a free house was out of the question back then.
For the following 67 years, the building was home to a variety of businesses, none of them a bar.
Since reopening in 2018, the Angel has been managed by Hannah Learoyd and Craig Johnson, along with barman Duncan, who are passionate about cask ale. The Angel was also one of the original backers of Foodie Friday, which has increased in popularity.
Little remains of the original pub interior, which has a bar to the left and is nicely broken up into different areas. A snug at the back left is particularly welcoming. At the back is a large, partly covered outdoor area, which has been put to good use and is a real asset to the pub.
The well-appointed bar offers up to six changing cask beers front and centre as you enter. There are three handpumps either side of a pillar, with a regular dark cask beer and one handpump sometimes given over to traditional cider. The Angel endeavours to source local beers but also some from further afield – beers from Farm Yard and Tiny Rebel make regular appearances. There is also an impressive range of German beers on tap and in bottle. Well-chosen Belgian specialities complete the picture.
It’s not the first time the Angel has been awarded Pub of the Month, but this further award is well overdue. Join us on the night of Thursday, 27 November, when we present this well-deserved award. Being in the centre of Stockport, the Angel is well-served with public transport.
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.
