Every successful pub scene has its foundations. Long before the latest bars and micropubs arrived, Cleveleys already had pubs and clubs that brought people together and kept the tradition of good beer alive. They helped shape the town we know today.

About this series

Discover Cleveleys is a six-part editorial series from Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre CAMRA. In each edition we’re exploring the pubs, clubs and people that make Cleveleys a great place to enjoy a pint and why the town is worth another look.

The Pubs That Started It All

In the first part of this series we explored another side of Cleveleys. Away from the promenade and the sea views, we found a town with a pub scene that has quietly grown over recent years.

But every story has a beginning.

Before the newest venues arrived, there were already pubs and clubs serving local people, welcoming visitors and giving friends and families somewhere to come together.

They built the foundations.

Walk through Cleveleys today and you’ll find plenty of choice. Traditional pubs sit alongside modern bars, independent micropubs and community clubs. Each has its own style and its own regular customers. That variety is one of the town’s greatest strengths.

It’s easy to look at the newest venues and see how much the town has changed. What’s less obvious is that many of the established pubs have been changing too.

They haven’t stood still.

They’ve refreshed their beer ranges, invested in their buildings, introduced new events and continued to welcome new generations of customers. Some have built strong reputations for cask ale. Others have become well known for live entertainment, charity fundraising or simply being somewhere people know they’ll receive a friendly welcome.

That’s why this article isn’t about one pub. It’s about the role they all play.

The Jolly Tars has long been one of Cleveleys’ best-known destinations for cask ale, with regular beer festivals adding to its reputation. Dickens and the Travellers Rest continue to provide the sort of traditional pub atmosphere that many people still value. The Venue has become known for its events and annual beer festival, while Park Suite and Cleveleys Working Men’s Club show that clubs remain an important part of the town’s social life.

Each venue is different. Each attracts different customers. Together they create something far stronger than any one venue could achieve on its own.

Today’s pub scene didn’t appear overnight. It was built one venue at a time.

Every pub and club has added something to the town. Some have been welcoming customers for generations. Others have adapted, expanded their beer range or introduced new events to keep pace with changing tastes. Together, they’ve created the strong foundations that newer businesses have been able to build on.

That’s one of the reasons Cleveleys feels different today.

You can enjoy a pint in a traditional local before walking a few minutes to somewhere completely different. There is no single way to experience the town because there is no single type of pub.

Choice has grown without losing character and that’s something worth celebrating.

Good pubs are about far more than the drinks they serve. They’re where football teams celebrate the end of the season. Where families gather after weddings and christenings. Where charity raffles raise money for local causes. Where quiz teams compete every week and where neighbours become friends.

Those moments don’t usually make the headlines. But they’re part of what gives a town its identity.

For many years, Cleveleys’ established pubs and clubs have quietly provided those spaces. While the town has changed around them, they’ve continued doing what they’ve always done. Offering a warm welcome, serving their communities and giving people a reason to return. Without those foundations, the newer venues we’ll meet in the next part of this series would be joining a very different town. Instead, they became part of a pub scene that already had deep roots.

That’s why the story of Cleveleys doesn’t begin with what’s new. It begins with the places that were already here.

Coming Next

A New Generation

Every town changes over time.

In the next edition of Discover Cleveleys, we’ll look at the independent venues that have opened in recent years and how they’ve added another chapter to the town’s growing pub scene.