The bit that goes through to the kitchen door used to be my grandad's house when he was a child, he used to bring us here at Easter for a trip down memory lane. Wasn't attached to the pub then but the pub was there 100 years ago and had the same great name. It was quite surreal to have a drink with my mum in what would have been his tiny front room with all the original stone walls and the fireplace where he used to black lead the grate :)

Didn't eat but food looked nice and the beers were tasty, also in rather a nice part of the countryside. I love coming here for the memories it evokes so the service is neither here nor there for me, sorry if this is unhelpful :)I have only been in the area for a few months, but the decline in this once great pub is very evident. I visited on Easter Monday holiday, and although not busy, the service was awful. We arrived just after 2pm and were told food was no longer being served. Fair enough. However, we witnessed food being served at 3pm. I asked a passing waitress who informed me again that food was not being served. I asked when food was back on, I was told "I don't know" and she walked on by. When we were eventually served food (after once again asking at the bar) the food was incredibly bland. Then, the plates were not removed from our table until half an hour after finishing, despite ordering desserts. I could go on... the barman served me a half pint instead of a pint, when I pointed it out, his attitude was terrible. I will never vist this pub again, the whole experience was terrible.....I posted an update to my comment of December '06 which seems to have been removed.

I stated something along the lines of the pub still had a lovely, comfortable feel, the staff were still friendly and the outside views outstanding. However, it's now a Cains tied house and the imaginative range of guests (often from the excellent Phoenix) is no more; the locals I talked to were deeply unhappy with the change and I can't blame them.

It's still a wonderful pub (can't comment on the food, sorry) but not a patch on what it was.

A friendly pub and the beer is well kept. What "Lawson" says about the food is spot on.Forgot to mention The Britannia also has the best daytime food around. Great prices and no skimping on meals.
All home made at the pub,all the best ingredients and real mash potato to boot, and the gravy should be patented and sold as an elixier of life.Has got better since the smoking ban. Very consistant, and has about the busiest and best daytime punters.

Only use 'Barristers' side of the pub, which has a good range of cask ales in tip-top condition and at very reasonable prices - Spitfire for £1.80 a pint. I believe the licensee (or former licensee?) got the smoking ban martyrdom he was seeking - and a very big bill!well one landlord in Bolton got fined £10,000 this week - suspect it was this one ive worked at the swan

in the morning there use to be hundreds of beer flies,
the place ignores so many health and safety rules its unbelievable, the prices change at 6pm every day to stupid amounts, and the dj never plays anything new!!!

the only good thing about the swan is barristers next door,
sadly it is to small

can you tell me please 'bitter end' which pub in Horwich you are referring to when you describe the 'good value, high quality and consistent beer' you are getting elsewhere? Because I have looked at all the pubs on BITE in the Horwich area and noticed that you havent made a single comment on any other pub.

Perhaps your review would have more credence if you posted a positive comment on and identified the apparent MECCA of all pubs in the area which you seem to frequent. If there are other pubs that are as good as you say, why not name them and give them the appropriate positive reviews?

of course the alternative view would be that no such pub exists and that really your comments are more personal attacks aimed at the Bay Horse and therefore have no value to the customer who uses this website for its proper purpose, i.e. to read genuine and factual reviews on local pubs.

what a sensitive soul casablanca is

if you must know I used to call in about 4 times a week but stopped when standards dropped after Pauline left - I recently thought I would give it a chance after reports of improvements, but things are still hit and miss admittedly, I only call in once a week but can see as I walk past that the place is not what it was in terms of customer numbers - and other occasional visitors tell of very variable standards

I fail to see how commenting on improvements in service and beer quality can be viewed as a criticism and does casablanca really think the fruit/quiz machine are ideally placed - if they are just there as a temp placing whilst decoratng being done then ok

However I will follow Casablancas advice and not bother again, I will just wave at the 2, sometimes 3, midweek customers as I walk past for good value, high quality and consistent beer elsewhere, along with the many former customers of a once great local

How the hell can the brains be over chilled when all the beer comes from the same cellar and through the same cooling sysstem? ................ Must be the Ghost again

I am really beginning to warm to this pub. Consistently good beer and a warm welcome from the most excellent landlady. A delightfull evening in the Bowling Green. Several pints of the rather excellent Dark Mild served to insulate my senses from the dull surroundings. That said, this pub has the makings of one of Horwich's better watering holes. Very attentive and polite bar staff (a rarity in Horwich). Only thing lacking is a sensitive makeover which could really transform this pub into something special. The lounge area is a bit desperate, one can almost see the tumbleweed blowing through. Not the fault of the present management, rather a symptom of years of neglect. The present landlady is pulling this pub in the right direction. I wish her the best of luck.Dear casablanca, whilt I agree that the Bowling Green is not a church and that therefore some bad language is to be expected, there are limits. At present, Horwich pubs are largely dominated by loud mouthed chavy moronic type. These people seem to take pleasure in making life uncomfortable for anyone who simply wishes to enjoy a quiet pint. Whether the landlady of this pub holds down two jobs is irrelevant as her paramount responsibility is to the customer. That said, the Bowling Green does show some promise and could develop into one of Horwich's better pubs.

Before you all run off and check if I am a first time poster and come to the conclusion that I work at the Brinsop - I am a first time poster but I don't work there. I am not a regular but have been to the Brinsop on a number of occasions over the last few years, for lunch, dinner, Christmas do, a drink after work, a beer at weekend and before and after a match. I find the place very very welcoming, nice relaxed environment with excellent food. There are some locals who sit at the bar but they are friendly and don't make it appear to be "a local pub for local people". I would recommend it to anyone.
DarrellKitykat, you are clearly the same Diane that posted anon previously but signed it Diane Kay, a member of staff here. Your inappropriate use of capitals and "Mr Paul Young" gives you away.
This pub has plunged to new depths, I fully expect more comments from one time posters defending this miserable place.Mr Paul Young and his long term staff have made the Brinsop one of the best places to eat out and relax in this area, I wish him well, not only does he run a great pub he is a great guy.

Well Done Paul,al and the team.

Sincerely
Diane..xxx

A great pub handicapped by the current rash of foul mouthed young "chav" drinkers who inhabit the beer garden, can't hold their alcohopops and who occaionally spill over into the inside of the pub where people are trying to have a social drink, ruining the atmosphere - and the glazing, as boltonbloke correctly points out. I was in that night too and I can confirm that most of those who were involved in the incident that ended in the breaking of the window were back in the pub with their bottles of WKD soon afterwards. I love this pub and hope that the landlady regains a grip of it before people start abandoning it for less savage surroundings.Trouble 'at mill tonight! Ram packed full of drunken teenagers who predictably kicked off and smashed a window, showering the resident Mountain rescue team with broken glass.
Most of the trouble makers appeared to regain access, no doubt due to the landladys "tired and emmotional" state. One girl was heard to proclaim " I'm not wearing a fuckin bra!!" Don't blame you love, after all, I would not buy a house with a garage if I didn't own a car.....
A pity, as the beer seemed to be recovering. Sadly other elements do not. I did use to love my gin fueled escapades in this eccentric melting pot, but over the last year it sadly declined. Basil, my young hunk, was most upset by the plunge in beer standards and we left for pastures new.

Lately, things have improved, although Basil still complains the beer is occasionally a bit of a lottery. I'd worry about his head being turned by some of the women, but the available ones are probably too innitastic for him.

THERE ARE NO LONGER KARAOKE NIGHTS ON EITHER FRI OR SUN AT THIS VENUEnew landlord since may 2007 a real pleasant fellow.good bar staff, friendly atmosphere,clean,although could benifit from a refurb,good pint, disabled facilities,large carpark to rear,food servered during day,excellent karaoke nights fri and sun evenings,great sound and quality equipment,disco every other sat night,live acts other sat. worth a visit.

After rave reviews by lots of people i went there last night 6.3.08.
All i can say is that the food wasn't that good, my steak although supposed to be cooked medium well was like eating shoe leather, it took me that long to chew through it that by the time i had only eaten half the other half was cold........ a big disappointment, one that i won't be trying again.We visited in early January when business was slow, still the Food was FANTASTIC and service was fast - perhaps a little too fast given that the restraunt was so empty. I had a slow cooked shoulder of lamb whist the girlfriend had a chicken dish.

The overall ambiance of the place was a little snooty on our opinion, the manageress seemed a little taken aback that we didnt wish to take an alcoholic drink, and was astonished that we requested hot drinks "well we do tea and coffee if that's what you mean". However I must not rant, whilst willing to ignore and dismiss this as a personality quirk i would return in a flash the girlfriend was less happy and was obviously less than comofortable in the pub ambiance and will not allow a return trip - despite my taste buds longing for the lamb!The Food here is fantastic the fact that you have a good range to choose from including a specials board, all the food is locally sorced and cooked fresh on the day you just cant go wrong!!!The Staff are very friendly and are more than happy to help if you cant choose from all the fine ales they have on. i would recomened anyone to go and try for them.
Also thank you Peter And Sylvia Haynes for Making booking my wedding easier and helping me with all the detail i cant waitx

Agreed on comments below. With the sad decline of the Howcroft it'll be seeing more of my money.Nice traditional pub, convenient for the station, warm and friendly welcome from both landlord and punters. Good mix of clientèle, coal fire in winter, pool room, plenty of seating in five separate areas. Busy on match days with Bolton supporters before they catch the train to the Reebok. The beer is GREAT, normally a large selection (10+)of locals from Banktop (Bolton) and Hopstar (Darwen) plus other interesting specials from micro's around the country. Overall great pub with a real Bolton atmosphere. A proper boozer!! Excellent range of well kept real ales served by friendly staff in a smart, clean pub. The Bank Top I sampled was first class.
9/10 from me!

Was not impressed with the service in this pub, two young members of staff on who both ignored paying customers to finish personal conversations with friends.
won't be bothering with this place again, I know were I'm not wanted!Lovely Holts bitter in the Crown, Yamato seems a bit biased.
I've been in on a Sunday, the organ music's not to my taste but lots of people enjoy it, I've never known it to compete with the piped 'musak', never noticed there was any.Nasty chilled bitter, not a haven for the serious beer drinker. Might appeal more to those who don't wish to spend £1.50 on a pint. However, you know the old saying,'you get what you pay for'. At the Crown you certainly get what you pay for, no more, no less.

Having witnessed the decline of a once fine pub, I was heartened when the present landlord took over. Alas, my optimism was misplaced. A few visits have confirmed that Flat Cap is to be the only offering. I will not be hurrying back.Two recent visits revealed only 1 cask pump with the poverty Flatcap on draught, finished up drinking bottled at the Doffcocker. I hope we arent going to see a similar decline as with the Kings Head at Dean.
Sad to see the Howcroft go this way it used to be a gem in a sea of mediocrity.Been an excellent pub in a run down area for a long time. We've had parties and a wake there in the past. Beer is (always) great and I find the staff (and locals)friendly and pleasant with genuine character!
However...it is a little run down, and certainly the upholstery in the little snug opposite the bar is dirty (my wife was not impressed) and needs a spruce up!
Must admit have not visited in the last month to comment on any management changes. Pubs like this need our support to survive!! Overall 7.

I've served my time working through the Camra Good Beer Guide, I don't need advice thanks.Dear inspectorblackey
I am all in favour of people drinking Holts beer as I am equally in favour of people drinking methadone or turps. Perhaps a pint of real beer would change your mind. May I suggest you locate youself in a decent pub and try some Dark Mild (Bowling Green- Horwich) or perhaps some Roosters Bitter (Crescent-Salford). I do recall that the Bridge served a decent pint of Flowers not that long ago. Apparently no call for it anymore, very sad as real ale is now all too rare in Horwich. When Holts is the only option I suggest joining the temperance movement!Obvious from his comments on this and other posts that Yamato doesn't like Holt's beer,(not a guest beer by the way), does that mean other people shouldn't drink it?
Sorry you were 'forced' to drink Joey's, strange choice if you don't like Holt's beer.

CAN,T comment again Sue did try to give you some support but I,ve upset FENNEL Good for you love seen the paper !!! you,ve been slated enough ,you show,d em.Also believe the pub having a full re-furb should be nice after go on Sue you show em !

I hear they had a visit from the police last night, let's hope they take noteSeems to be suffering the same way as many Horwich pubs at the moment by being over-run with yobs at the weekend who know they can get a late drink.
The front window has been boarded up for over a week now and lends a certain an air of class to the place.
Every picture tells a story as they say..........AKA,'The Merry Widow's'
These days makes it's money from serving after time.