Hub Marketing 2024: STONE

Canals, railways, brewery heritage and a selection of great pubs mean there's a lot to like about the Staffordshire market town of Stone. Secretary WME is certainly partial to the occasional visit there (especially in the month of March it seems), although this fourth Hub Marketing escapade of 2024 will be Chairman D9's first ever time setting foot in Stone - here comes the tale of the trip...

- Grumpy D9 drives the 101 -

It's Friday 15th March 2024 and poor old D9 isn't having much luck with his transport options. A fracas aboard the Midland Metro tram delays his arrival at Wolverhampton railway station, meaning we miss one train and - after belatedly making it to Stafford - our intended onward connection has been cancelled. Even our contingency option of the number 101 bus tries to drive straight past us without stopping so it's little wonder that the Chairman displays a fixed frown when showcasing his steering prowess. His mood is probably not helped by the WME choice of silly song for this trip, namely 'Aries' from Harvey Sid Fisher's collection of zodiac tunes, complete with "I Am, I Am, I Am The Ram" chorus. 

- A River Trent Vista -

The 101 is operated half hourly by First Potteries, linking Stafford and Hanley via Trentham Gardens and Newcastle under Lyme. The route's approaches into Stone involve glimpses of Yarlet (noting the Greyhound as a roadside inn), a tour of an industrial estate and Tilling Drive past Walton Priory Middle School. We alight just beyond the Co-op on Eccleshall Road with a view to inspecting the Lamb Inn, a 1960s estate box boozer with a pitched roof, but it seems to vary its opening hours to suit the manager's daily whims. Walton is a sizeable community in its own right, separated from the main part of Stone by the A34 trunk road (The Fillybrooks) and the River Trent. Talking of which, the riverside meadow area is host to a canoe club, a leisure centre and Westbridge Park as well as offering options for scenic walks. 

- A Welcoming Sight -

Proceeding from Walton into Stone proper, we are greeted by a welcome sign styled to look like a narrowboat named Rebekah. Secretary WME taps into his previous pub knowledge in seeking out two excellent establishments for initial ale sampling: the Swan is regularly in the running for CAMRA accolades and serves up a first class pint of Palmer's Poison from the Blythe Brewery, whereas the Royal Exchange is a Titanic tied house on Radford Street with an enviable range of Burslem-brewed beers. A quickfire tussle on the dartboard has WME Whirlwind prevailing by two legs to one, aided by no-nonsense 65 and 40 outshots.

- The Bridge beckons -

Heading into Stone's northern reaches involves a gentle wander along Old Road, noting the Bridge Inn with its curving corner frontage (this one spent a fair few years known as Langtry's) plus the Stonefield Fish Bar, although Mr D9's favourite find is the disused D.G. Brassington's newsagents shop which retains an advert for Wall's ice creams. It must be school hometime judging by the hordes of kids suddenly appearing as if out of nowhere so we decamp into the Pheasant, a traditional local on the junction with Mount Avenue. Purity's Mad Goose pairs well with horse racing action from the Cheltenham Festival although the only winners we're really interested in are the grated Red Leicester and onion cobs - that's lunch sorted!

- The Customary Closet Photocall -

Stone was historically home to the Joules Brewery, the modern version of which has been keen to re-establish links with the town, but we should by no means overlook the presence of Lymestone Brewery based on the Mount Industrial Estate. Their taphouse is the Borehole, a converted office lodge which nowadays makes for a very relaxing setting in which to partake of brews such as Cherry Stone, Stone the Crows and Stone Cutter (no prizes for detecting a theme in how they name their creations). A further brewing name to throw into the mix would be Bent's who were actually based at this Mount Road site prior to ceasing production circa 1968 after becoming a victim of rationalisation by owners Bass Charrington. All this beery talk is enough to set a man's internal waterworks off so Mr D9 is grateful to find the Station Road public conveniences in full working order, sparing him any bladder distress. 

- Granville Square Interrupted -

Having thus far skirted around the edges of the town centre, it's time we got right into the heart of Stone and that means Granville Square and High Street. The war memorial takes pride of place - when there isn't a bald spot trying to get in the way that is! - and we're hardly short of pubby possibilities either, what with Wetherspoons, the Crown & Anchor and the Wren all vying for our custom. The latter of the three gets the nod on this occasion, mainly because Secretary WME wants to check out their relocated premises following their move into a former branch of the NatWest bank. Upside down umbrellas and Burl Ives LPs ensure the quirkiness of their previous unit has not been diminished by upping sticks, while some Stone the Crows dark ale proves that their high standards for beer quality are equally as intact.

- Potent Stuff this Kriek!! -

Our Stone sojourn is nearing its conclusion but there's time yet to seek out Ten Green Bottles, an off licence and gin emporium a few doors down from the Red Lion. They might not do cask ale but the selection of continental tipples is impressive, and it's fair to say the Secretary takes rather a shine to the Belgian Kriek with its cherry infusion. Bearing in mind we must catch the 19:06 train home, we squeeze in a speedy nightcap at the Butchers Block by Stone Station - if I remember correctly, this used to be known as the Talbot until a steakhouse emphasis was applied last year; either way it does the trick for a closing drop of Wadworth 6X and then our train awaits. We managed to cram in quite a crawl there and that's without covering several other worthy establishments, so Stone won't leave you disappointed. Cheers!