Oldham's 300-year-old pub The Old Original serves pints since 1722

The Old Original in Scouthead has been serving pints for 300 years, making it Saddleworth's oldest pub with a licence dating back to 1722. The pub started life as a rural alehouse on the turnpike road between Lancashire and Yorkshire, serving travellers and coaches long before modern roads existed.

Over the centuries, the pub has worn different names including 'Cart and Sandbag' and 'The Rose and Crown', reflecting local economic activity like quarrying. When a new turnpike road was built and diverted most traffic, the then-owner John Buckley opened The Star Inn on the busy route, leaving a neighbour to run the original alehouse.

Despite reduced passing trade, the older building survived and became widely known as The Old Original in 1871. The pub has had only around 24 landlords in its history, with 13 coming from just three periods of family ownership. It's currently run by Richard Harrop, who took over from his parents Tom and Jannette, with son Harry working as assistant manager.

The pub is known for its no-nonsense approach to food-no small plates or light choices here. As the landlords told. The Oldham Times: 'Customers do not leave hungry!' They offer hearty dishes like roasted belly pork and lamb henry, with deals including £10 curry nights on Thursdays and seasonal menus at £17 for two courses.

The Old Original also has a spooky side. In 1978, landlady Vera Marner reported seeing the same ghost for five years, later identified as Eliza Jane MacKay, a former employee who took her own life on a neighbouring farm. The pub maintains traditional pricing without increases for special occasions like New Year's Eve and Christmas.