On a Bank Holiday Monday, why not go for a spin in the car? By 1938 there were two million cars on the roads of Britain. And one thing those mostly middle-class car owners were keen to do was to escape the confines of the city, and go out for a drink in the countryside. The brewers obviously responded to this trend by redeveloping existing pubs and building new ones to cater for the burgeoning “car trade”. Robinson’s of Stockport had a specific policy of acquiring and developing country pubs when many of their competitors held off. There’s still plenty of 1930s pub architecture around to be appreciated, even if in virtually all cases the interiors have been gutted more than once. Also bear in mind that coach trips to country pubs were extremely popular in those days too. Here are four examples – for a change all still trading – in Cheshire:
The Nag’s Head, Bridge Trafford – originally a Greenalls pub
The Helsby Arms, Helsby – originally the “Brown Cow”, this was built to coincide with the opening of the A5117 Chester By-Pass road, which revolutionised road travel to the North Wales coast. Developed by one of Bass’ predecessor companies (possibly Bents of Liverpool)
The Red Lion, Eaton – another former Greenalls pub, replacing an older pub in the village centre
The Legs of Man, Arclid – typical of a number of Robinson’s 1930s developments
The common architectural theme, with prominent tiled gables, is very obvious.
