The Never Ending Pub Crawl

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Newark Crawl 21st April 1987

This was to be a crawl round Newark picking up some of the pubs not done on a couple of previous pub crawls there.
A nice quick quick train journey from Notttingham and i was in Newark again,a town i really like.

I walked from Newark Castle train station to the West side of town to get to my first pub of the day.

1: The Bridge

A large roadside pub that was a John Smiths tied house,the pub had a few different rooms inside and was smart enough.
There were no real ales on here,so it was a drink of keg John Smiths bitter which was fizzy,but a lot better than the John Smiths Smooth Crap that pubs stock now.
Sadly this pub has been pulled down and there is now housing on its site.

I had walked past some pubs before opening time,so i would walk back to these on my way back into the middle of Newark.

2: The Spring House

A decent looking pub that is on the apex of Mill Gate and Farndon Road.
The pub has two separate rooms inside with a decent sized lounge and a smaller bar.
This was a John Smiths tied house with no real ales on,i had a drink of keg John Smiths Bitter which was fizzy.
This pub is still open and i revisited it this year,the pub remains the same with the two separate rooms,but there is now John Smiths Extra Cold on the bar which is worse than the keg John Smiths Bitter.

I walked down Mill Gate to get to my next pub.

3: The Watermill

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub that was a John Smiths tied house.

The pub was quite comfortable inside and there was one real ale on which was hand pumped John Smiths Bitter.
This pub is still up and running,i must visit it when in Newark next time.

I was now walking into the middle of Newark to get to my next pub.

4: The Malt Shovel

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A pub with an unusual frontage.
Once inside there was a small room to the front and a larger one to the rear,the pub was a Free house which was pretty unusual for Newark,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Wards Bitter which was a very nice drink,there was also a beer on from Banks & Taylor.
This pub is still up and running.

It was a good walk to the East side of Newark to get to my next pub.

5: The Maple Leaf Brewery

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A large estate type pub that was situated on Winthorpe Road.
I was looking forward to doing this pub as it had its own on site brewery,well it did have,as it was not producing any beers on my Tuesday dinner visit.
The pub had a large bar and a decent sized lounge which was comfortable.
I had to settle for a half of very fizzy Ansells Bitter.
I was very dissapointed after a fairly long walk here.
The Maple Leaf as now been pulled down,there is now housing on its site.

I walked back towards Newark Northgate train station where there were a few pubs i had not yet done.

6: The Blue Man

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking town pub that was a John Smiths tied house.
The pub had a decent bar and a more comfortable lounge.
There was a decent drink of John Smiths hand pumped bitter on,which was a very nice drink.
This was a very pleasant pub to have a drink in.
The pub still stands but has been converted into private housing.

A short walk at the side of the train lines towards Newark Northgate train station and i found my next pub.

7: The Bowling Green

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A fairly large pub which faces Newark Northgate train station,so it was handy if waiting for a train or after a journey back to Newark.
The pub was quite plush inside and had a bit of a gay reputation,though it was empty on my Tuesday dinner visit,it was a John Smiths tied house, there were no real ales on,so it was a drink of keg John Smiths bitter which was very fizzy.
This pub is still standing but as been converted into a paint and hardware shop.

Another short walk and i was in my next pub.

8: Newcastle Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A nice looking Home Ales tied house.
The pub had a basic bar and a more comfortable lounge,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Home Ales Bitter which was a very nice drink,there was also Home Ales Mild on.
This pub is still up and running.

I was now walking back towards the middle of Newark and picking up any pubs i had not been in.

9: Newark Arms

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

This was a fairly large bare brick built pub.
The pub had a couple of rooms inside,with a smartish lounge.
This was a John Smiths tied house but did not have the usual John Smiths signage,there were no real ales on,so it was a drink of John Smiths Bitter which was cold and fizzy.
This pub is still standing,but now long closed.

I walked up to Northgate to get to my next pub.

I walked into the town centre to get to my next pub.

10: The Newark Royalist

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A large pub and hotel that was quite comfortable inside,this was a John Smiths tied house,there were no real ales on,i had a dink of keg John Smiths bitter which was fizzy.
This pub is still up and running and is now called The Rutland Arms Hotel.
On a recent visit it had two real ales on,Pedigree which was decent and Mansfield Cask.

I carried on walking down from the Newark Royalist to get to a pub that i had waited outside with a couple of mates to open on a Sunday Night for nearly three hours, it never opened.

11: The Vine

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A large corner pub that looks different with it having loads of windows.
The pub had a main bar room and a smaller room to the right with no bar in it and a pool room to the rear.
On this visit the pub was an Ind Coope tied house with no real ales on,the Ind Coope Bitter was very fizzy.
I have done two more visits to this pub,one when it was still called The Vine and had Batemans real ales on the bar.

On my most recent visit this year the pub has changed its name to The Roaring Meg and is now run by Springhead brewery with a good choice of their real ales on,plus some guest beers.
The pub is still the same inside and outside as it was all those years ago.

Photo taken by Alan Winfield 2nd June 2016

I walked back towards the middle of Newark and across to London Road to get to my next pub.

12: Castle and Falcon

Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A small pub that is close to the town centre.
This was a John Smiths tied house when i first did it,there were no real ales on,i had a drink of keg John Smiths bitter which was a pretty poor drink.
This pub is still up and running.

It was time to walk back to the train station,but i had time to do my last pub of the day which was quite close to Newark Castle train station.

13: The Ossington

Photo taken by Alan Winfield 19th March 2016

This was a very large pub that was housed in a old building that was either used as a coffee house or tea rooms,i can not remember now.

Once inside there was one large room with lots of tables and chairs.
The pub was run by Whitbread Brewery,there were no real ales on,the Whitbread Tankard was drinkable.
The building is still there and is now a restaurant called Zizzi.

A very short walk back to Newark Castle train station and i was on a train back to Nottingham.

A good Tuesday dinner crawl round Newark.

All photos were taken while dong the Pub Crawl,apart from The Ossington,Spring House and Vine which have the dates they were taken.

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Romford Crawl 30th June 2016

It was the usual early start from Nottingham on a National Express bus and getting off at Golders Green,then a tube to Liverpool Street and what i thought was a fairly quick train ride to Romford.
The station is ideally situated slap bang in the middle of the town centre,so it was not hard to find some pre 11am openers.

1: Worlds Inn

A Wetherspoons pub situated on South Street which is one of Romfords main shopping streets.
A pretty typical Wetherspoons inside with one large square shaped room,the guest ales were a bit thin on the ground.
I had a drink of Cairngorme Black Gold which went down very well on my mid Thursday dinner visit,the only other beer of note was Everards Original,all other real ales were Wetherspoons regulars.
The pub was very busy with mostly drinkers.

Next door to the World's Inn is Missoular,but this was not yet open,so is was next door again to my next pub.

2: The Moon and Stars

In typical blue Weterspoon livery and with one of their older type names.
Another pre 11am pub done so well pleased.
The pub was quite nice inside with an oblong shaped room divided into two halfs and a raised area to the rear,i was very dissapointed when seeing a bank of pumps at the front with waiting to condition signs on all of them,but i walked to the rear area where there were two more banks of hand pumps,one had guest beers on the other Wetherspoons regulars,i had a drink of Caledonian XP which was a decent drink,there was also Harvistoune Schiehellian,Hogs Back TEA,Cotleigh Osprey,plus a beer i failed to note.
I prefered this to the Worlds End,but this one was almost empty which was a shame.

It was a very short walk up the pedestrianised high street to my next pub which was also open before 11am,no cars aloud on this street but watch out for buses which are.

3:Yates's

This looks like a new build Yates's,that i quite liked the look of,it is situated on the corner of South Street and Western Road.
The pub was fairly large inside with seating on two floors but the upper one was closed and on pre 11am Thursday visit.
There was just one real ale on which was Doom Bar,this was a decent enough drink,there was what looked like decent breakfasts being served that were cheap,i was very tempted,but had to crack on with my quest to do all pubs in Romford.

I carried on walking up South street to the large market place and soon found two pubs quite close to each other.

4: The Lamb

I thought this was a decent pub that is tucked away in a corner of the market place,the pub has Greene King signage,so i was expecting to have a half of IPA,but there were no real ales on so it was a half of John Smith smooth crap which seems to get worse.
The pub has a single room which seemed quite nice,just a shame there was not one real ale on.

5: Golden Lion

A large looking pub that is just off the market place.
It was quite big inside and bare boarded,there was a decent choice of real ales which were Greene King dominated,i had a drink of Greene King Back of the Net, which was a decent drink.
I quite liked this pub.

I decided to walk West of the town centre and cross the busy ring road to pick up any pubs on this side of town.
The walk was shorter that i thought it would be and i passed a few pubs to get to the one that was furthest from the town centre.

6: Mawney Arms

A large pub that is in a pretty leafy area,the pub trades under the Ember Inns banner,so i knew i would get a decent drink here.
The was quite smart inside with comfy seating and being carpeted,there was a decent choice of real ales on,i had a drink of Black Sheep Ember Ale which was a decent drink.
I quite like Ember Inns they are always comfortable and have a good choice real ales and the big plus is you can drink anywhere.

I now had to walk through back streets to get to London Road where there would be more pubs to do.

7: Slaters Arms

A decent enough looking pub from the outside.
Inside the pub had two separate rooms a bar room that was empty and a larger lounge that looked pretty crap and in need of some attention,there were no real ales on,so it was another drink of John Smiths smooth crap,which it was.
This was a very poor pub.

I did a bit of a walk further West away from the town centre to do my next pub.

The Crown

A large and grand looking pub which was sadly closed down when i tried to do it.

After walking back from the Closed down Crown,i took a short walk off the busy London road to get to my next pub.

8: Prince Albert

I thought this was a decent looking pub and it faces some low rise flats.
The pub had a single room that was quite smart with comfy seating and being carpeted.
Sadly no real ales,so yet another drink of John Smiths smooth crap which was crap.
The pub was empty on my Thursday dinner visit,but i did have a chat with the friendly landlord who gave me directions to some pubs and how long it would take to walk to them.

A short walk back to London road and i found my next pub.

9: The Sun

A large pub that looks like a 30s built pub.
Once inside there was one large room that was on different levels making the pub seem very strange as you were going up steps to the bar then down steps to find a seat.
No real ales on here,the keg option was the really horrible John Smiths Extra Cold Crap which was really crap,i must stop drinking this and get a lager,it must be better than that crap.

I walked back into the town centre and across the large market place to get to my next pub.

10: The Bull

A large pub at the East side of the market place.
There was a large single room inside which was comfortable enough and two real ales on,i had a drink of Greene King IPA which went down well after a run of keg only pubs.

I walked off the market place and across the ring road to find a bus stop and bus it to three pubs that were very close to each other in Gidea Park which seemed like an area of Romford with Romford High School being close by.

11: The Ship

A really nice looking pub from the outside.
It was just as nice inside,the bar faced in a bare boarded room that has lots of wood panelling,the main room is roughly divided into to halfs,there is what looks lie a dining room to the left and a very small room behind the bar,all very nice.
There were five real ales on,i had a drink of Courage Best which was a nice drink.
A very nice pub to visit.

12: The Unicorn

An Harvester branded pub which never bodes well with me.
I was right a large pub with well over three quarters of it dedicated for diners only,i had to have a drink in the small right side of the pub,there were no real ales on,so i had a drink of John Smiths smooth crap which was a very poor drink.
The only plus point for this Harvester is that there is a drinkers area,some do not even have that.

13: The Archers

I really liked the look of he Archers which is almost opposite The Unicorn,it has a very long frontage.
There was a long single room running the width of the pub,but i thought the right side was more for diners with the left side for drinkers.
The pub does not have any brewery signage outside,but i thought it was a Greene King tied house with their beer mats and two of their real ales on,i had a drink of Greeene King IPA which was a decent enough drink.

After doing three pubs quite close to each other and the bus ride being shorter than i thought it would be,i decided to walk back to the middle of Romford and pick up some pubs just off the town centre.

14: Liberty Bell

A bar in a modern built Premier Hotel and branded as a Table Table dining pub that is situated on the busy ring road.
Once inside there was a single room which seemed smart enough,the right side seemed more of a dining area so i stuck to the left side.
There were three real ales on,i had a drink of St Austell Tribute which was a decent drink.

I took a shortish walk to the South to get to my next pub.

15: The Victoria

I liked the look of this pub.
Once inside there is a single room and the bar had a couple of hand pumps on but sadly with clips turned round,so i had a drink of Worthington Cream Flow which was a very poor drink.
The pub was very busy on my Thursday afternoon visit,just a shame there was not one real ale on,as i quite liked this pub.

I walked down Albert Road to get to the next pub which was on the corner of Albert Road and Brentwood Road.

16: The Durham Arms

A fairly large looking pub that i did not really like the look of.
I was right,a large single room and no real ales on,i had a drink of John Smiths Extra Cold Crap which was crap.
This is very much a locals pub.

I walked along Brentwood Road towards the middle of Romford and found my next pub to do.

17: The Wheatsheaf

A decent looking pub that is on a side street off Brentwood Road.
I went into a nice looking room with wood panneling and it being carpeted,but there were no hand pumps in this room,i went into another room to the rear right which was also fairly nice and found one pump on the bar which had Doom Bar on,this was a vast improvement on my previous two drinks.
Another locals pub.

I walked to the end of Brentwood road where i found a decent sized corner pub.

18: The Oak

Formerly The Havering Oak,but it probably had its name shortened when they did the pub up and probably ruined it,well i did not like it,a single room which has had one of those modern makeovers.
There were no real ales on,so i had a drink of John Smiths Extra Cold Crap which as usual was crap.
The pub was empty on my late Thursday afternoon visit.

It was a short walk back towards the town centre when i found a pub come restaurant.

19: Brickyard Bar & Grill

This is in an unusual looking building.
Once inside it seemed far too upmarket for my liking and probably for the rest of Romfords population which seems more working class.
There is a single room inside which is divided into a drinking area and dining area,there were no real ales on or keg bitters on,far too posh for them,but the Heineken i had was quite nice but the £2.50 for a half is way above anything a paid while on my tour of the town.
It was empty on my Thursday afternoon visit.

I walked back across the ring road and into the town centre.

20: The Goose

A decent sized pub that is very close to Romfords train station.
I found it decent enough inside a single room which was carpeted,there were four real ales on,i had a drink of Thwaites Magic Sponge which went down well.

My next pub was sadly closed and probably is permanantly

Bradwell's was joined onto The Goose.

A short walk back up South street to do what was my last pub of the crawl.

21: Missoula

A large pub that has Wetherspoons either side of it.
Once inside there was one large room that was quite smart,there were no real ales or any keg bitters,so i had a Guinness which was just as bland as normal.
Sadly i forgot to take a photo of this pub.

With time to spare i walked up to Kosho but it was not open.

This was a great days pub crawling round Romford where i visited or tried to visit all pubs bar the Toby Carvery in the old Romford Brewery complex and Frankie and Bennys which i refuse to do.

Sunday, 18 September 2016

Manchester : Ancoats,Miles Platting plus a couple in City Centre Crawl 29th December 1992

This was to be a crawl of some of Manchester's inner city pubs to the East of the City Centre.
I took the usual Trans Peak bus from Nottingham to Manchester and then a walk from Chorlton Street bus station and into Ancoats for the start of my crawl which was done on a Tuesday as it was Factory shutdown week for Christmas.
My main aim was looking for some grim estate pubs and older pubs that looked in threat of closure,but to be honest i would do any pub i came across.

Ancoats

1: Crown Inn

This was a pretty grim looking estate pub that was situated on Old Mill Street which was a pretty busy road which ran through the middle of Ancoats.
The pub had the usual two room layout with a basic bar and a lounge which was out of use.
This was a Wilsons tied house and had no real ales on,i had a drink of keg Wilsons bitter which was a poor drink,but went down well after the long journey up here.
The pub seemed pretty uninviting.
The Crown Inn as now been pulled down.

I took a short walk down a side street to get to my next pub.

2: Bank of England

What a great name for a run down corner pub in deepest Ancoats.
The pub still sported its Chesters signage which i always liked to see.
I had a drink in the bar which was quite basic,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Chesters Mild which was a nice drink,there was also Whitbread Trophey on.
I was well pleased in doing this pub,but better was to come.

A short walk along pollard street and i found my next pub.

3: Auld Lang Syne

A small stand alone pub that was in an industrial area.
There was a corner entrance which took me into a smallish room which was carpeted and seemed quite comfortable,there was one real ale on which was Tetley bitter,this was a decent drink,the pub was empty probably due to it being just after Christmas and all the factories around were closed.
Sadly another Ancoats pub to have been pulled down.

I now walked back over Great Ancoats Street to do my next pub.

4: Moulders Arms

A small back street pub that had some nice brown tiling outside,the pub was basic inside but still seemed quite nice.
The pub was a Burtonwood tied house when i did it,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Burtonwood Bitter which was a very nice drink,there was also Burtonwood Mild on.
Yet another Ancoats pub to be pulled down.

It was now back across Great Ancoats street and to the South of the Ancoats area.

5: The Falcon

A stand alone pub and the only pub on the busy Merrill Street.
It seemed pretty down at heel when i visited it,the room was carpeted and had bench seating,the outside signage said Free House,but there were no real ales on,there were three keg bitters so it was a Free House,i had a drink of keg Bass which was a poor drink,the other keg bitters in this drinking emporium were Websters Green Label and John Smiths bitter before it had been smoothed.
Another pub to bite the dust.

After a short walk along Merrill Street i found my next pub just off it.

6: Mitchell Arms

A decent looking stand alone pub that was a Banks's tied house,the pub had a couple of rooms inside,i had a drink in the bar which was fairly basic,but decent enough and warm.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Banks's Bitter which was a decent drink,there was also Banks's Mild on.
Sadly now closed down.

The fog was starting to get a bit thicker and it was getting colder.
It was a short walk to my next pub which was situated on Oswald Street which was off Every street.

7: Cheshire Cheese

A nice looking white painted stand alone pub which still had Chesters signage outside.
This was a proper old pub inside with a couple of rooms,i had a drink in the bar which was a nice room to be in.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Chesters Mild which was a very nice drink,there was also Coachmans Bitter on.
I thought this was a very pleasant pub to have a drink in,sadly now pulled down.
I wonder what this area looks like now 24 years later.

It was another shortish walk down to the bottom end of Ancoats to get to my next pub.

8: The River

This was a smallish two roomed pub that was close to the River Medlock,i had a drink in a very comfortable lounge which was nice and warm on a very cold day.
The River was a Burtonwood tied house when i did it,there was one real ale on which was Burtonwood Bitter,this was a very nice drink.
Now closed and not sure of its fate.

It was a good walk heading North though Ancoats to get to my next pub,ime not really sure why i did these in this order,but i was asking about where pubs were while doing my Pub Crawl.

9: Brown Cow

A very grim looking estate pub in an equally grim area of Ancoats,the pub had the usual two room layout with a basic bar and a lounge,i had a drink in the bar which had a boisterous atmosphere.
This was a Wilsons tied house with one real ale on,this was Wilsons Bitter which was a decent drink.
Sadly now pulled down.

A shortish walk back into the middle of the Ancoats estate and i found my next pub.

10: Cob 'O' Coal

This was a large looking stand alone pub that looked in a right mess with lots of its windows boarded up,so i was surprised to see a door open.
The Cob O' Coal was a Whitbread tied house that still had its Chesters signage outside,the inside seemed pretty run down and in need of repair,to my surprise there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Chesters Bitter which was a decent drink,there was also Chesters Mild on.
Yet another Ancoats pub close down.

It was a fairly short walk down to Bradford Road to get to my next pub.

11: The Magpie

This was a typical looking 70s built estate pub that i love going in,the pub still had its Chesters signage outside,the pub had two rooms with a smart looking lounge and a more basic bar where i had a drink,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Chesters Mild which was a decent drink,the other beer was Whitbread Trophy.
Sadly this is another Ancoats pub to bite the dust.

I carried on walking up Bradford road and into the Miles Platting area of Manchester.

Miles Platting

12: Bradford Inn

A typical looking 70s built estate pub with two massive gas towers behind it.
This was a Joseph Holt tied house so i was well pleased,as my aim was to do all of their tied estate.
There were the usual two rooms with a decent lounge and a more basic bar,i had a drink in the bar,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Holts Bitter which went down a treat,there was also Holts Mild on.

13: Cricketers Arms

This was a Marstons tied house that was an estate type pub situated at the top end of Bradford Road.
I had a drink in the bar which was a decent enough room,there was one real ale on which was Marstons Bitter which was not to my taste.
I think The Cricketers Arms is now closed,but not sure of its fate.

I was now off the Bradford Road and heading up Varley street and up to Oldham Road,picking up any pubs along the way.

14: Grey Mare

This was a grim looking pub that had some large tower blocks near it.
Once inside the pub was just as grim and in need of some attention.
This was a Burtonwood tied house when i did it,there was one real ale on which was Burtonwood Bitter,this was a nice drink.
A very rough pub that i was not made welcome in.
Sadly now pulled down.

15: Apollo Hotel

An estate pub that had a large block of flats next to it.
The pub had two rooms,i had a drink in the bar which had a very rough edge to it.
The Apollo was a Boddingtons tied house so i was pleased,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Boddingtons Mild which was a nice drink,there was also Boddingtons Bitter on.
Sadly now closed down.

I was now on the Oldham road and heading back towards the City Centre,but i would do more pubs in Ancoats on the way back.

16: Bird in Hand

An old and basic pub that looked to be on its last legs,so i was well pleased to see it still open.
It was quite basic inside with a couple rooms.
The Bird in the Hand was a Wilsons tied house,there were no real ales on,i had a drink of keg Wilsons Bitter which was decent enough.
I was well pleased in doing this pub.
I am not sure of its fate.

Ancoats

17: The Admiral

Add caption

An estate pub that was not far off Oldham Road and had tower blocks close by.
The pub had two rooms,i had a drink in the bar which was very busy and had a rough edge to it.
The Admiral was a Wilsons tied house,there was one real ale on which was Wilsons Bitter,this was a very nice drink.
I am pretty sure this was my second visit to this pub along with the Brown Cow as i had taken a photo of this pub when the weather was warmer,but i was pretty drunk as it was at the end of a large pub crawl so i did not note that visit.
Sadly now pulled down.

18: Jersey Lily

This was a fairly large estate pub that just round the corner from the Admiral.
The pub had the usual two roomed layout with a large bar and comfortable lounge.
I think this was a Free House but the real ales were from Whitbread,i had a drink of Boddingtons Bitter which was a decent drink,the other real ale was Whitbread Flowers Bitter.
A very pleasant estate pub that was very busy on my Tuesday afternoon visit.
Sadly yet another Ancoats pub to be pulled down.

After a walk though some back streets i found my next pub.

19: Cross Keys

An old pub that had a corner entrance,the pub was fairly basic inside and was a Vaux tied house,there were no real ales on,i had a drink of keg Vaux Samson Bitter which was a pretty poor drink.
Now closed down.

20: Edinburgh Castle

Another small back street pub that was situated not far from Great Ancoats Street.
This was quite a small pub once inside,but it was quite nice.
The Edinburgh Castle was a Whitbread tied house,there were two real ales on,i had a drink of Boddingtons Bitter which was a decent drink,the other beer was Whitbread Trophy Bitter.
Sadly now closed down.
The photo for this pub was taken on 8th February 1993.

City Centre

21: Land O Cakes

A fairly long fronted pub that was on Great Ancoats Street.
This was a fairly smart pub inside and was a Whitbread tied house.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Boddingtons Bitter which was a decent drink,the other beer was Whitbread Trophy.
I am not sure what has happened to this pub since my visit.

22:Seftons

This was a smart Chef & Brewer pub that was set under the Arndale centre.
The pub was quite smart inside and did food.
There were two real ales on,i had a drink of Wilsons Bitter which was a decent drink.
I think this pub may have been blown up by the IRA when they blew up the Arndale centre and areas around it.

This was a great pub crawl done on a very cold late December midweek day.

Next up a newer crawl.