Black Lion, Stockport

Converted 1/1/2008 to offices use. Closed c.1/1/2007. Planning Application DC/021816 | Change of use from Public House to Offices (A2 and B1). Granted 23/2/2006.

History: A former Boddingtons house that featured high-ceilings in the central-bar, two-room layout. The CAMRA pub guide "Viaducts & Vaults II" published in 1996 described it thus: "As you walk up Hillgate, the Black Lion on the pub's side wall greets you as a robust example of Victorian commercial art. And the pub itself though now owned by Greenalls retains the atmosphere of a typical Boddingtons local it once was. This is best experienced in the vault at the front of the pub, a splendid fluorescent-lit, high-ceilinged room which houses dartboard, television, and piano (still played from time to time unlike so many of the pianos that survive). The heart of the pub, this is the fine old-fashioned room for serious drinkers. The rear lounge has less character which is a pleasant alternative for those who require a little more comfort. In summer, tables are put out on the grassy bank overlooking Waterloo Road. All in all, the Black Lion seems poised to carry the values of the straightforward urban local proudly into the new millennium". It sold cask Boddingtons Bitter, and Flowers IPA at that time.