Plough, Prestbury

This thatched pub of 17th/early 18th century consists of two rooms and a L-shaped passage. It was run by Drew family from 1929 to 1958. To the left is a splendid old tap room room with a limestone-flagged floor, large stone fireplace with log fire, and tongue-and-groove panelling around the walls – full height on the rear and half height on the front – with fixed seating attached to it. A full-height partition almost splits the beamed room in two (it evidently had a door at one time), there is quoits and an old shut-the-box scorer (right of fireplace); two scrubbed tables and a grandfather clock add to the atmosphere. Service comes from the hatch at the end of the rear passage, which appears to have a frontage dating from c.1960. The beer is served from casks on stillage in the servery.

The lounge (formerly a living room) to the right of the entrance door was last altered in c.1960 when the small hatch/counter was added by creating a hole in the wall to add a bar for the first time There is some bar-back cabinetwork in three sections which all looks like it could date from c.1960. The brick fireplace dates from a similar time and the fixed seating was added in 2003. In 1980 new outside toilets were built to replace old ones (both the ladies’ now used for storage and gents’ now used to store wood for the fire are still there) and a kitchen added to the rear right. There is a large attractive garden.