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.

Worksop - Stopping the Lions Roaring

Another glamorous away trip with Oxford City in the National League North, this time into North Notts for a bank holiday Monday fixture against Worksop Town.

Worksop is called home by around 44,700 folk who get to enjoy being from the same place as Bruce Dickinson, John Parr, Donald Pleasance and one-time England manager Graham Taylor.
It's the gateway to the Dukeries, handy for Clumber Park and the Welbeck Estate, although the old mining town itself hasn't yet become a cultural hotspot.

I'm following my usual protocol and starting in (a very red) Spoons.

The Liquorice Rooms (1A Newcastle Street, Worksop, S80 2AS)
Apparently the name derives from liquorice being widely grown around Worksop during the town's agricultural days, rather than sweet treats being manufactured here.
Opened in 2002, this branch of Wetherspoon's is located in what was once an ironmongers.

But forget what it looks like or what it used to be - the issue of the day was the lack of breakfasts! 
Delivery issues - fridge freezer breakdowns?  Who knows - they could offer little except porridge, an avocado muffin or scrambled eggs on toast.  It would have been handy to print off an explanation and note of what items were available to take the pressure off the staff, as a succession of folks returned from the bar disappointed.

Oh well, just a half of the Welbeck Abbey 'Portland Black' for me (Wolf 'Granny Wouldn't Like It' being the other guest beer).  That locally brewed dark porter was delicious and served on good form.

I'm unlikely to be taken on as an ambassador for Visit Worksop.
I did find a good hardware store...

Looks like there was a bit of paint left over from the Wetherspoons job.

The old council offices are an architectural gem, now repurposed as retailers of vintage stuff...

There are some cracking pub signs without pubs to go with them...

 

There are lots of signs of closed pubs - a 2023 article on the Worksop Guardian looks at "27 pubs we've loved and lost over the years".  Twenty-seven!  It's not that big a place.
Of the ones remaining, the CAMRA website shows many listed as 'no cask ale'.
But they've got a top class beer bar and you don't even have to leave the train station to visit it.

The Mallard (Station Approach, Worksop, S81 7AG)
Right in the centre of the station buildings in what used to be a buffet room, the Mallard is a super little pub where I could happily have passed the afternoon.
The striking Jacobean-style railway building was built at the turn of the last century replacing the previous structure.  The ale bar was opened within it in 2001, recently having celebrated 25 years (with a beer festival, how else?).

They offered a couple of boxed ciders, a Kirkstone keg beer, big-name lagers, and four cask ales: Marble 'Draft', Stocks 'Old Horizontal', Bang the Elephant Pop Goes the Weasle' or Pentrich 'Ether Elemental'.  A great - and 75% strong - range.

 

The Bang the Elephant stout was sweet and moreish.  The Stocks old ale was simply superb - a revived recipe from an '80s Doncaster brewery, now concocted at Welbeck Abbey.  

The Mallard has a total of 6 tables, all filling up shortly after my arrival, with a fair few folk opting to sit out front.  There's no music and a no-phone's policy which was enforced for the one chap making a call, whilst taking pics of pump clips and scoring your beers on Untappd appeared to be okay.

Cask ale seemed to be the order of the day.  A French bulldog became best friends with anyone who ordered the homemade sausage rolls.  The chat flowed and the Mallard was quite marvellous.

Right, let's have a look at the Station Hotel, just on the other side of the road.

The Station Hotel (Carlton Road, Worksop, S80 1PS)
The front door took me into a long lounge bar with chequered carpet, some brightly coloured armchairs, grey paint-job, and modern light fittings and decorations.  There were around a dozen folk in the bar, the big restaurant billed as 'Platform 3' sitting empty in the next room - I've rarely found bank holiday Monday's good for pubs.

The Station Hotel offered two cask ales - a Bradfield 'Farmers Cherry Beer' and Abbeydale 'Moonshine', three other hand pumps unused.

In the interests of trying new stuff, it had to be the garishly coloured cherry beer - at least the jam jar let you know what you were letting yourself in for.  

I had time for one more pub visit in Worksop before making my way to the ground, so headed right back down south to pop my head into the Shireoaks Inn.

The Shireoaks Inn (Westgate, Worksop, S80 1LT)
Shireoaks is a nearby village where the first of Worksop's collieries opened in 1859, paving the way for more mining in the region.  This pub, converted from an old row of cottages, has had a relatively recent refurb (by the same folks who run the Station Inn).

Always trust a pub with a handy set of steps propped against the wall...
But beware of those with West Ham memorabilia....

Although the laminated pudding menu is a good sign...

 

They do usually serve one cask ale, but the landlord apologised that this wasn't ready yet, having already anticipated that's what I'd be looking for being as he'd spotted me in the Station earlier.
So, a Stones bitter it was...

Okay, so the Shireoaks wasn't about to challenge for my favourite pub of the day, but the welcome was good and it had attracted a reasonable lunchtime crowd of diners and a few folks seemingly engrossed in a rerun of a Sunday Premier League match on TV.

Right - time to head to the football ground, the bustle of activity in the vicinity and the very pleasing signage confirming I'd got the date and time right.

 

The Windsor Stadium - KC Sofas Stadium, if we must - is a neat little National League North ground with a decent retro covered seating stand along half one side of the pitch and plenty of terraces with protection from the elements.  The turnstiles are ultra-modern, part of the relatively new clubhouse which contains changing rooms, an award winning bar and a shortage of toilet facilities for the 672 in attendance.

The first half was an entertaining affair with action at both ends of the pitch and some good chances missed or denied by the linesman's flag.

A decent away support for Oxford relocated at half time to a covered stand by the corner flag and made a fair bit of noise when Scott Pollock broke the deadlock.  Then grumbled to the referee when a goal from a corner was ruled out for a foul on the keeper.  Then directed outright fury at the poor fella when he sent off Tyrone Marsh for a dubious second yellow.
"Worksop's man of the match is," boomed the stadium announcer..."Referee Jonathan Chadwick" quipped a City supporter.

In the hunt for an equaliser, Worksop were running the endless mile (yes - I'm desperate to squeeze in a John Parr reference, even though no-one knows anything except St Elmo's Fire).  But in the end, Oxford City saw the game out comfortably and created several chances to increase the lead despite being a man down.

A win for my local team - leaving them 3rd in the table.
Despite no Spoons breakfast, some dodgy characters in the town, someone driving around playing Limp Bizkit at top volume with the windows open, and a shortage of cask pubs, I'd had a rather nice day in Worksop.