Bathams in Kinver - Epic onion slices in Caunsall

A short Staffordshire/Worcestershire post, taking in Black Country Ales, Bathams and a magnificent cob.

The large village of Kinver is home to just over 7,000 folk at the bottom of the narrow strip of Staffordshire which runs alongside the West Midlands.  Those 7,000 residents get to enjoy a miniature railway (closed) 'til Sunday, rock houses (closed 'til Friday), and a Constitution Club which scores the three-pint-pot score on the CAMRA website (closed 'til 4pm).  I suspect I may not have visited at the best time.
Here's the view of the village from St Peter's Church, the steep footpath to which left me absolutely shattered and thinking twice about a walk on Kinver Edge.

Probably best to find a footpath which would loop me back to the Cross Inn...

The Cross Inn (Church Hill, Kinver, DY7 6HZ)
A 'Guess the Pub Co.' contest using the picture of the back room probably won't take up too much of anyone's time.
Even without the TV screen listing the 10 beers and ciders...

Black Country Ales pub tick #39 for me.
This was taken over by the West Midlands brewery in 2009, their ninth pub, prior to which the 19th century inn was boarded up and falling derelict.
I ordered a 'BFG' their staple golden ale, with guests alongside the BCA fare being Oakham 'Citra', Holdens 'Golden Glow' and 'Sea Fury', which seems to be taking over from Doom Bar as the ale you're most likely to see from Sharp's. 

The beer was on good form.  England were demolishing Pakistan at Edgbaston on the telly, and Witney was hollering 'I wanna Dance with Somebody' trough the speakers.  The 12" version, I guess, as it went on for almost as long as it took me to drink my beer.

Leaving the Cross, I made the short walk to the edge of the village and the bridge over the local waterway for pub number 2...

The Vine (1 Dunsley Road, Kinver, DY7 6LJ )
This inn first opened their doors in 1863 when the Staffordshire & Worcester canal provided enough trade to keep both this and one-time neighbour and competitor the Lock Inn going.
It was originally converted from two cottages, which you get a feel for on the corner table I picked, although internal walls have been knocked through in more recent years and significant extensions added.

Cask beers on the bar came from two locals: Enville and Wye Valley.

I settled with a half of the 'HPA', news channel on the TV (doom and gloom), No Doubt playing quietly in the background.
I think I was the only customer not dining, the rest of the punters spread out over a large 'please wait to be seated' restaurant and into the canal-side garden.  Okay, it's foodie, has silly bits of foliage on the table, no beer mats, and too much olive paint.  But it was very nearly closed in the 2010s, so I'm happy to find the Vine open, serving a reasonable beer and providing a friendly welcome.

A gentle stroll along the canal next, ambling along the towpath past the moored barges on a warm sunny afternoon.

It was quite a long way around, to be fair, the canal looping northward with no route off until you reach a lane to the equestrian centre, allowing you to cross the Stour and backtrack to Kinver.
A long enough walk to warrant a Batham's beer, I reckon.

Plough & Harrow (82 High Street, Kinver, DY7 6HD)
This is nicknamed "The Steps" due to the couple of big stone steps you have to climb from the High Street to the pub's ground floor level.  Those take you to a lovely tiled corridor, the door to the right leading to a cracking front bar, all tables occupied by locals on my visit.
That's how I've only ended up with a picture of the lounge to the rear...

Not my most sociable day.  But with good value Bathams 'Bitter' and 'Mild' to sup, I was happy.
The disappointment was that - in a large cabinet of pub snacks - the cheese & onion cobs had run out.  Who runs out of cheese & onion?!  As it turns out, I'd do well with a cob later on.
Leaving me to admire the tiling in the Plough and Harrow...

Back down the pleasant High Street...

And hanging basket laden mews...

And onward 2.4 miles to the village of Caunsall, by which time I'd crossed the border into Worcestershire.

The Anchor (Caunsall Road, Caunsall, DY11 5YL)
The Anchor traces it's history back to 1840 when a local farmworker took advantage of the Beer House Act and opened his front room to sell ales.  For much of the 20th century the Anchor was run by the Barker family who brewed Worthing beers on the premises.
It's a lovely country pub with one busy bar, a small Victorian snug, and corridor leading to ample outdoor seating.

I found a trad line-up of ales on the bar from Hobson's, Ludlow and Wye Valley.
And cobs...

"We were admiring your lump of cheese," said my neighbours in the front snug.
"That would have been family rations for a week back in the war."
Never mind the cheese, look at the size of those slices of onion!

I couldn't really fault my visit to the Anchor, sat in a wonderful pub room with trad seating, old fireplace and plentiful pictures.  Good laminated menu of the table (cobs and crisps only).
And a lovely Holdens ale in tip-top condition.

A couple of weeks later, I've just about gotten rid of the taste of that onion.

Wellington - Booted Off the Top of the Table

🕔Five pm in Telford.
I'd dropped my bags at my hotel, visited four Good Beer Guide regulars in Oakengates and Madeley, done the suburban tour on Arriva buses, and was all set to head in the direction of that evening's football match.
Top of the table (well, they were at 19:45 that evening...) Oxford City were taking on AFC Telford under the floodlights on a Tuesday evening in a National League North clash.

AFC Telford play their games at the New Bucks Head ground in Wellington.
Eight minutes by train, thirty minutes by bus for a skinflint like me determined to make the most of that day pass.
Wetherspoon's backs onto the bus station which was handy for a teatime arrival.

The William Withering (43-45 New Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1LU)
This sits on the site of one-time coaching inn The Duke of Wellington, so I'm surprised that the JDW naming committee didn't opt to revitalise that name, instead of picking a local physician and botanist.
The pub was demolished in the 1970's making way for a very dull two-storey chunk of concrete which housed Fine Fare supermarket.  The William Withering Wetherspoon's opened in 2011 looking pretty much exactly like you'd expect it to look within.
The sculpture is something a little bit different, though - I completely forgot to look what it represents. 

There was a quartet of guest cask ales available alongside the regular Spoons beers: Ludlow 'Blonde' or 'Stairway', Exmoor 'Gold' or Titanic 'Plum Porter'.
Ludlow's 'Stairway' for me, the West Shropshire brewers' 5% golden ale, alongside a 'gourmet' (the word used in the loosest sense) jacket potato. 

A short stroll along the pedestrianised streets of the centre took me to Good Beer Guide micro pub. 

The Boot Micropub (2 Market Square, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1BP)
The Boot opened in 2022, run by the same folks as the Coracle micro in Ironbridge.
I instantly quite liked the place.  Making the suspended ceiling black is a good move.  There's a DJ station decorated with 7" singles in the corner,  beers displayed on a TV screen, proper seating, a beer barrel perch, and a barman with the best jumper of the day.

And a cracking beer range.
Plenty of interest on keg, plus the unusual sight of Gueze Boon Lambik on cask.  Other hand pulled options were Glasshouse 'Bringing Seshy Back', Salopian 'Hop Twister' and Burton Bridge 'Cherry Orchard'.

Looking back I wish I'd had the lambik, but on the evening the cherry beer seemed a good idea - the one that would make Mrs PropUptheBar jealous back at home.
I was quite content sat in the corner of the Boot, Argent's 1973 LP 'In Deep' playing in full to entertain me.  A great micro that really seems to put the effort in for craft beers and vinyl.

Just down the road is the one pub in Wellington that I've visited previously...

The Pheasant Inn (54 Market Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1DT)
The Pheasant Inn was originally part of the Wrekin Brewery estate. Their brewhouse stood across the other side of Market Street until being demolished in 1975, production having shifted to Wem under the control of Greenall Whitley.  Then in 2014 Ironbridge Brewery took over the Pheasant and reincarnated Wrekin in the building to the side of the pub.  The founder moved away from the area in 2018 and Rowton arrived to make the outbuilding a second site for concocting their beers.

 

Of the three Rowton beers available, I picked 'Area 51', a fine crisp and bitter 5.1% pale ale. The first recorded metal meteorite landed in the vicinity in 1876, hence several space-themed beer names from the brewery.
Glassworks, Everards, and Green Duck and Weekend Project provided ample alternative cask options.

The Pheasant is a nice pub, the busiest place I'd visit in Wellington, the downside being that this relegated me to an uncomfortable high table in the centre of the room.

The third Good Beer Guide pub in the town wasn't on the way to the football ground, but I figured I could make a loop which incorporated it.

Wrekin Inn (26 Wrekin Road, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1RH)
So, what do you get in the Wrekin Inn?
From my experience: eclectic music, another great beer selection, and an "extra large WC"! 

There were three Rowton Brewery beers on offer here ('Meteorite', 'Area 51', 'Full Moon') plus a North Riding pale ale or Blue Bee five hop pale.
I stuck local with another Rowton ale - 'Full Moon' a 6.2% dark mild brewed with 6 different malts.  Lovely, if a little dangerous at that strength.

The Wrekin featured some odd blue lighting in the side room and a rockin' playlist.

I arrived to 'Rock 'n' Roll All Night' by Kiss; supped my dark mild to the Black Keys; raised an eyebrow at the heavy turn taken with Disturbed's 'Down With Sickness'; then tapped my foot along to Dexys 'C'mon Eileen', which met with the approval of the bar staff who turned the volume up a notch.    

I would happily have stayed longer but I was clock-watching - still one mile from the ground at 7pm.  A brisk walk down the Ropeway and Holyhead Road took me close to the New Bucks Head, where the Cock, Swan and Railway Inn present a trio of pubs for pre-match beers.
Let's do the Joule's...

Cock Hotel (148 Holyhead Road, Wellington, Telford, TF1 2DL)
The stand-out building on a road junction that we see today was an 1896 rebuild of a much older coaching inn.  It was run by the original Joule's brewery for a large part of the 20th century, then brought back by their modern incarnation in 2018.
It's a rather magnificent multi-roomed pub that I really didn't manage to explore properly on a short visit.
There was a familiar line-up of Joule's staples...

I took a half of the 'Blonde' - on decent form - into the front corner room which was busy with a fair few football fans.
After the music in the Wrekin, I felt that Natalie Imbruglia and Sinead O'Connor were a bit of a let down.

Then, as the tables of Telford fans drank up and left I figured I'd better get my skates on and find my way into the football ground.
The New Bucks Head is an impressive stadium for this level, three-sides of which wouldn't be out of place in the football league.
'Semi-segregation' was in place this evening, so entry was via turnstiles either side of the home terrace, then you were free to wander, although the far block of seating on the 'T' of Telford was officially set aside for away supporters.

'Free to wander' meant I got to explore a bit as the game kicked off, taking my time before joining the travelling support and boosting the away numbers into double figures.
Here's the view of the home terrace, where the fans made a fair bit of noise once they realised their team were completely outplaying the top-of-the-league (♪♪  "..you're 'aving a laugh") team.

It really wasn't Oxford City's night.
Ninety-nine percent of the 1,028 crowd went home happy after a 1-0 win that could easily have been more had Jonny Maxted not pulled off several decent saves.

Ah well...can't win 'em all.
The football hadn't provided much to cheer about, but my pre-match travels around greater Telford had made for a great day out.
Time to go for a a nightcap in the "town centre and the grubby Spoons".   Martin's description, not mine😉.

Telford - Oakengates and the All Nations

An early September Tuesday trip to Telford with a National League North game to look forward to in the evening.

Having arrived just before noon, which bit of Telford should I head to first for a beer or two?
Oakengates is the no-brainer with three Beer Guide pubs within a few meters of one another on Market Street, all scoring to the top-mark three pint pots on CAMRA's website.

These must be three of the closest GBG entries in the country, providing a great short pub crawl, although in the town's industrial heyday you'd have been able to tackle 16 pubs along this road. 
My first point of call was the Station Hotel.

Station Hotel (42 Market Street, Oakengates, Telford, TF2 6DU)
This is a Victorian-era pub that - despite the name - isn't especially close to the station and never operated as an hotel.
Despite it being early doors on a Tuesday, the front room was already full, with a few folks picking their spots in the two rooms to the rear. 

Some would say ten real ales is too many, although it looks like they get through them fairly successfully.

My pick - the Bank Top 'Drayman's Draught' - was in great condition and made for a wonderful first pint of the day.
Served in a Station Inn glass, with a good head, on a Theakston's beer mat, accompanied by a cheese & onion cob...

This is a pub that I could happily settle in for the afternoon, sat amongst the railway decorations on a comfy cushioned bench, with ample beers to try at prices a good couple of quid cheaper than Oxford.
But I need to know what I'm missing next door.

Not quite next door - Just Jackie florists separates the Station from the Old Fighting Cocks. 

Old Fighting Cocks (48 Market Street, Oakengates, Telford, TF2 6DU)
The Fighting Cocks appears to have the longest history of the surviving Oakengates pubs, dating back way before the industrial revolution.  It originally had a thatched roof until fire broke out and destroyed that in 1884 and the building we see today was constructed.  By 2008 it was closed and boarded up, eventually saved by Everards who reopened it as one of their Project William pubs in conjunction with Rowton Brewery.

Hence, cask from Everards and Rowton was no surprise to see across the eight hand pumps, along with Oakham 'Citra' and a Fixed Wheel mild.
I opted for the Rowton 'Ironbridge Gold', although needn't have worried about missing out on the local brewery, which I was going to see a fair bit more of throughout the day.  At £4 a pint, this 4.4% hoppy golden ale proved another fine ale.
The front room was a bit bare-boards, a few locals sat on the couple of tables, so I headed to the back where there's a bit of wood panelling and a trad red-carpeted snug.

I found a comfy spot next to a couple of chaps who were complementing the ales they'd picked, then complementing themselves on identifying Creedence Clearwater Revival playing in the background.  I probably didn't need their John Fogarty impressions, especially singing a different song to the one actually playing, but never mind.

Right...straight across the road to the Crown - looking good in the sunshine, but bereft of anyone singing along to Tears for Fears when I arrived.

Crown Inn (Market Street, Oakengates, Telford, TF2 6EA)
This pub opened in 1835 as a beer house, later becoming part of the local Wrekin Brewing Company estate.  After several mergers, Wrekin was eventually gobbled up by brewing villains Greenall Whitley who closed the Crown in 1994.  Thankfully it was rescued, refurbished and reopened and went from strength-to-strength as an independent real ale pub. 

There were four cask ales on offer, plus a decent draft range in a pub that seems to mostly shun the big brands.
Local ales came from Bewdley Bridge, Hobsons and Green Duck, whilst the Bude Coastal 'Honey Bear' had travelled much further from the Cornish shores.

It was the Bude Coastal that I picked - I really don't know why - honey doesn't belong in beer and I drank enough Fuller's Honeydew in the '00s to come to that conclusion.
The Crown opened a little later in the day than the neighbours across the road, which may explain why it was the quietest of the three, just a couple of other folks on the patio to the back, no-one but me enjoying Kim Wilde's 'You Keep Me Hanging On' in the main bar.

Drinking up, I made my way back to Telford central.

I was expecting to berate Telford - a town I've only visited once before on a grey November day when it really didn't win me over.
After all, it's a new town with a network of dual carriageways, endless roundabouts and a big square shopping centre in the middle.  A shopping centre that the first-time visitor is bound to get lost in, Primark and Flip Out well-signposted, your escape less-so.
But at least the shiny new-builds are making the walk from the train station a bit more palatable.

And Telford Town Park would make for a lovely place to stroll the following morning.
Plus, the historic towns and villages that make up Telford are more interesting than those in some other similar urban sprawls.
The one I was off to next was Madeley, where you'll find some charming buildings and greenery on the way towards Blist Hill museum.  And you'll also find this cracking pub... 

All Nations (20 Coalport Road, Madeley, Telford, TF7 5DP)
The All Nations opened in 1789 and began brewing their own beer in 1832.  It was run by the Baguley family for 103 years, then taken over by the Lewis clan, tea-drinking Mrs Eliza Lewis becoming a one of the more famous licensees.
One of only 4 brewpubs when CAMRA was founded in the '70s, the All Nations remains family run and continues to brew on-site. 
Here's the certification that they appeared in the first ten Good Beer Guides...

Five hand pumps served Castle Rock 'Screech Owl', Oakham 'Bishops Farewell', Green Duck 'Bostin' Mild', Wye Valley 'HPA' and their home brew.
I had to try the beer made in the back of the pub, ordering a pint of the 'Home Brewed Ale', a 3.8% trad pale ale.

I received a lovely welcome here, the lady behind the bar chatting about what had brought me to Telford and what other pubs I was heading to.
The All Nations is a no-nonsense old inn with flagstone floors and big bench seating, outdoor toilets, and no distractions from chatter and beer drinking.

The All Nations is a real stunner and a pub I'd highly recommend finding your way to.

For the only time on this day, Arriva buses let me down, a no-show service from Madeley scuppering my best laid plans.  That caused me to miss the Unicorn Inn at Dowley and caused a mild bit of "where's it going now?" panic on the 100 service which I eventually caught, despite not knowing exactly where it was taking me.

My final pint in Telford was after dark in the Wetherspoon's at the side of the shopping centre.

The Thomas Botfield (Central Square, Telford Shopping Centre, Town Centre, Telford, TF3 4BW)
Thomas Botfield was a one-time High Sheriff of Shropshire who patented gas ignition systems which would be used in blast furnaces.  I think Spoons should have named their central Telford establishment after local footballer Billy Wright personally, but perhaps they didn't want to get mixed up with the Wolverhampton pub of that name.

There were three guest casks available when I visited, with a fait few pints being poured despite it not being especially busy late in the evening.

I grabbed an Exmoor 'Stallion', having been drawn in by what's by far the best pump clip.
Then settled in a corner booth where I could ponder how one group on the other side of the pub could be having such a noisy and wild Tuesday night.
I need to return to Telford to tick off the Ironbridge micro and the one the buses denied me today.  Oh, and the football match I'd come for...I'll waffle on about that in the next post.