Key Points
- The Turks Head on Cooper Street and The Cricketers Arms on Peter Street have both been named in The Telegraph’s latest guide to Britain’s top pubs.
- The Telegraph described The Turks Head as a “welcoming community pub offering excellent cask ale.”
- The Cricketers Arms was praised as a “superb St Helens community pub that offers something for everyone.”
- Both pubs were described as family-friendly and pet-friendly, with beer gardens.
- The recognition places the two St Helens venues among pubs selected from across the UK by The Telegraph’s reviewers.
- The story highlights both the traditional pub atmosphere and the wider community appeal of the venues.
St Helens (Liverpool standard) July 16, 2026 — The Telegraph’s latest guide to Britain’s best pubs has put The Turks Head on Cooper Street in the national spotlight, describing the venue as a “welcoming community pub offering excellent cask ale.” The recognition comes as part of the newspaper’s wider selection of pubs from around the country, with reviewers singling out the uk/local/st-helens/">St Helens venue for its traditional atmosphere and its focus on quality ale.
As reported by The Telegraph, the pub’s appeal lies in the mix of a classic public house setting and a strong community feel, which helped it stand out in the guide. The wording used by the newspaper suggests that The Turks Head has been recognised not only for what it serves, but also for the environment it offers to regulars and visitors.
The listing places the pub among a national group of venues judged to represent the best of British pub culture, with an emphasis on character, consistency and local identity. For St Helens residents, the inclusion is likely to be seen as a point of pride, particularly for a pub that is presented as both welcoming and rooted in its community.
Why was The Cricketers Arms included?
The Cricketers Arms on Peter Street was also featured in The Telegraph’s guide, with the paper describing it as a “superb St Helens community pub that offers something for everyone.” That assessment points to a venue with broad appeal, rather than one aimed at only a narrow type of customer.
According to the newspaper’s review, the pub was praised for food, events, live music and community spirit, all of which appear to have contributed to its place on the list. The Telegraph also noted that the venue is family-friendly and pet-friendly, with a beer garden, features that can widen its audience beyond the usual after-work crowd.
The inclusion of The Cricketers Arms underlines the kind of pub experience the guide appears to value: not only a place to drink, but a social hub with varied offerings. In practical terms, that can matter to pubs competing in a hospitality sector where atmosphere and flexibility increasingly influence customer choice.
What does the guide mean for St Helens?
The presence of two St Helens pubs in the same national guide gives the town a notable share of recognition. It suggests that local venues can stand out well beyond their immediate area when they combine strong service, a clear identity and a sense of welcome.
The Telegraph’s choices also reflect the continuing importance of pubs as community spaces in British life, especially when they offer more than just drinks. In both cases, the newspaper highlighted qualities such as friendliness, family appeal and live entertainment, which suggests that the modern pub is being judged on its wider role in neighbourhood life.
For St Helens, the recognition may also help reinforce the town’s profile among readers who look to national lists for recommendations on where to eat, drink or spend time socially. Even without any formal award process, a mention in a major national newspaper can carry reputational value for venues and for the town itself.
How were the pubs described in the publication?
The Telegraph’s language gives a clear picture of why each pub was included. The Turks Head was framed around cask ale and community warmth, while The Cricketers Arms was presented as a venue with a wider mix of attractions, from food to music and events.
That contrast matters because it shows the newspaper was not applying a single template to both pubs. Instead, it appears to have recognised different strengths: one rooted in traditional pub character and the other in broader social use.
Both venues were also labelled family-friendly and pet-friendly, which broadens the appeal of the listings. Beer gardens were part of the picture too, adding another feature that can matter to customers, especially in better weather and in pubs that want to welcome a mixed audience.
Why do such listings matter?
National pub guides can influence how people view a town’s hospitality offer, particularly when the venues are highlighted by a well-known title. For pubs, the value is not only in extra attention, but in being associated with quality, consistency and local character.
These lists can also shape customer expectations. Readers are likely to assume that included pubs have been assessed for atmosphere, service and overall experience, which can encourage visits from both local residents and people travelling through the area.
For pubs in towns like St Helens, such recognition can help distinguish them from competitors by reinforcing what they do well. The fact that both featured venues are presented as community-oriented suggests that this remains a strong selling point in the hospitality market.
Background of the development
The latest guide from The Telegraph forms part of a long-running interest in ranking and recommending pubs across Britain. National newspaper lists like this often draw attention to venues that might otherwise be known mainly within their local area.
In recent years, pub guides have tended to place more emphasis on atmosphere, community value and versatility, rather than only on drink selection. Features such as food service, live music, pet-friendliness and outdoor space have become important markers of a venue’s appeal.
That broader approach helps explain why both The Turks Head and The Cricketers Arms were included. Each pub appears to represent a different version of what people now want from a good local: one focused on cask ale and classic pub character, the other on events, food and social variety.
Prediction
For local audiences in St Helens, the recognition is likely to bring more attention to both pubs, especially from residents who follow national pub recommendations and from visitors seeking well-regarded venues. The coverage may also encourage other pubs in the area to highlight their own community credentials, food offers and family-friendly features.
Over time, such recognition can strengthen the idea that St Helens has a strong local pub culture, which may help support footfall and reputation for venues that are already active in community life. It may also set a benchmark for what customers increasingly expect from a modern pub: not just a place to drink, but a place to meet, eat and spend time comfortably.
