Longton - Wilkins & Pye

Name: Wilkins & Pye

Address: 143, Liverpool Road, Longton

Courtesy of WhatPub

This is one of Longton's newer additions to the licensed trade, being a micropub that opened on September 7th 2018 in the former Tipsy Toad off-licence premises on Liverpool Road opposite the Red Lion. 

Google Maps 2016

It's a fabulous memorial to the village history that the name is derived from Longton's two long defunct breweries, W & R Wilkins and James Pye & Sons, the pub's logo being a boar's head symbol original used by the Pye brewery.

The premises are in the centre of the picture adjacent to the bank before the buildings
that were Home Farm prior to its demolition to make way for new development

West Lancs (now Central Lancs) CAMRA Ale Cry Magazine Autumn 2006

"In the early 1900’s the then small village of Longton was an interesting place for the beer drinker, with two rival breweries being situated just yards apart on Marsh Lane. Like Matthew Brown, both had come into existence around 1830 when there had been an important change in the country’s beer duty laws. The smaller of the two breweries was James Pye & Son, based at the Longton Brewery and with a company trademark of a boars head on a platter. Unfortunately Pye’s was to survive only until 1905, when it was taken over by Walmesleys of Preston, with the Smithy Inn at Much Hoole being one of about 10 pubs which were selling their beers. The loss of Pye’s meant that neighbouring brewers and maltsters W&R WILKINS were able to expand, and over the years they were to build up an estate of over 20 pubs. Wilkins Brewery pubs were thick on the ground in Longton and the surrounding villages, with the Golden Ball being the brewery tap. In 1952 Wilkins Brewery was taken over by Salford-based brewers Groves & Whitnall." 
(by Gordon Small)

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