52. Spiders Rest

If you have a horror of creepy-crawly things and hairy-legged insects, it’s safe to read on because the spiders referred to here, as the sign outside makes clear, are the type used to assist snooker players make awkward shots.

There used to be snooker tables down the backyard, where Spiders disco now stands, so the connection is clear. So too is the reason why it was once called the Wagon Wheel Tavern, because a previous owner, Tony Stewart, had been in Canada, and when he returned he set about recreating a saloon bar, complete with swinging doors and guns around the walls.

What isn’t so easy to find out is why, long before that, there was a swinging sign outside depicting King Billy on his white horse, or why the licensee at that particular time never opened his front doors but conducted all his business down the back.

The present bar is luxurious indeed, carpeted throughout in thick red carpet and with matching upholstered snugs in velvet. The food is top-class, and you can see why it is increasingly popular for wedding parties and private functions.

The disco at the rear is the top nightclub spot in the town, featuring live bands regularly, and plans are afoot to run under-18 discos, with soft drinks, to give the young people of the town somewhere to go.

Just one thing, though – the carpet pattern in the disco features webs, and the other type of spider, the one you don’t use when you’re playing snooker.

You have been warned