MYSTERIOUS CALENDAR PUB DEFIES PASSAGE OF TIME WITH MAJOR FACELIFT

A Bolton pub famed for its mysterious “calendar” design has just undergone a £300 000 facelift.

The Doffcocker Inn has long been a source of intrigue thanks to the fact its design, dating back to 1901, mirrors the passage of time.

The pub features 365 panes of glass, one for each day of the year. Its rooms are divided by 52 doors, representing the 52 weeks of the year. There are 28 rooms to echo the days of a four-week month, seven rooms to a floor for days of the week, 12 rooms in the cellar for each month of the year, and seven bedrooms for the days in a week. Including the cellar, the building spans four floors — one for each season.

What does it all mean? No one seems to know.

However now visitors can enjoy all its calendar splendour following a full, traditional refresh, including new furnishings throughout and the complete replacement of all window frames.

The update comes as part of a wider programme of investment by Joseph Holt, which is rejuvenating a number of its pubs, including recent work on the Hare and Hounds in Radcliffe and the Morning Star in Swinton.

Overall, the brewery — which owns 127 pubs across the North West — has spent more than £7 million updating part of its estate in the last 12 months alone

Though the Doffcocker Inn occupies a building dating back to 1901 records show a pub has stood on the site since around 1818.

Denis Maddox, an estates executive at Joseph Holt said: “No one really knows who was behind the original ‘calendar’ design philosophy, but we’ve embraced it.

“Our pubs are hugely popular, not least because they sit at the heart of the communities they serve. It’s vital that we maintain their traditional appeal while ensuring we keep on top of refreshing and replacing interiors and exteriors so they remain in the very best condition.”

Despite all the years it has stood here, the Doffcocker Inn remains timeless — an oasis of community spirit and a pub which, especially after this renovation, will be enjoyed for generations to come.”

Discover more about the Doffcocker Inn here.