60 places

State Management pubs you can still drink in

From 1916 to 1973 the government owned and ran nearly every pub in and around Carlisle, under the State Management Scheme. These are the ones that were part of it and are still trading.

• Apple Tree

  City Centre State pub

  Big, cheap and central.

• Arroyo Arms

  Harraby State pub

  Proper Harraby local on Edgehill Road.

• Beehive

  Warwick Road State pub

  Out along Warwick Road, and a solid all-rounder, freshly refurbished in 2026.

• Bridge End Inn

  Dalston State pub

  Country pub with a separate bar and a big dining side, plus a garden.

• Carlisle South End Constitutional Club

  City Centre State pub

  Old-school working men's club off St Nicholas Street.

• Coach & Horses

  Kingstown State pub

  Kingstown Road local with a serious kitchen.

• County Hotel bar

  City Centre State pub

  The Portland Resident's Bar at the County Hotel, opposite the station, in the former Red Lion Hotel of 1894-96.

• Crown & Thistle

  Stanwix State pub

  Down-to-earth Stanwix local, open all day every day.

• Crown Hotel

  Wetheral State pub

  Country hotel in Wetheral with a bar, restaurant and a spa.

• Crown Inn

  Ivegill State pub

  Out at Ivegill and only open evenings, but worth the drive for the burgers.

• Gallaghers

  City Centre State pub

  Traditional pub at the St Nicholas Street end of town, formerly the Golden Lion.

• Graham Arms Inn

  Longtown State pub

  Longtown's main inn, with rooms and a busy bar.

• Greyhound Inn

  Burgh by Sands State pub

  Village pub on the Solway road out towards Bowness.

• Harraby Pub and Kitchen

  Harraby State pub

  Big estate pub done well.

• Lowther Arms Inn

  Cumwhinton State pub

  Family-run free house at Cumwhinton, the last of three pubs the village once had.

• Metal Bridge Inn

  Metal Bridge State pub

  Busy roadside inn north of the city near the border.

• Museum Inn

  Belle Vue State pub

  Old-school community local on Moorhouse Road, closed ten days in September 2016 for a full refurbishment.

• Plough Inn

  Wreay State pub

  Village pub at Wreay just off junction 42, with rooms and a big garden.

• Redfern Inn

  Etterby State pub

  Community local on Kingmoor Road, full of darts and pool teams.

• Royal Oak

  Scotby State pub

  Village pub in the middle of Scotby with a serious kitchen and a loyal following.

• Royal Scot

  Morton State pub

  Big Morton local with a separate bar and restaurant, a large car park and a kids' play area.

• String of Horses Inn

  Faugh State pub

  Country inn at Faugh with rooms and a restaurant.

• Tam O'Shanter

  Little Bampton State pub

  The hamlet's only public building, a village pub out on the Solway plain west of the city.

• The Andalusian

  City Centre State pub

  Redfern's most extravagant building, a Hispano-Moresque pub of 1932 in terracotta with a Moorish balcony, now a tapas bar and restaurant.

• The Black Lion

  Hethersgill State pub

  Country pub at Hethersgill with a log burner, pool table and two dartboards.

• The Blue Bell

  Dalston State pub

  Gastropub on Dalston square.

• The Boardroom

  City Centre State pub

  Traditional boozer next to the Cathedral, and one of the cheaper pints in town.

• The Border Rambler

  City Centre State pub

  Late one on Botchergate, loud and lively at weekends.

• The Caledonian

  City Centre State pub

  Big old-fashioned boozer near the station, part of Amber Taverns.

• The Crown & Thistle

  Rockcliffe State pub

  Village gastropub out at Rockcliffe, and people drive a long way for it.

• The Crown Inn

  Stanwix State pub

  Large, airy pub on Scotland Road with rooms upstairs, a wide beer range and plenty of screens for sport.

• The Cumberland Inn

  City Centre State pub

  Botchergate local with a good draught range at low prices and live sport on.

• The Currock Inn

  Currock State pub

  Community local on Boundary Road with a bigger food menu than you'd expect, including a full breakfast.

• The Duke Of Cumberland

  Castle Carrock State pub

  Country pub at Castle Carrock with a pub dog, a good ale range and a big reputation for food.

• The Fleece at Ruleholme

  Irthington State pub

  Country inn with rooms at Ruleholme, rebuilt from the ground up in 2021 on the site of the Golden Fleece.

• The Greyhound Inn

  Cotehill State pub

  Village pub at Cotehill with a very good kitchen, including proper vegan options.

• The Highland Laddie

  Glasson State pub

  Family-run village pub at Glasson on the Solway, reopened in 2025 after six years shut.

• The Horse and Farrier

  Morton State pub

  Refurbished and reopened on Wigton Road, on the west side of the city.

• The Jovial Sailor

  Caldcotes State pub

  Proper local on Caldcotes, run by a local landlord and his wife.

• The Kings Head

  City Centre State pub

  A proper real ale pub on Fisher Street with a rotating range of cask beers at a spread of strengths.

• The Last Zebra

  City Centre State pub

  The old post office that became the Gretna Tavern, the state's first pub, in 1916.

• The Lint

  London Road State pub

  One of the few Victorian pubs in Carlisle to keep its original layout largely intact, with etched windows and a marble pillar outside.

• The Milbourne Arms

  Denton Holme State pub

  Proper local on Milbourne Street with cask ale and home-cooked food.

• The Near Boot

  Kingstown State pub

  Family pub at Whiteclosegate with a sunny beer garden and a well-regarded Sunday lunch.

• The Nosey Cow Inn

  Harraby State pub

  Out at Carleton, food-led these days, in a pub the state ran as the Greenbank.

• The Oak at Curthwaite

  Curthwaite State pub

  Destination dining pub out at Curthwaite, west of Dalston, in a listed late-Georgian inn.

• The Pheasant Inn

  Cumwhitton State pub

  Village inn at Cumwhitton with rooms, out in the Eden valley.

• The Queen Inn

  Great Corby State pub

  Handsome old inn on the green at Great Corby, open seven days with food from noon.

• The Queens at Warwick on Eden

  Warwick-on-Eden State pub

  Village inn at Warwick-on-Eden, a few minutes off the M6.

• The Reiver

  Morton State pub

  Estate pub on Holmrook Road at Belle Vue, run by Star Pubs.

• The Royal Oak

  Moorhouse State pub

  Small village pub at Moorhouse with well-kept beer at village prices.

• The Sally

  Irthington State pub

  Village inn at Irthington with rooms, open from ten every day.

• The Spinners Arms

  Cummersdale State pub

  Village local at Cummersdale serving hand-pulled Carlisle Brewing Company ales.

• The Sportsman Inn

  City Centre State pub

  Tucked down Heads Lane behind the Marks & Spencer, and easy to walk past.

• The Stag Inn

  Crosby-on-Eden State pub

  Low Crosby's pub, and one of the best kitchens near the city.

• The Tavern

  Longtown State pub

  Small local on Longtown high street with a beer garden.

• The Wellington Inn

  Great Orton State pub

  Village pub with a small caravan site attached, out west of the city.

• Thin White Duke

  City Centre State pub

  Craft beer and cocktails on Devonshire Street, with a kitchen that draws people in on its own.

• Turf Tavern

  City Centre State pub

  Big Hungry Horse pub on Newmarket Road near the racecourse end of town.

• Wheatsheaf Inn

  Wetheral State pub

  Wetheral's village pub.

The whole story is on the State Management page.

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