The centre of the village is designated as a conservation area in 1977. The main street of the village – Clayton Lane – which runs alongside the park, includes several traditional pubs, a popular crawl route for many residents. Starting at the top of the lane is "the Fleece", moving down past "the Royal Hotel" to "the Albion" and "the Black Bull" – the oldest pub in the area. The now-defunct "Clayton Tide" newspaper described the central role of the pubs in Clayton village life in a 15 August 1861 account of a visit to the village by Pablo Fanque, the popular Victorian circus owner who the Beatles later immortalised in the song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" The "Clayton Tide" reported, "On Sunday, a great number of persons visited the village, but ignoring the "Teetotal Lectures" which were given at Town Bottom, the public houses were well attended. Mr Pablo Fanque, always welcome on such occasions, was present and a damsel in his company, who emulated Blondin's feats, drew a large crowd."