Chippenham Pub Explorations

On a sunny Saturday we set out to pay a visit to Chippenham, where we'd find some nice pub hanging baskets, a beer festival, a micropub by the station, and several fine pints of real ale.

Is Chippenham popular with pub tickers?
Hmmm, maybe not...

So I headed to the Wiltshire market town with a bit of trepidation, wondering what the pubs would have in store for me.

Our first point of call, the clock having just ticked past midday, was the Flying Monk on the market place.
Life After Football recently suggested that "if a pub can be bothered to maintain hanging baskets then it can be bothered to clean its pipes".  And here I had a chance to test that theory...

The Flying Monk (6 Market Place, Chippenham, SN15 3HD)
Early doors saw just a few locals propping up the bar or sat on the tables closest to it, including a Scotsman in a tartan cap who seemed to have managed to get quite tipsy already, telling his companion that  "we're all doomed".
The old pub dog looked thoroughly bored with proceedings...

Three beers from the North Cotswold Brewery, and a Cross Bay IPA from Morecambe made for a decent quartet of ales on the hand pumps.
The NCB 'Shakespeare's India Pale Ale' was one of those beers that's brewed to an old 19th century recipe, which I'm always a sucker for.  In this case, they've recreated a historic IPA by Flowers Brewery, concocting a fruity, strong 6% ale that made for a fine first half-pint of the day.
Score one for the pub hanging basket theory.

 

We settled on an old church pew in the quiet side room to enjoy our beers with a soundtrack of Tears for Fears and a further selection of 80's pop rock.
But eventually, on came Ed Sheeran, indicating it was time to move on to the Three Crowns.  

Three Crowns (18 The Causeway, Chippenham, SN15 3DB - web)

Where we found an unexpected beer festival.  Wahey!

The local chap being served before us was ordering a pint of the 8% Kettlesmith 'Triple'.  8% beer by the pint at lunchtime - cripes!   "Best strong beer I've ever had", he told me, which meant I had to try it, although a half was quite enough for me.
This was followed with an Innformal 7.1% ruby mild: no Sarah Hughes, but still a very enjoyable tipple.
The 'Stick to the Sensible Beers' resolution will have to wait for 2023.

I really liked the Three Crowns, as do the local CAMRA branch who've presented them with enough framed awards to fill all the wall space above the fireplace in the main bar.
This is a proper pub with the food offering consisting of rolls, scotch eggs, crisps and scratchings, and a bookshelf full of past editions of the Good Beer Guide.  Musical instruments hang from the wall and if we'd have stayed long enough we could have enjoyed the ukulele evening. 

The local park is the #1 attraction on TripAdvisor's Things to Do in Chippenham list, which kinda gave a clue that sightseeing options between pubs were going to be limited.
I'm sorry that we missed the Eddie Cochran memorial, the American rock 'n' roller having been tragically killed in a car accident nearby in 1960.
No statues erected, to date, for Chippenham-born Piers or Jeremy Corbin...

Our ten minutes of tourism were spent in the small museum in the historic Yelde Hall, before we crossed back over the Avon and found our way to the micropub...

The Prince of Wales (8 Station Hill, Chippenham, SN15 1EG - web)
We had this single room micro to ourselves on arrival, although a few more folk arrived a short while later to liven things up a little bit and stop us having to whisper to one another.
The pub was opened in 2018 in the premises of a former flower shop, and was crowned the local CAMRA branch pub of the year in 2020.

Real ales came from Moor - 'Stout', 'Resistance' pale ale, and single-hopped 'Nano Cask', all priced at £4.20 a pint.
I bucked earlier foolish choices and picked the 3.8% nano cask, which was an easy-going session bitter, kept on good form.

Moving on, we crossed the railway lines via the footbridge at the station, which took us handily to within a few meters of the Beer Guide listed Old Road Tavern. 
A step down from the Flying Monk in hanging basket quality, but the parked mobility scooter provided a sign of a good pub.

Old Road Tavern (Old Road, Chippenham, SN15 1JA)
The Old Road Tavern is Grade II listed and was built some 140 years ago.  The bar counter serves two rooms, with a third containing a pool table to the side, and a garden to the rear, into which most of the punters had been lured by the good weather.
Proper pub furniture, beer mats, eclectic ornaments on the high shelf, framed pictures of classic rock stars...and good beer. 

There were two beers from Bristol's New Union Brewery, with my 'Moose River' being in good condition and most enjoyable.  Other choices included ales from Frome and Dark Star.

Handily close to the train station, this was our last port of call on this day's Chippenham pub explorations.
I have to politely disagree with Sir Quinno on this occasion and wouldn't put Chippenham on my crap pub towns list.  We spent an enjoyable afternoon in the town, although I wonder if my judgement was impaired by the pre-lunch 8% triple?

Steel Brew Co - Plymouth

Following our brief excursion into Cornwall, we returned to 'Britain's Ocean City' (™Plymouth Tourist Board) where we had a pub route which included classic pubs, members clubs and brewery taps.
Our bus brought us back into Devon by way of the Torpoint ferry...

A quick change onto the No.21, then a short walk, took us to the Royal William Yard.

This is a victualling yard - 'providing with food and other provisions'.  There's a word I'll need for a crossword one day, at which point I'll have completely forgotten it.

It was built between 1825 and 1831 by Victorian architect Sir John Rennie, who probably didn't envisage his buildings being turned into a 'premier lifestyle...arts and culture destination' some 190 years later.

Among'st the bistros, burger shacks, chocolatier and lifestyle boutique, is a brewery tap.

Steel Brewing Co (Mills Bakery, Royal William Yard, Plymouth, PL1 3DG - web)
The Melville building is the first you reach after walking through the entrance archway.  Grade I listed it may be, but once inside everything looks very modern, in a craft beer style.
Seating covers the whole range, from repurposed wooden pallets to Chesterfield sofas.  The brewing kit is lined up behind a low barrier on the back wall with the bar to one side and a display of merchandise at the end of the room.

Two cask beers are usually available, but these were crossed out on the menu on our visit.  We still managed to procure a fine selection of draft brews: a best bitter ('Belt, Braces and Barnacles'), a strong pale murky IPA, and a milk choc stout.  All of which were very good.

 

Steel Brew provide this months Shiny Brewing Equipment picture...

Leaving the Royal William Yard, we weren't far away from a Beer Guide pub that I tried to get to a couple of years ago only to scuppered by unpredictable 2020 opening hours.
No such trouble today...

Artillery Arms (6 Pound Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, PL1 3RH)
The Artillery Arms has got:
- Super porthole windows on the front door
- Old propellers above the fireplace and lots more nautical and naval decor
- A ceiling mounted monkey race (I'm not entirely sure this is a good thing)
- And Bass!

Sadly it didn't have the crowd of customers that it really needed to elevate this to a great pub visit.  The four solo drinkers spread throughout the room all sat quietly and with no background music I found myself whispering to Mrs PropUptheBar over the foamy head of my Bass.

We moved on just as the Artillery Arms was about to get busy - a group of lads who'd been on a tasting session in Steel Brew were arriving as we left and were guaranteed to liven things up.

Our next stop was right in the heart of Plymouth.
The Brass Monkey is every bit the city centre pub, a couple of doors down from TK Maxx and Ted Baker...

Brass Monkey (12-14 Royal Parade, Plymouth, P1 1DS - web)

This is possibly the cities least likely Good Beer Guide entry: open until the early hours at the weekend, Ibiza themed party nights, bottomless Prosecco brunch deals...
And a distinct lack of cask when we visited, although anyone who likes their Lilley's fruit ciders was well catered for. 

No denying the Wetherspoon comparisons, although this is 'Spoons for folks who want things a bit noisier and livelier.
We stayed for some cheap 'n' cheerful food and a pint of 'Crazy Goat' blended cider and perry.

If we're back in December, we'd better start thinking about booking our table now...

Planning ahead

Right - time to move on and find a proper backstreet pub.
This one's a bit of a stunner and proved to be our favourite of the day...

Providence (20 Providence Street, Plymouth, PL4 8JQ)
Tucked away amongst the terraced houses to the side of North Street, the Provi sits on a corner, with a couple of drinkers on the bench out front and a colourful floral display in the window boxes and baskets.
Inside it's one single L-shaped room around the bar, possibly Plymouth's smallest pub.

The first challenge is to get past the two excitable Staffies, Butch and Spike, who were determined that we'd come for the sole reason of giving them some fuss and attention.

This is a pub to put a smile on your face.  A warm welcome; some busily patterned carpets, homely decorations and plentiful pot plants.

 

I turned down the local beers from Salcombe and Summerskills breweries, the Lillie's from the Brass Monkey giving me a taste for the cider.  No idea what it was, but it was almost certainly local and foolishly strong.

The pub has no music and no distractions, instead promoting "good old-fashioned conversation".
No need for me to worry about conversation - Mrs PropUptheBar's attention was thoroughly taken by her new friend...

It wasn't far around the corner to a Good Beer Guide club.
Another one of those "ring buzzer for entry" places... 

Fawn Private Members Club (39 Prospect Street, Plymouth, PL4 8NY)
Okay, so this was somewhere else that was very quiet on our Thursday evening visit, but still a great place.
Having deduced our Beer Guide-led pub crawling theme, the chap behind the bar spent some time chatting about all the places we shouldn't miss in Plymouth.

I nodded along vigorously at the comments that the cheery local sat by the bar kept adding, even though I didn't understand a word he was saying.
Was that down to him or me?
Was the 6% Countyman farm scrumpy (CAMRA Gold medal winner 2017) kicking in?

I'd skipped the ales again (Bays 'Topsail' and Dartmoor 'Legend' being the options here).
What harm could all this cider do, I thought, little predicting that I'd be sitting on Plymouth station platform next morning looking pale whilst Mrs PropUptheBar said "It's your own fault - I've got no sympathy for you".

There may possibly have been another pub after this.  And an ill-judged visit to Brewdog.
But I'll finish this post whilst still being able to walk in a straight line, with a picture of the sun setting over the seafront of Plymouth...