The Romping Cat

Audlem History Society

Peter Morgan writes

I have to inform Lennie that he is wrong about the exact location of the Romping Cat in Salford.

It is our house, number 34 right on the turn in the road. When we bought it in 1978 the old cellar complete with barrel stillage was intact. But due to the high water table (a small open drain allowed spring water to flow across the cellar floor thus keeping the ale at a stable temperature summer and winter) we filled in the shallow cellar which had a raised ceiling two feet above the taproom floor, so as to extend the kitchen over it.

The spring water still feeds the roadside well at the adjoining Springwell cottage.

The late local historian Bill Hardy, gave us a copy of a victorian map from the Cheshire Archives showing it as the Romping Cat and also a copy of the census from 1851 or 61 recording that 11 people resided here.

The pub was also handy for the first village police station complete with it's open air cells built on the opposite side of the lane, where drunkards could, 'cool off'.

Ed – What our readers want to know, Peter, is

• What happened to all the barrels of brandy that you found in the cellar in 1978?
• Is there any truth in the rumour that there is a secret underground passage from the Romping Cat to the cells over the road to keep the "drunkards" well supplied while they were banged up over night?