BACK TO MIDLANDS INDEX

LINCOLNSHIRE
BATTERSBY- once called into a pub next to the station in 1991, it had Camerons beers. I drank some of it.

BARROWBY- stopped off here when walking past
WHITE SWAN - Last visit: 2010 a locals pub in the village, seemed a pleasent and friendly place. The long narrow room is divived into two with a lounge at the front and darts, pool table and jukebox at the back. Beers were Adnams and I think something from Marstons. photo

GRANTHAM - I've been here a couple of times visting a friend who lives in the town
BLUE BELL - Last visit: 2007 Didnt see much of this places as the main room was closed for refurbishment, leaving only a smaller comfortable bar area still open. Seemed a nice place with several handpumps though most beers had sold out after what must have been a busy day, but what was left was from a small local brewery.
BLUE PIG - Last visit: 2007 Very old pub with couple of rooms either side of the bar. Several interesting ales sold and decent food (with good proper home made chips!), I liked it in here but the bloke serving was a miserable man of few words, at least to us - he was very chatty to a blonde lass who went to the bar...  photo
CHEQUERS - Last visit: 2010 - refurbished into a modern style bar with a long narrow room, sofas etc and busy and loud when i've been in at night but it has 2 good ales from small unusual breweries.
EDEN WINE BAR - Last visit: 2010 - a fairly large refurbished bar, modern and bright with lots of light wood etc but it was too busy to look around it properly and anyway we went out to the nice courtyard out back. No real ale though.
GOOSE AT THE BANK - Last visit: 2007 - large open plan bar in a modern and rather characterless style, it's much like a Wetherspoons (but it's not) with various ales - including some interesting ones - and food. Very busy on a Saturday night when i visited.
RA RA - Last visit: 2010 - I was dragged into this bar, going by the name it didnt sound like my sort of place. And it wasnt, no real ale and loud bland music. It had a small modern bar upstairs then downstairs was a larger room which include some interesting features - an old well or something, plus youths draped on sofas
ROYAL OAK - Last visit: 2007 - awful place, ended up here cos we were drunk, it was very late and this dive was open and was free to get in. A mostly opened out pub with no real ale and was packed with a disco underway playing bland music to entertain the Grantham youth (and not so young - some right sights, do people go clubbing with their grans round here?)
LORD HARROWBY - Last visit: 2007 - large pub in a residential area, a public bar, games room with pool and a more comfortable lounge with a real fire, lethargic dog and lots of aircraft pictures. Seemed a friendly community local and 2 or 3 real ales including local guest beers.
NOBODY INN - Last visit: 2010 - small, busy and friendly free house with several good ales including local brews. Pool table in the back room, table football and also Sky sports on TV. It has patio doors opening into the street on one side (it's on a street corner) so you can drink outside when sunny. I've called in a few times, sometimes there's been football on TV, other times live music. Doors to the toilets are disguised as a bookshelf, novel but confusing when you've had a few and are in urgent need!   website   photo
TOLLMACHE INN - Last visit: 2011 a very large Wetherspoons pub, one huge L shaped room with dining area down at one end. The usual Wetherpoons beer and food, though the ale choice had some good local beers and the service was friendly.

LINCOLN - had a couple of hours look round the city and a pint in these:
MORNING STAR- Last visit: 2010 - a traditional locals pub in an old brick building. A small room by the bar, larger room to the side and another little room at the back plus a beer garden with a view of the cathedral. Several real ales, nothing too unusal but a varied choice and the one I had was a good pint of Taylors Best.  photo
TOWER HOTEL - Last visit: 2010 - bright modern refurbished hotel bar, I cant remember much else about the inside cos I sat in the large yard out back. 3 ales including London Pride and a guest from Batemans.

WOOLSTHORPE BY BELVOIR - passed through here when on a walk with my Grantham friend, and also been to a wedding at the Chequers:
CHEQUERS - Last visit: 2011 - a smart rather posh pub in an old building, the small cosy front room has beams, bare stone and fireplace and sofas to sit on, there's a function room and large garden behind plus more outside seating at the front. 3 ales from the likes of Everards & Green King .   photo   website
RUTLAND ARMS / DIRTY DUCK - Last visit: 2010 - brick pub next to the canal, looks like an older building with more modern extention and it's also part of the adjacent camp site. 2 rooms inside I think, I only went in one of them which was set out for dining, the other looked more basic and we sat outside in the large canalside car park/patio. Ales were Green King and Moorlands.   photo

SHROPSHIRE
SHREWSBURY - I had the occasional trip here in the 1990s but hadn't been back for years until a couple of more recent visit. I'd forgotten what a fine old town it is with many historic buildings and it has some fine old pubs too
ADMIRAL BENBOW - Last visit: 2011 - quite a large traditional but open plan room around the bar with various areas to sit, though I cant recall too much detail as it was busy. But a comfy and relaxed place and there's also plenty of seating outside too. A large selection of real ales both local and from other little breweries around the country.   photo
ARMOURY - Last visit: 2011 - large brick pub in a converted riverside building, inside is one vast high ceilinged open room with massive bookshelves full of real books! Quite smart and upmarket with plenty of people out dining but also a relaxing place for a few pints with plenty of handpumps selling a good choice of interesting ales from small breweries both from Shropshire and elsewhere.  Photo   website
BOAT HOUSE - Last visit: 1999 big pub next to the river, was a Hogshead place when I visited with a few beers and food. Contains photos of the pub half under water as I'm sure happens quite a bit when the River Severn gets out of hand. Photo
CASTLE VAULTS - now VAULTS - Last visit: 2008 When I first came here in the early 90s it was a good basic real ale pub near the station which also did Mexican food. It then changed to something else but on my last visit it was back to being a decent pub with 3 real ales (one was off, others were Cally IPA & London Pride). A long bar area with bare floors and walls plus lots of music posters, with a raised seating area at the back and other corners to sit in. Photo
COACH & HORSES - Last visit: 2008 - a cosy old pub but bigger than it looks with a small wooden bar at the front selling several ales, most from local or Welsh Breweries incl Shropshire Gold & Purple Moose plus others. Behind that is another bar area with some different ales and beyond a larger lounge and restaurant  . Photo   website
HOLE IN THE WALL - Last visit: 1994 ? - old pub with a narrow front but stretches back inside a long way, it had a jukebox, cant remember the beer or anything else.
KINGS HEAD - Last visit: 2011 - a fantastic looking and ancient timber framed building, though the inside isnt as exciting obviously having been greatly altered over the years with one main room though with some bare brickwork and beams etc. Anyway cos it was sunny so I sat in the yard out back. Ales including Hobsons and Bombadier.   photo
LOGGERHEADS - Last visit: 2011 - old traditional pub on a cobbled side street with a superb interior, all slightly wonky with low ceilings and several little rooms off a corridor round the small central bar which has serving hatches to the sides and a small tap room infront. Plenty of ales, most from Marstons/Jennings etc and good value food at lunch.  Photo
NAG'S HEAD - Last visit: 2011 - a small narrow old building with a couple of little basic bare floored rooms either side of the bar,a few ales but nothing too exciting or local on my visit (Hobsons, Black Sheep and others). But the best thing is the beer garden which is quite large and a pleasant place to sit and it includes the interesting remains of a 14th century building   photo
SALOPIAN BAR- Last visit: 2011 - an average traditional looking pub outside, inside is smart and modern with bright red walls and various styles of seating. Lots of real ales from interesting breweries.   website
THREE FISHES - Last visit: 2011 - a very old building hidden away in the medieval area of Shrewsbury, inside is one cosy L shaped room with ceiling beams etc. On my first visit years ago there were a couple of good ales, when I revisited more recently there's a bigger and better choice with plenty of ales from small breweries across the UK and those sampled where very good indeed!   Photo  website

I've also been in a couple of other pubs in town in the early 90s including a large one near the shopping area which when I tried to find again was closed and nameless.

WELLINGTON - have been here briefly, once
PHEASANT - Last visit: 2008 - seemed decent enough with old though opened out interior, lots of bare wood etc and cricket on TV but sadly both real ales were off (the friendly lass serving told us they'd run out and forgotten to reorder in time). Should have been Landlord & another, had to drink something unpleasant instead!

STAFFORDSHIRE - SOMEWHERE ON MOORS NR ALTON TOWERS!
When returning from Alton Towers in the early 1990s called into a little pub which served very good quality Boddingtons, when such a thing existed.

WARWICKSHIRE
COVENTRY - been in a number of pubs in the city on a couple of occasions, all in the early 1990s.

LEAMINGTON SPA, STRATFORD ON AVON and WARWICK - grouped these all together as I've been to a pub in each of them on trips out in the early 1990s but can't remember anything about them. Bet the Stratford one had a Shakespeare theme though.

WEST MIDLANDS
BIRMINGHAM - I used to have reaason to visit Birmingham years ago but never really went drinking here, only pubs I remember are...
SNOOTY FOX (Edgbaston) - Last visit: 1994 Used to have occasion to call in here for a pint and some lunch, quite a big pub with real ale but remember no more about it.
Also been in another pub near the station, a dark place down some stairs. Have also had a pint in the station bar at New Street.

WOLVERHAMPTON - been here once to see a band, before the 'gig' I had a few pints in....
POSANDA - Last visit: 2001 An interesting narrow building with an impressive front, several real ales.
TAP AND SPILE - Last visit: 2001 A small pub with a few different rooms, sat in a cosy little room at the back.
also went to two others, a posh one I ate in and a crap Australian theme bar (not my choice).

WORCESTERSHIRE
EVESHAM - stayed in the town a couple of times due to work, didnt get much chance for a pint though
ROYAL OAK Last visit: 2006 - . Had 3? real ales incl guests, only a brief visit and the pub was in the process of being decorated which it looked like it needed, otherwise a comfy enough old building with real fire. photo
SOMEWHERE ON EDGE OF COTSWOLD - quite near Evesham, went to a pub in a nice little village when down here with work in 2003. Had a couple of pints and some tea, it was a good traditional old pub with football on TV but no idea what it was called or the name of the village!

BACK TO MIDLANDS INDEX
TOP OF PAGE