Davenport Arms, Woodford (Thief's Neck)

Old-fashioned Cheshire farmhouse pub of mellow red brick, creeper covered, and with a number of outbuildings on the left. Acquired by Robinson’s in the 1920s, it is attached to a 40 acres of grazing farmland and has been run by four successive generations of the Hallworth family for 80 years – the anniversary being in February 2012. The family ran a riding school from the stables in the 1940s and diary farming was carried out until the middle of the 1970s. It is better known to many by its previous name the ‘The Thief’s Neck’ as the tree outside the pub was used to hang wrongdoers in the distant past! The layout consists of a panelled passage across the front of the building between a tap room on the left and a snug on the right; also the main bar at the rear with a small lounge area to the rear right and it has not changed since a refurbishment in the 1950s.

On the front right is a door with the figure ‘1’ on a brown button which leads to a cosy snug which has a draught screen with a stained and leaded panel in the top part, and old fixed seating around the room. This small room has an early 20th century tiled, cast iron and wood surround fireplace, some half timbering on the walls, a small piece of inter-war dado panelling and a collection of plates and water jugs on a high shelf round the room. The front left small tap room has a modern door, old draught screen, old fixed seating around the room, early 20th century tiled, cast iron and wood surround fireplace, and some dado fielded panelling.

The main bar at the rear left looks like it was refitted (or created?) in the 1950s with its sloping bar counter and bar back fitting with some glass shelves – former landlady June Hallworth came to the pub in 1957 and the only change since then has been the addition of the feature above the counter that has reduced the ceiling height above the servery. This area is popular for vertical drinking with only the odd stool. There was a hatch in the back of the servery to serve the two small front rooms.

On the rear right is an area that was until the 1950s a private room and has a good tiled and wood surround fireplace from xxx and fixed seating that looks post war in style. A wooden aircraft propeller suspended from the archway leading to it is a reminder of Woodford’s long association with aircraft manufacturing as the factory down the road in the past produced the famous Lancaster and Vulcan bombers. The outside gents were modernised in the past few years and now there is a covered walkway to them.