The story of old Cheshire pubs which watered down spirits

Acton, now known as Acton Bridge, is a small village on the edge of the bigger Weaverham, or Weaverham-cum-Milton, as it was known in the distant past.

The village of Acton Bridge has a population of around 650 and is close to the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal.

It is on the West Coast Main Line from Crewe to Liverpool and Carlisle.

This line was previously known as the Grand Junction Railway, which opened from Birmingham to Liverpool on July 4, 1837.

The name Acton has origins in Saxon times when it was derived from ‘Ac’ meaning oak, and ‘tun’ meaning place or forest.

It was thought that the term ‘Bridge’ was added to differentiate the village from Acton near Nantwich when the railway was built.

Acton Cliffe in 2018 (Image: Rose Hurley)

Moving on from Acton Bridge station, we follow the road bending right, where we come to the Hazel Pear on the left.

The Hazel Pear was formerly called the Railway Hotel. It is thought to have been a farm before being converted to the Railway Hotel in 1837, after the opening of the railway and station.

In the 1940s, American soldiers based at Delamere were frequent visitors during the Second World War.

Once, whilst waiting for a train, General Patton asked for a double whiskey: this was downed speedily, followed by a request for another. Whiskey was rationed, and the landlady refused!

In 1972, the Railway Hotel was renamed the Hazel Pear Inn, as there were many Hazel Pear trees in the village, including an orchard behind the pub and, more recently, the Hazel Pear Wood, which was planted in 1998/99 as part of the Woodland Trust's Millennium Woodland programme. 

The Hazel Pear in 2015 (Image: Rose Hurley)

At the heart of the wood, there is a standing stone, and 12 Hazel Pear trees were planted throughout the site on the opposite side of the road to the Hazel Pear Pub.

The Hazel Pear is still a popular pub/restaurant with good ale and food.

Venturing down Hill Top Road, we arrive at a building that was once the Maypole Inn.

It was situated at 59 Hilltop Road. The Maypole was an ancient pub with licensees dating back to 1745; it was initially known as ‘The Cheese’, being renamed The Maypole in 1827; Greenall’s leased it in 1903 from the Milner Estate, owners of the land. 

In 1885, both the landlords of the Railway and the Maypole, James Crouchley and Ann Moulton, were prosecuted at the Eddisbury Petty Sessions for adulteration.

The then Railway Hotel (now The Hazel Pear) in 1900 (Image: Rose Hurley)This offence is the watering down of spirits. There was also frequent reporting of raucous behaviour and card games for money taking place at both premises during the late 1800s.

Both pubs were also used for inquests when locals died from unfortunate circumstances. At one time, both the Hazel Pear and the Maypole were owned by Greenall Whitley brewers of Warrington, who owned many pubs in the surrounding area.

In 2018, sadly, the then-current Maypole landlord died, and it was decided that the pub, which had been running at a loss for a few years, would close.

There were several requests to the council for redevelopment; however, eventually, they accepted that the building should remain in situ and should become a single private dwelling with a rear extension.

Those more senior village inhabitants will fondly remember the Maypole as a popular destination for Sunday lunches and partaking of the odd dram or two.