#234 Crown & Anchor, Stone, Staffs : 1991 to 2016

The town of Stone (between Stoke and Stafford) is a notable location on the Trent and Mersey Canal. Approximately at the mid-point of the waterway it was once home to the company that owned the canal and was the place where many of the original plans were formulated. 

However, more importantly, it is a town with a good number of pubs, so it is always a poipular stopping place for us. The Crown & Anchor isn't canalside, but it is only a short walk from the cut. Our first visit was on the evening of Friday 26th July 1991 during the journey that took Emma Jane from Adlington (on the Leeds & Liverpol Canal) to, ultimately, Cowley Peachey (on the Grand Union Canal).

I don't remember much about it and with plenty of other pubs to choose from, we didn't return until the evening of Tuesday 29th August 2000.

This was a completely unscheduled visit as we'd passed through Stone that afternoon and were moored at Barlaston. Unbeknownst to us the Plume of Feathers at Barlaston was closed and we needed an alternative! One of the good things about canal trips is that, although it may have taken 3+ hours to get somewhere, it's only a 10 - 15 minute taxi ride back...so we chose Stone as a safe bet. As I recall the pub was largely unchanged.

Our next visit was on the evening of Monday 22nd August 2005.

Subtle changes from 1991 are visible (if you look carefully enough) but to all intents and purposes it is stil the same as before.

It was quite a number of years before we ventured back to the Crown & Anchor, this time there were many changes.

This visit was on the evening of Sunday 27th March 2016 as part of our Easter trip to Stoke. The pub had been completely refurbished inside (as a more dining led pub) and some minor changes outside. The one main external change is the removal of the distictive  hanging sign from the gable end of the pub.

#029 The Star, Stone, Staffs : 1987 to 2011

When I first visited The Star Inn at Stone it was a proper canalside pub that had the perfect location, right beside the bottom lock at Stone. Unfortunately because the road bridge is so close it is difficult to get a good photo, but here they are anyway!

This first visit was an evening stop on  Monday 13th July 1987 and, judging from my photo album it was the only pub we visited that night! I don't remember anything about the night, but I do remember that it was a good pub.

 Our next stop was in 1999 when, miraculously the Star Inn had become, simply, The Star and was now a Banks's pub (previously a Bass establishment).

This was a lunchtime stop on Wednesday 1st September on the way to our first trip along the Caldon Canal. I do remember that the upper part of the pub had been opened out somewhat and turned into an eating area, but the traditional 'end' was largely 'unspoilt by progress'!

This year we were recreating our 1999 journey and we stopped on the way up to navigate the Caldon canal once more. The Star is now a Marston's pub and is supposedly in the Guinness Book of Records for having the most levels of any pub!

We visited on the evening of Monday 28th August, but only stayed for one pint. The oldest part of the pub was still the same (but nowhere to sit) and the newer part just a soulless eating area. It has an ideal location and is obviously doing well, but we were looking for a bit of a pub crawl and so we spent the rest of the evening exploring the further delights of Stone!

One final fact, which I was unaware of until very recently - although The Star is so close to the bottom lock of the Stone flight on the Trent & Mersey Canal, it wasn't built for the canal. In fact it predates the canal by about 100 years! The Trent & Mersey Canal was James Brindley's final triumph and, although he didn't live to see it completed one thing is fairly certain, he would have had an occasional drink in The Star Inn during planning of the waterway.

Here's another view of The Star taken as we came back on the return journey.

#017 Plume of Feathers, Barlaston, Staffs : 1991 to 2011

The first time I visited the Plume of Feathers was in 1991. I'd recently returned from a three year secondment to Australia and we were moving Emma Jane from Wigan on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to, ultimately, Cowley Peachey near Uxbridge on the Grand Union Canal. We were responsible for the first half of the journey and swapped crew at Lapworth, very close to where she is moored now!

This photo was taken at lunchtime on 26th July 1991. I don't really remember too much about it other than it was a fairly basic pub with all the required facilities - cold lager, hot food, serviceable toilets (a must on long canal trips!) and moorings at the 'bottom' of the car park!

We next visited in August 2000, but the pub was shut and we ended up catching a cab and drinking in Stone for the evening! It wasn't until 2002 that we could confirm that it had been redeveloped and reopened, although we didn't stop there again until 23rd August 2005.

It looked as though it wanted to be a 'gastropub', but in reality it had been turned into a modernised pub that did food and effectively fell between the two stools. Judging by the lunchtime crowd it felt that it should be a 'proper' pub, but judging by the décor it was meant to be more than just a pub. Anyway, we had a decent lunchtime visit.

We visited again in 2006 and 2010 with similar experiences.

And so to 3rd September 2011. Another lunchtime stop and this time we went into the Lounge for the first time. This side of the pub felt more like  a golf club...and then I noticed the large bowling green out of the rear windows. The food on offer is reassuringly simple and the service was good. The Plume of Feathers is a good lunchtime stop for us, but I'm not sure if it would be so good for an evening session!