The next destination on our 2025 Lancaster Live music festival jaunt was Lancaster Boars Head situated on Great John Street near Dalton Square.It is a proper local establishment with pool tables and sports robustly advertised on the tv’s. One reviewer of the establishment eloquently described it as a ‘Star Wars’ bar, a phrase I have used myself previously to best describe the clientele encountered on the 1.24am ghost train from Manchester to Preston that I used to catch in the 1990’s.
The hostelry was in a boisterous state when I landed on a late Saturday afternoon and on stage were the Rock Twins. The duo derives from the Blackburn area and consist of Steve Gaunt and Ian Wilson (known as Endy), the former named once apparently performed in front of the Queen. Their name evolves from the fact that the original singer was also called Ian Wilson, thus the alphabetical Twins moniker. I returned briefly the following day into another vibrant setting with a local lass called Loana Christy performing.
The Boars Head. Image Credit tripadvisor
We then took a detour to drop our bags at our digs for the evening, namely the Lancaster Sun Hotel & Bar. The Sun is a Grade II listed historic building with a handily placed south facing beer garden. It was originally built on the site of a Tudor residence named Stoop Hall and there is a recorded licence running all the way back to 1680. It reflected its roots for a while by having the name the Sun Inn on Stoop Hall, potentially named after the stables that were housed at the rear of the building.
It was a huge building in the 18th century with a grand total of 70 windows and in 1784 it was halved in size to make way for the adjoining Sun Street. It was chosen for the sheriff’s quarterly sessions prior to the judge’s lodgings being built and also for the Lancaster Musical Society. Like many other hostelries there are claims that Bonnie Prince Charlie once supped a cold ale there!
In the latter part of the 20th century, it was a tired looking hostelry before the Lancaster Brewery took over the reins in 2003. They undertook a highly comprehensive overhaul which took ten years to complete but was respectful enough to retain the original stone walls, beams and window frames. They also bought the next door property of 65 Church Street to build the hotel rooms and during that refurbishment some items of roman era pottery were discovered.
Sun Inn. Image Credit sunhotelandbar.co.uk
I have been visiting the Sun for around three decades and it has always been one of my favourite pubs in Lancaster. One of the many reasons is due to the very fine Lancaster brewery beer where within their range they have Blonde, Amber, Black, Red and IPA which always presents a devilish choice when I approach the bar. Joyfully, though admittedly only periodically they stock their brewery beverages in my local supermarket.
As referenced above they have lodgings and it seemed an apposite place to rest our weary heads, and we were allocated an appropriate attic room with a sloping ceiling. They also served a fine breakfast for us to gird our loins prior to Day 2 of the festival!
I don’t think the pub normally stages live music, but they had made an exception on that day and we saw Molly Warburton playing, who I had earlier seen performing in the Borough. Those multiple shows are a regular occurrence at the event with bands straddling various venues across the weekend.
We then made our way over to Lancaster Hogarths on George Street. The building first erected in 1892 has had previous lives as a Comet and Cycle 2000 store and also Milady House Toffees where they were apparently renowned for a mean caramel! In the late 1990’s it turned into a hostelry, initially as Varsity until 2004, then looked like it closed for a while before reopening as Oscars wine bar and bistro in 2012. Then in 2018 it morphed again into its current guise and is kitted out in a Victorian Gin Palace style stocking over 120 brands, much like the Preston branch which is known locally as Hogwarts!
Hogarths Pub. Image Credit ambertaverns.co.uk
There is a striking mural as you enter into the building, and they have a private karaoke bar in their upstairs space. When we visited there was a local lad called Mark McKenna singing and he did a decent cover of Chris Isaaks ‘Wicked Game’. His website outlines that he can also masquerade as a DJ, so you could receive a ‘2 for 1 deal’!
He was previously the lead singer of a Morecambe band in the 1980’s called The Ice Factory which was spookily named after the ice cream factory where they used to rehearse. They were quite highly touted at the time but despite a few TV appearances and support slots to Youssou N’Dour and Blur they like many others before and after them, self-imploded in 1991.