FLIPPER OF THE COIN

1:07pm Monday 19th May 2008

Mount Everest was once described as a mole hill with snow on it, Kilimanjaro as a publicity seeking Popsicle and the Eiger a speed bump.

A princely hostelry

11:53am Friday 11th April 2008

ONCE again The Vizier has been clubbed over the head by that well-known Cardinal of Crime, The Unknown Blackguard whose sole mission in life is to make mischief in the affairs of man and his ale.

A PRINCELY HOSTELRY!

11:22am Tuesday 1st April 2008

Once again The Vizier has been clubbed over the head by that well known Cardinal of Crime, The Unknown Blagard whose sole mission in life is make mischief in the affairs of man and his ale. It is easy to make an unforced error a slip of the keyboard can mean the difference between a Bishops Finger and a Fat Belly Boozer. But The Vizier will always hold up his half drained pint pot and put the record on the straight and narrow. So this to my good fiend, sorry friend Derek who kindly pointed out that one of the Robinson's ales I mentioned in the previous article did not exist, in fact he went so far as to call me a Muppet!, although I do bear a striking resemblance to Beaker, I took this as an affront to my honour. So I can surely ask Derek to wipe away any tears he shed over this oversight and inform the general populace that Cumberland Way does not exist and it is fact called Cumbria Way. There, there Derek dry your eyes mate!

1968 AND ALL THAT

8:01am Wednesday 30th January 2008

Yes, I know this has nothing at all to do with real ale, but Macclesfield Town Football Club is also a subject close to my heart!...Please read on...

FLOWER POWER IS HERE

1:12pm Wednesday 23rd January 2008

As every eighteen year old whippersnapper would gladly tell you one of the scariest rites of passage other than kissing your granny on Christmas Day is the horrifying prospect of walking into a public house for the very first time and uttering those immortal words. "Can I have a pint of? (Fill in where applicable). The Viziers only advice would be always: 1) Take note of the beers on offer. As panic may set in as your knowledge of ale will be tested to the limit and could leave you exposed a charlatan of the highest order.

FROM THE HORSES MOUTH!

9:11am Friday 2nd November 2007

There have many classic commentaries offering several interpretations of meaning of Jacob's ladder. One of them being that the ladder signifies the "bridge" between Heaven and earth, another that Jacob was kidnapped by aliens and escorted up an intergalactic escalator to the awaiting mother ship OR did Jake actually have the unique pleasure of standing before Macclesfield's own 108 steps!!! The 108 steps have been a magnet to explorers, adventurers and wacky charity runners for centuries, it could be said the steps are the jewel in Macclesfield's tiara. But we do not have to travel across The Desert of Futility or The Wastelands of the Dammed' to arrive at the gem of a pub that shines like a beacon in the Darkness of Desperation, especially as the clocks have just gone back. For those who are not in the know all you need to know is turn right at the train station over the zebra/pelican crossing and directly beside the famous steps there is a pub and that pub is none other than Nags Head. The Nags is housed in a tall orange bricked Victorian building that would have been most likely to have started life as the hub of Silktowns industrial revolution or it could have been just a pub. But with no historical facts to hand and a deadline to meet The Vizier has no option but wield his ink stained scalpel and proceed with a cutting post mortem of one of Macclesfield's finest watering holes.

SAINT'S ALIVE!!

4:55pm Wednesday 26th September 2007

There have been many saints over the eons that have scorched their mark into the fabric of today's society: Simon Templar, Ian Saint John and the woman off the Generation Game. But none of these could hold a battery powered torch to St Dunstan (c.909-988) who for those without a historical lean, was an abbot of Glastonbury, a bishop of Worcester, a bishop of London, and reached the dizzy heights of archbishop of Canterbury and was later canonized as a saint. St Dunstan was the most popular saint in England for nearly two centuries, having gained fame for the many stories of his greatness. Adding to Dunstan's myth was his legendary cunning in dealing with the Devil, who would often come round for Sunday lunch and wouldn't leave until Eastender's omnibus had finished. Anyway we are only here for the beer so let's prod, examine and generally put the thesaurus to good use. For a mere, paltry, smattering fee you can jump, leap, spring on to a bus or if public transport is not your bag, thing, then a taxi cab at around £3:50 is the way to go.

A RIGHT HUMDINGER!

4:15pm Tuesday 7th August 2007

It is a well known fact that many hardened hacks such as my good self are not given for providing apologies for the material they write, some would eat their own ears rather than pen a groveling retraction. But The Vizier is made of sterner stuff, Oh yes he knows the ingredients of Humble Pie like the interior of his belly button. First of all it has been brought to the Viziers attention that the young lady who served him such wonderful pint(s) behind the bar of the Lord Byron was not the Elegant Elaine, but non other than the Lovely Lynne'. In the true tradition of professional journalism The Vizier would like to place the blame squarely at the doorstep of that well known blagard The Unnamed Source'. So there!

Lording It Over Us!

8:59am Monday 25th June 2007

There have been many legendary romantic poets down the annals of historyAlfred Tennyson, John Keats, Pam Ayers, so on and so forth who have taken English literature to it's zenith. But one who stands out amongst the greatest is a man who could only be described as the Pete Doherty of his day, talented to the hilt but susceptible to the temptations that lay before him. Lord Byron was once described by Lady Caroline Lamb as Mad, bad and dangerous to know"But even the ale drinkers of today would need to be stark raving lunatics not to the visit the Lord Byron public house. The pub itself lies at the top of Chapel Street which to you directionless brethren is the first turning after (or before, dependant on which way you are walking) the Sun Inn (Mill Lane). The Bryon resides on the corner of, Chapel Street and High Street and like a chameleon it melts into the surrounding housing. So do be careful not to burst into a neighbouring abode demanding beer because you are most likely to be offered a cup of Bovril and a trip to Wimslow Police Station. But now on to the pub! It is not often you visit a pub that has a hallway as you would half expect to see a pair of heated slippers and a smoking pipe (before July 1st of course) laid out in waiting, but other things lie in wait. Intrigued! Well read onThe pub is made up of four rooms, the first is on your right hand side and could be referred to the as The Snug'. Sometimes it gladdens your heart that Licensees take their time in filling up wall space and By George' these walls are filled with the most interesting reading. You can keep your La Scala and Maria Calais, because Macclesfield had its very own opera house and judging by the acts that are billed on the posters that are plastered around The Snug' it appears it attracted the Crème de la Crème of talent such as: The Singing Clown and Foden's Famous Band, it also put on plays entitled Too Many Crooks and The Private Secret. By the time you have read all the posters it will be time for your next pint. On the left, is the obligatory pool room, with leather seating shaped like a Greek amphitheatre; you can just imagine the tragedies and the comedies (especially when the Vizier plays anyway) played out during an evening. If pool is not your game a small television lurks in the top corner of the room.

IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, PLAY PUNK!!

1:56pm Tuesday 22nd May 2007

How does The Vizier' choose the next public house to impart its treasures upon the honest and upright citizens of this great town of ours? The Vizier will tell you that it is an arduous task full of trap doors and unknown terrors.

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