How Chesterfield's Brampton Mile was – and still is – a true rite of passage

Neil Anderson’s new ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1990s Chesterfield’ recounts the hazards of undertaking the town’s legendary pub run – the Brampton Mile...
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The 1990s was a time of unprecedented political turbulence in the UK.

Margaret Thatcher was unceremoniously thrown out of office by her own MPs and Tony Blair and his New Labour won a landslide victory in 1997.

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Some of us just shrugged our shoulders and took everything in our stride. Others knew – come hell or high water – there was always one thing that could

Mile drinkers in the 1990sMile drinkers in the 1990s
Mile drinkers in the 1990s

be relied upon in Chesterfield…

The Brampton Mile has always been the town’s great leveller.

Social standing; size of house or cost of car will stand for absolutely nothing as you stagger about the streets after around pub number 15.

When no one returns your calls on the Sunday afternoon you will realise yes, you did make a pass at your best friend’s boyfriend/girlfriend.

The Royal Oak, now revamped as the Spotted FrogThe Royal Oak, now revamped as the Spotted Frog
The Royal Oak, now revamped as the Spotted Frog
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The Brampton Mile was – and still is – a true rite of passage.

In the 1990s you’d still got the rather more upmarket Terminus pub to ease you into proceedings.

This was the venue where the sense of excitement and trepidation was at its height.

The need for speed has always been an integral part of the Brampton Mile - ‘20 minutes a pub’ was a figure etched in your brain (whilst it was still working at least).

The Three Horse Shoes pub, today the venue is home to The Tap HouseThe Three Horse Shoes pub, today the venue is home to The Tap House
The Three Horse Shoes pub, today the venue is home to The Tap House
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It had been known for people to ignore the Terminus altogether because of the length of time it took to get to the second pub, The Star.

Most ideologically sound people would simply shake their head in disgust and rightfully agree: “They’re not true mile drinkers”

We counted up to 18 pubs before the chequered flag was waved as you sank your last drink at the Square & Compass and staggered off towards a

nightspot.

Bradbury Club bouncersBradbury Club bouncers
Bradbury Club bouncers

Getting from The Star to the nearby Peacock was a few second jaunt. It wasn’t much further to the next stop off either down a backstreet.

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It was then a hop, a skip and a jump (you’d only done four pubs – this was still possible remember) to the Britannia and adjacent Rose & Crown.

The next pub, the Brampton Ale House, was a far cry from its ‘80s incarnation.

Its former Three Horse Shoes guise could wipe out an entire Brampton Mile battalion with a single half of its super-strength Loony Juice cider.

Next off was the Prince of Wales across the road. Things were generally more sedate in there.

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Then there was a newbie in the shape of the Brampton Mile. This ‘disco pub’ was a lively addition to proceedings.

Many mile drinkers would attempt to complete their night at SpiresMany mile drinkers would attempt to complete their night at Spires
Many mile drinkers would attempt to complete their night at Spires

The next set of bars was the pub run’s answer to the Bermuda Triangle.

It was a trio of hostelries that would by now be very busy; they’d contain punters regularly itching for trouble and have landlords always on the look out

for ‘mile drinkers’;.

Splits would already be appearing in the ranks of larger parties. Someone wouldn’t be paying their way, another would be looking very ill and be caught

trying to hide their drink in a nearby plantpot.

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It wasn’t uncommon for breakaway groups to throw in the towel altogether and dive onto the nearest bus into town.

There was rarely any hassle in the New Inn or the nearby Grouse but they’d both upped their game since the arrival of the Bradbury Club.

The next pub, the Royal Oak, enjoyed a renaissance in the 1990s. It was one of the town’s most popular bars. It wasn’t uncommon to see Brampton Mile

drinkers staggering around in the carpark out back.

By now there was little chance of your party being in the same pub at the same time. You’d probably be spread out between two or three bars.

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People will regularly complain that ‘the Brampton Mile isn’t like it was’ and they’d be right. Even in the mid-1980s we were losing pubs and the dubious pride that goes with necking a drink in 18 bars before you go clubbing.

But the Bradbury Club had heralded a renaissance with refurbishments galore.

The Square & Compass shut in later years moving the chequered flag back a pub to the Masons.

It was probably more a feeling of relief than that of elation as you sank the last drink.

If you somehow managed to take in a nightclub after you were half way to being knighted...

The ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1990s Chesterfield’ is available from www.dirtystopouts.com at just £13.95