The Volunteer

The Joseph Holt brewery was founded in Manchester in 1849 and is still going strong with lots of traditional pubs like the Volunteer. Apparently it's the last brewery to sell their beer in Hogsheads. (54 gallons a time!)

Those of you who know Blackwell the beautiful Arts and Crafts house in the Lake District will know that it was built as a holiday home for the Sir Edward Holt, Joseph's son and his family.

The Volunteer Hotel, a Holt's pub, in Sale is one of my favourite buildings along the road home and I enjoyed watching it receive a new coat of paint last year. It was rebuilt in 1898 having previously been known as the White Lion. Its name was changed to commemorate the Sale and Ashton volunteers; who gathered in 1803 to fight off the feared Napoleonic invasion.