The Masons Arms, Billinge - a pub that ticks Orwell's boxes

We will be taking a close look at some of those as part of our regular Beer Hunter series.

First up is the Billinge's Masons Arms on Carr Mill Road.

WHEN George Orwell went in pursuit of his elusive Moon Under Water – the pub that was so perfect that it didn’t exist – he listed a few qualities that you would want in the ideal boozer.

Among them was location - just a little off the beaten track - atmosphere, conversation, regulars and even a garden.

Well, if Orwell had jumped off the 352 St Helens bus on the Road to Wigan Pier (around the Birchley Road/Trent Road junction) and taken a five minute scoot I reckon he would have ticked many of his boxes.

The first thing that hits you about Billinge’s Masons Arms - a skimmed flat stone away from Carr Mill Dam – is the combination of its physical make-up and location.

The building has stood on this site since 1779, constructed from stone hewn from a quarry on nearby Billinge Hill giving it distinctive colour.

Location wise it benefits from serving as a local to the inhabitants of Chadwick Green, but then it backs on to a vast swath of farmland that separates Billinge from Winstanley, Garswood and Haydock giving it an idyllic rural backdrop.

You get a good look at that view from the outside drinking area that blends into the greenbelt and for which the term ‘beer garden’ simply doesn’t do justice to.

There are two distinctive and quirky outdoor drinking sheds, both fitted with what appear to be recycled aeroplane seats.

But we are here for the beer – and on the counter, with it being summer, the ale is predominantly on the light end of the spectrum.

I ignored the extra chilled Theakston Summit Cold Pale and dipped straight in for a pint of Cross Bay’s Halo, billed as a session English Pale Ale at a comfortable 3.6.

Crisp and hoppy, this drop from the Morecambe-based brewers hardly touched the sides as I earwigged on the rugby chatter from the mixed group of regulars in the main bar area.

The bar side is a veritable shrine to the 13–man code with display cases featuring jerseys, a tie from Saints’ first Wembley win in 1956, Great Britain caps and old programmes.

QUIZ: Can you identify these 10 St Helens pubs?

The walls are adorned with sketches of Saints heroes from Vollenhoven to Veivers and the top shelf featured a range of balls and jerseys.

There is a smaller lounge to the side, with a significant book shelf in one corner and walls adorned with an array of travel pictures and posters.

There is also a map of St Helens from 1849 when the town was jus a concentrated block in the centre with a few gangly limbs stretching of it.

It is very much a local's local – but a welcoming one rather than a cliquey one and it was refreshing to be in a bar where conversation was king, so another tick for Orwell.

The regulars were quick with recommendations, too.

“Get on the Black Sheep!” was the advice and I didn’t need asking twice.

Another pale, this straw coloured brew one from the Masham-based brewers in North Yorkshire, has been a familiar drop this side of the Pennines since 2019.

There was nothing dark on during this visit, but for those who prefer something heavier there was a 4% Butcombe Original – a brown bitter from Somerset.

And from the north east in Hartlepool there is the ruby red Strongarm bitter from Cameron’s – again weighing in at 4%.

The ale selection varies week-to-week.

St Helens drinkers often forget about the Masons – maybe it is because, even though it is in St Helens Borough, its WN postcode puts it under the auspices of Greater Manchester in the Good Beer Guide.

It has even managed to win Wigan CAMRA’s Pub of the Year in the past – and you can see why.

Check the opening times before you trek out there, but it is a pub well worth a visit.

And although they tell me they don’t ‘do food’, on a Friday they sell Burchalls pies. Bonus!

What more could you want, George?