A Salford pub crawl has never been easier, after the completion of a London Underground-style map of the city as part of one man’s coast-to-coast pub-plotting ambition.
Steven Lovell, 51, from Leeds, first had the idea to create a London Underground-style pub map of Leeds in the 1990s, and began work on a first draft of bars and pubs in the city in 2008.
He studied graphic design in his college years, before beginning a 26-year career with a call centre company and pursuing his creativity as a hobby on the side.
He calls the maps ‘Orderaround’, and after mapping out the entirety of Yorkshire, his work has now crossed the Pennines; reaching Salford.
A comprehensive first map of the city’s beloved pubs was completed in October 2025, as part of Steven’s efforts to cover all of Greater Manchester’s alehouses.
“I just like to do fun, interesting projects. I did a Leeds map, and was really pleased with it,” he said.
“I’ve just started branching out to do more places. It started off with places that meant something to me, like places where I grew up or lived or visited regularly.
“Even though I wasn’t really planning on going too far out of my area to start with, I’ve now done everything up to there just organically – growing out from Leeds,” he added.
A creative at heart, Steven admires the geometrical layout of Harry Beck’s iconic London Underground maps – and feels that pubs are a ‘cultural touchstone’ deserving of such a format.
He said: “The London Underground map itself is a work of genius. It’s interesting to look at, it works in completely the best possible way; it’s been emulated around the world.
“[And] because pubs and bars are such a cultural touchstone for us, it just made complete sense. They’re very important, especially in places out of town where people see them as a social hub,” he added.
In 2024, 289 pubs closed across the UK, with 35 of those falling in the north-west alone. The British Beer and Pubs Association reported that six pubs a week closed their doors for good in 2024.
Stevens’ most recent pub map, a nearly-finished account of pubs in the Greater Manchester town of Wigan, will bring the count up to 53 dedicated maps. Steve hopes the project can culminate in the ultimate east-to-west pub trail.
He said: “There’s zero chance of me completing all of the UK, so I’m not setting goals like that.
“But from one northern coast of the UK to the other is something I want to. I think I’ve definitely got to do coast-to-coast,” he added.
So far, Steven has completed Greater Manchester maps for Salford, Trafford, and Manchester Central – with Wigan due to be completed soon.
The maps are available to be viewed and purchased here.
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