The pub with the longest name in the country has reopened – less than 50 yards away from the boozer with the shortest.
The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn etched itself into the record books in 1995 before shutting up shop three years ago.
Now the pub, known by regulars as The Rifleman, has opened its doors once again after the famous name was acquired by a new landlord.
And, in an unbelievable twist of fate, the public house’s new premises are located on the same street as the Q Inn, which is recognised as the pub with the shortest name.
Pictures show the sign, which comprises a whopping 65 letters, stretching all the way across the front of the building.
The Rifleman, which is in Staleybridge, Greater Manchester, was named in 1880 and entered the record books in the 1990s.
Unfortunately its former owners had to shut up shop in 2016 for business reasons and Staleybridge residents thought they had lost the establishment for good.
But when landlord Sarah Farrer-Baxter, 38, announced she was opening a new pub in the town she was contacted by The Rifleman’s old owners and told she could take the name.
Sarah jumped at the opportunity and immediately set about getting a sign made – although she admits it was quite painful having to pay for it by the letter.
The new look Rifleman was reopened by Sarah and her husband Nigel Baxter last month.
Sarah said: “The Rifleman is such an important part of this town’s history so everyone was gutted when it closed down.
“The old owners were two of my friends and when they told me I could take the name I was delighted.
“I was going to call it something else but I couldn’t pass up such a good opportunity.
“Now the name can live on, which I think is something all the locals can be proud of.
“If it weren’t for this then the name could have been lost forever, which would have been such a shame.
“It might seem like quite a small thing but The Rifleman really puts Staleybridge on the map.”
She added: “The fact we’re so close to the Q Inn is such an amazing coincidence.
“That the two pubs with the longest and shortest names would end up as neighbours is unbelievable.”
Sarah plans to contact the Guinness World Records to have her pub’s name reinstated.
The Q Inn was opened in Staleybridge in the late 1980s, according to current manager Paul Armstrong.
He said: “Lots of people who come in talk about us having the shortest name.
“It’s amazing that the Rifleman, which has the longest name, has reopened so close by.
“It’s a nice coincidence.”
