Kings Lock, Middlewich

Canal side pub, by the Kings Lock, number 71 on the Trent and Mersey Canal. Access is via a narrow road bridge over the canal. A few meters north of the pub is the junction with the Wardle Canal, Britain's shortest canal at 47 metres long. Named after the lock, The King's Lock is thought to be the only pub with this name. It is a "stack pub", built on two levels. The upper level, at one time, had just the tiniest of bar rooms and a very small dining room but has now been opened out allowing for more seating. In the early 1990s a new bar counter was built to resemble the shape of a narrowboat. The lower level, accessed at the rear of the building, was originally intended to provide stabling, and other facilities, for boatmen and their families. It now takes the form of a spirits bar serving the garden and marquee. Behind the pub's garden is a short length of canal which was built for industrial purposes but now leads to a boatyard, complete with slipway for the launching of new and repaired boats. Originally an Ind Coope pub, the Kings Lock today takes full advantage of being alongside a busy stretch of canal. The Cheshire Ring is a narrowboat route, popular with tourists, and there is mooring to the north and south of the pub. The Kings Lock has always played a big part in the town's annual festival hosting music and Morris dancing. The pub now hosts its own regular events, such as an Oktoberfest and a cider festival, and has regular live music both in the bar and the beer garden marquee. Local real ale breweries are supported and the pub was the launch venue for nearby Four Priests Brewery's first brew. Homemade cakes, traybakes, and panini are available throughout the week, full bar menu from Thursday to Sunday.