Brindley Arms, Walkden

Built in the late 1950s to serve a large new housing estate. It has a most unusual design of a single-storey with a three-storey tower at one end on stilts all of which is of red bricks. This community pub is named after James Brindley, the canal engineer famous for building the nearby Barton Aqueduct which carries the Bridgewater Canal across the River Irwell. When built there was an off-sales shop in the ground floor of the tower part but this closed some time ago (mid 1980s say locals) and is now used for storage. However, the split-level lounge bar and separate public bar survive with little change.

The left hand door leads to a lobby with a cleaners cupboard and double doors leading to the lounge bar – note the unusual door handles with brass ‘Pull’ and ‘Push’ in relief. The bar counter with a panelled front looks the original as does the bar back with mirrored panels and only two fridges have replaced some of the lower shelving. There are two large curved bays of fixed seating and originally a glazed screen used to sit between the two areas. Up three steps is a smaller area with more fixed seating and a cast-iron fence across the divide. Note the very 1960s door with narrow vertical glazed panes.

The right hand door is not currently in use but leads to a passage with terrazzo tiled floor and the toilets off. On the rear right is the public bar with another very 1960s door with narrow vertical glazed panes and the figure ‘2’ on it and four steps down. At one end is an inglenook-style fully ply panelled area with wall benches either side of a stone fireplace painted black. Note the inscription above declaring 'Red Rose Stout' with the lettering now painted white - Salford based brewery Groves & Whitnall brewed a Red Rose Stout and could therefore be the builders of the pub. The counter is the original wooden one and the back fitting shelving also dates from c.1960 as might the blue tiles; the large lino tiles on the floor look replacements. There are two sections of original fixed seating and there is a pool table and a number of domino tables.