The Buck I'th Vine is a picturesque former Walkers pub on Burscough Street that has been little altered over the years: it has a courtyard to the front, several separate drinking areas, a serving hatch with glass above, and still some of the old Walkers signs. The last time I was in there, the only real ale it sold was Tetley Bitter, which isn't likely to entice me back. It has been closed down for a while. Mike McComb, the force behind the successful Hop Vine in Burscough, hoped to take over the ground floor and preserve it as a pub, but could reach no agreement on the terms of the lease. It is likely to be converted to student accommodation.
The Plough on Church Street is the third pub lost in Ormskirk this year. It's ages since I've been in there, but more recent reports suggest that it sold no real ale and had become slightly down at heel.
The closure of three pubs this year constitutes quite a big loss in a small town (it has a quarter of the population of Southport). Let's hope the culling is now over.
Thanks to Peter Lloyd for the info, which I received via Mike Perkins.
Sad to hear of the Buck I'th'Vine closing. I've never actually been drinking in Ormskirk but that's a name I remember from early Good Beer Guides.
ReplyDeleteOrmskirk seems to have plenty of pubs but more lager/smooth territory (nothing wrong with that) with real ale centred around the canal & villages. Would have been hit hard by The Ban. The Belgian style bar that opened recently is quirky but worryingly quiet.
ReplyDeleteWell, there's a Booths just opened in Burscough. They can get their beer, both Craft and traditional, from there.
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