Bolton CAMRA holds votes amongst its members several times a year for pub awards. Current Pub of the Season holders are featured below, and we are working on an archive of previous winners, which we hope to put online shortly. Pub of the Year winners can be found here
Summer Pub of the Season 2025
Stork Tavern
548 Halliwell Road, Bolton, BL1 8BP
A friendly and welcoming Grade II listed, stone-built community pub in an historic part of Bolton. It is one of the few remaining pubs on the famous old Halliwell Mile. The pub has recently been refurbished in a way which has sympathetically married a modern feel to its traditional features. The multi-room layout has been retained. The front room has a stone fireplace and a corner bar dispensing up to five well-kept and well-consumed handpumped cask beers from local breweries such as Holts, Bank Top and occasionally others.
Read more here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2024/25
House Without a Name
75 Lea Gate, Harwood, BL2 3ET
Locally known as the No Name, this pub was registered with its unique title when its first publican went to apply for a licence. Asked for the name of the house, he is reported to have replied “It has no name.” It is a cosy terraced venue made from two cottages which were originally built in the 1830s. Flag floors are retained in some areas, but it has been sensitively recently refurbished.
Read more here.
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Summer / Autumn Pub of the Season 2024
The Thomas Egerton
272 Blackburn Road, Egerton, Bromley Cross BL7 9SR
Beautifully refurbished to create a modern style but still retaining some aspects of the original multi-room layout. The window seats afford a view of the stone cottages of the lovely village of Egerton. The pub has an emphasis on food but there is still a comfortable and lively bar area which is popular with local drinkers. Up to five well kept beers are usually from north west breweries including Bank Top and Blackedge.
Read more on Whatpub.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2023/24
Bank Top Brewery Ale House
36 Church Street, Horwich BL6 6AD
This was the second Bank Top Brewery pub to open. It sits in a conservation area opposite Horwich Parish Church and alongside 18th and 19th century cottages associated with the area’s history of textile weaving and with the nearby historic Wallsuches Bleachworks. Bank Top opened the pub in 2014 after an extensive refurbishment. It has since become the epitome of a traditional pub with a modern feel.
Read more here.
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Summer Pub of the Season 2023
King’s Head
52/54 Junction Road, Deane, Bolton, BL3 4NA
The pub is a late 18th century Grade II listed Building which was extended in the mid 19th Century. Located near to Deane Parish Church in the Deane Village conservation area, it is set back from the road with a two tier car park, which is partially surrounded by woodland. The pub has three rooms, one with an aluminium (cast iron looking) range which is never used and the other two with low wooden ceiling beams.
Read more here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2022/23
Spinning Mule
Unit 2 Nelson Square, Bolton BL1 1TJ
Opened in 1998, this large town-centre Wetherspoons is an open plan split level pub with a separate comfortable dining area. It is named after Samuel Crompton’s Spinning Mule, a revolutionary invention in cotton spinning that made Bolton famous world wide. A statue of Samuel Crompton, erected in 1862, can be seen in Nelson Square just outside the pub.
Read more here.
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Summer Pub of the Season 2022
Brewery Tap
55 Market St, Westhoughton BL5 3AG
This is the second outlet for local award-winning Blackedge Brewery which opened in 2019. It has the friendly, community feel of a micropub. The timber and brick decor is complemented by the subdued and artistic lighting to give a homely atmosphere. Seven handpumps serve the core range of Blackedge beers supplemented by their seasonal, occasional and one-off beers.
Read more here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2021
Kings Arms Hotel
2 Mossfield Road, Farnworth BL4 0AB
A justifiably popular local with a modern, friendly feel that offers something for everyone. The pub usually serves beers from various well-regarded breweries such as Elland, Blackedge, Small World, Titanic, Navigation, Bank Top. There is always a dark beer amongst the selection from one of these breweries.
Read more here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2019/20
Northern Monkey
Nelson Square, Bolton BL1 1AQ
This brew pub was set up by Northern Monkey. This brewery is run by two proud Boltonians. They renovated the bar from its previous use as a restaurant. The space was once part of the Pack Horse Hotel, historically the place where the classiest visitors to the town stayed but are now student residences. The brewers decided to create a destination bar which also serves as the brewery. They use the bar to showcase local craft beers and also to run community events promoting the town such as a monthly artisan market and regular comedy nights.
Read more here.
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Summer Pub of the Season 2019
The Beer School
88, Market Street, Westhoughton BL5 3AZ
A Micropub that is decked out to look like a school, though you don’t have to wear school uniform to attend! There is a wall with library wallpaper – showing shelves of books, many tables and stools that will take you back to your old art room days complete with a free standing roller blackboard.
Read more here.
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Spring Pub of the Season 2019
Ainsworth Arms
606 Halliwell Road, Bolton BL1 8BY
A large landmark pub at the junction of Halliwell Road and just off the ring road. It is named after the Ainsworth family, who made their wealth from bleaching and were owners of the nearby historic Smithills Hall during the 1800’s.
Read more here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2018/19
One For The Road
Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, Bolton BL1 1TJ
This bar opened to coincide with the redevelopment of Bolton’s award-winning indoor market in 2014. It quickly became a magnet for real ale fans across the town. The three handpumps serve an ever-changing range from some of the finest breweries in the north-west and beyond.
Read more here.
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Autumn Pub of the Season 2018
Kings Arms Hotel
2 Mossfield Road, Farnworth BL4 0AB
A justifiably popular local with a modern, friendly feel that offers something for everyone. The pub usually serves beers from various well-regarded breweries such as Blackjack, Ilkley, Dark Star, Elland, Thornbridge and Cross Bay.
Read more here.
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Summer Pub of the Season 2018
Olde Man & Scythe
6-8 Churchgate, Bolton, BL1 1HL
The pub is reputedly the 4th oldest in the country and sits near the Parish Church on the historic Churchgate, site of a famous Civil War execution. The pub serves 2 regular beers – Bank Top Flat Cap and Hop Back Summer Lightning. There are also 2 changing beers and a range of ciders.
Read more here.
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Spring Pub of the Season 2018
Hen & Chickens
143 Deansgate, Bolton BL1 1EX
The Hen and Chickens has long been one of the most pleasant and popular of town centre pubs. The smart exterior and colourful floral displays brighten up this end of Deansgate. The cask ales are only partly tied to Punch Taverns list so you can expect some of the beers to be from a range of mainly small breweries.
More details here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2017/18
Great Ale at the Vaults
Vaults Below Market Place, Bolton BL1 2AL
Located in one of the arches in the lower Market Place Vaults this atmospheric bar is accessed via either of the two escalators, the lift or the new entrance with steps from Bridge Street opposite Argos. The long bar has four handpumps serving three guest beers and one specially brewed ale for the Vaults by Outstanding Brewery using Australian Hops.
More details here.
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Autumn Pub of the Season 2017
Beer School
88, Market Street, Westhoughton BL5 3AZ
A Micropub that is decked out to look like a school, the Beer School serves 4 changing ales. Expect choice of beers from Blackedge, Northern Monkey,Hophurst, Rivington, Wily Fox,Ticketybrew, Doghouse, Dan’s Brewery amongst others.
More details here.
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Summer Pub of the Season 2017
Masons Arms
156/158 Blackburn Road, Egerton, Bromley Cross, BL7 9SB
This well-run friendly local is a deserved winner of the Summer 2017 Pub of the season award. The pub offers 2 regular beers and 2 changing beers; and being on the No.1 Bus route from Bolton is well worth the effort to visit. More details can be found here.
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Spring Pub of the Season 2017
House Without a Name
75 Lea Gate, Harwood BL2 3ET
A very popular choice for the Spring Pub of the Season award, the ‘No Name’ keeps two regular beers from the Punch List and four guest beers of the landlords choice, these are generally from local and regional breweries. For full details of the offerings at the No Name, take a look here.
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Winter Pub of the Season 2016/17
Bank Top Brewery Ale House
36 Church Street, Horwich BL6 6AD
Bank Top Estates opened the pub in 2014 after an extensive refurbishment and it became the epitome of a traditional pub with a modern feel. The staff pride themselves on quality service and on their knowledge of the cask beers and real ciders. Eight handpumps showcase real ale from the ever-popular Bank Top range and always including Dark Mild, former Champion Mild of Britain. Full details of ales on offer can be seen here
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Autumn Pub of the Season 2016
Bank Top Brewery Tap
68-70 Belmont Road, Astley Bridge, Bolton BL1 7AN
With eight cask beers on the bar, as well as up to six real ciders, this ever-popular pub was voted Autumn Pub of the Season 2016 by Bolton CAMRA members.
Full pub details, along with those of all Bolton pubs, are available here