Good pub scenes don’t stand still. They grow, adapt and welcome new ideas. Over the last few years, a number of independent businesses have chosen Cleveleys as the place to open their doors. They’ve brought fresh ideas, different styles of venues and even more choice to a town that was already building a strong reputation.

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.

A New Chapter

In the last edition of Discover Cleveleys, we celebrated the pubs and clubs that laid the foundations for today’s pub scene.

Their story is still being written.

Every town reaches a point where something begins to change. For Cleveleys, that change didn’t arrive all at once. It came one venue at a time.

Independent businesses began opening their doors, each bringing its own ideas, its own character and its own approach. They weren’t replacing what was already here. They were adding to it.

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

As confidence in the town grew, more people saw Cleveleys as somewhere worth investing in. The result is a collection of venues that are all different, yet together have made the town a more varied and interesting place to spend an afternoon or evening.

One of the first signs of that change came with Shipwreck Brewhouse.

Its changing range of cask beers and relaxed atmosphere quickly made it somewhere people could discover breweries and styles they might not otherwise have tried. It brought something different to Cleveleys while fitting naturally alongside the town’s more traditional pubs.

It wasn’t the only business to recognise the town’s potential.

Vault showed how an older building could be given a new lease of life. It added another independent venue to the town centre and proved there was room for something a little different.

Backstage took a different approach again. Alongside its drinks, it became known for live entertainment and events, adding another reason for people to spend an evening in Cleveleys.

More recently, WobblInn has built a reputation for its carefully chosen range of cask and craft beers, while Greedy Banker has become the latest addition to the town’s growing pub scene.

No two venues are the same. That’s exactly what makes them work. Each has found its own place without trying to copy the others. Together they offer visitors more choice while giving local people even more reasons to stay in the town for an afternoon or evening. The newer venues haven’t replaced the traditional pubs. They’ve complemented them.

Today it’s perfectly normal to begin with a pint in a long-established local before calling into one of the newer independent bars just a few minutes away. That variety has become one of Cleveleys’ greatest strengths.

It also says something about the town itself.

People don’t invest their time, money and energy in places they don’t believe in. The businesses that have opened over the last few years chose Cleveleys because they could see its potential. They recognised what was already here and believed they could become part of it. The result is a pub scene that continues to evolve without losing its identity.

It’s still recognisably Cleveleys. Just with more choice than ever before.

Coming Next

More Than Great Pints

A good pub is about much more than the drinks it serves.

In the next edition of Discover Cleveleys, we’ll look at the beer festivals, charity events, live music and community spirit that have helped turn a collection of great venues into a thriving local pub scene.