A pleasant back street local. The internal accommodation is laid out into a single roomed U-shape providing a bar, lounge and a sort of rear snug. During the day it has a cosy, professional and friendly ambience, becoming more lively in the evenings. New management have recently taken over, promising changes primarily aimed at revitalising what has been a quiet corner of the town. However the continuity in bar staff still helps to generate that local atmosphere. The 'Hole in the Wall' nickname, by which it is widely known, reputedly came about because there used to be a hatch at the front of the pub to serve passers by. The 'Vaults' reference is teh Northern term for the Public Bar. A Good Beer Guide regular throughout the 1980s.