Cross Keys, Walsden

This old roadside village pub backs onto the Rochdale canal, making it very convenient for boaters. Built by clog maker Abraham Law as the Cloggers' Arms, it gained its present name in 1848, when St Peter's church was built, Peter's emblem being a key. Originally a beerhouse, it expanded into an adjacent cottage, only gaining its full licence in 1960. Were it not for the wall between lounge and pool room, the bar counter would be six sided. The bar-back, with its separate leaded glass panels facing each room, advertises 'Glen Top Ales', once brewed by Baxters, at Waterfoot, Rossendale. The lounge extends into a pleasant conservatory, popular with diners, whilst the pool room has seating around the bar, with the pool table beyond. Off the lounge there's a tiny and unspoilt tap room containing a rare 'Ring the Bull' game, as well as original boarded wall seating, complete with bell-pushes, although a bell system for calling waiters is no longer used.