Abergavenny Pub Explorations

In which we spend two evenings of the Bank Holiday weekend exploring a handful of pubs in the Monmouthshire town of Abergavenny.

But let's start in Llanfoist, on the southern side of the bridge over the river Usk, as this is where our Premier Inn was located and provided the first refreshment stop... 

Bridge Inn (Merthyr Road, Llanfoist, NP7 9LH - web)
The Bridge was a cosy L-shaped pub, with the locals settled on the tables opposite the bar and some uptake for the almost - but not quite - riverside garden, now that the sunshine had made an appearance.
Real ales on offer were Glamorgan 'Jermimas Pitchfork', Hancocks 'HB', and Wye Valley 'Butty Bach', which seems to get everywhere around these parts.
The trad HB for me - very much a boring brown bitter - but well-kept and easy-drinking.

We grabbed a table at the far end of the bar, down a couple of steps, beyond the balustrade which doubled as a climbing frame for one of the younger pub regulars.
There was a nice mixed crowd here, from the bloke reading his very serious book, to the son  converting his mum from white wine to Madri whilst her husband was distracted by the dog at the next table.

The Bridge is ideal for Abergavenny Premier Inn guests who've shunned the Brewer's Fayre, but decided it's too far to walk to the town centre.
But we had exploring to do.  We crossed the river and navigated through the terraced side streets of Abergavenny until we reached a pub that I'd been looking forward to...

Station Hotel (37 Brecon Road, Abergavenny, NP7 5UH)
This is a station hotel without a station, and across the road is the Railway Inn without a railway.  Both are named after the long-gone Heads of the Valley line and the one-time Brecon Road station.

The Station Hotel is a basic two-roomer, although the trepidation of which way to turn in the front porch is taken away, as there's only one way in.  The right-side lounge is reached via a route around the back of the bar.

There were several real ales available - probably including Butty Bach - but all I remember is this...

Mrs PropUptheBar had come to the realisation that craft beer hadn't reached Monmouthshire.  But even deprived of her pudding stouts mango sours for the weekend, she declared the Bass to be "lovely".

Moving on from the Station, we walked a short way down the road and found our way to Grofield, Baker Street...

Grofield (Baker Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5BB - web)
Hmmm...this was something of an unusual Good Beer Guide entry.
On the plus side - nice garden to the rear and outdoor gents (albeit of the shiny and sparkling variety).
On the downside - the pub has had a stark modern makeover and I maintain my opinion that leather padding on the front of the bar is never a good sign.
And it was fiendishly hot - they must be on a great energy tariff here, as the heating was on a 'sit in your underpants' setting.

Two handpumps at the side of the bar were offering up Sharps 'Atlantic' or 'Doom Bar'.
I took my Atlantic (so-so) to the raised area to the side of the front door.  And nothing much happened for the next 30-minutes, although there seemed to be a fair number of regulars who all knew each other and obviously favoured this place as their local.

That was our lot for the first evening - walking through the muddy fields all the afternoon had worn me out.  Leaping forward to Sunday evening, we headed back into town to continue our explorations.

Just up a pedestrianised lane to the side of the Town Hall, we found the Hen & Chickens in full swing, with all the picnic tables out front occupied and the sounds of fiddle and guitar drifting out from the open door.

Hen & Chickens (7 Flannel Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5EG - web)
I'm approaching the Hen & Chickens with an open-mind having not previously visited.  Many folk are irked by the changes made in the late nineties when Brains brought the pub and refurbished it, including extending into a former hairdressers next door to create more space.

There were plenty of hand pumps on the bar, but still no craft beer for Mrs PropUptheBar, unless you're counting Brains 'Barry Island' on keg.  There were a couple of staple Marston's choices and four Brains ales to choose from, including a most enjoyable 'Dark' for me.

We could pick the quiet seats in the snug to the rear...

Or the noisy ones in the side room...

The band were called 'Rattled' and they knocked out a range of folksy covers on guitar, violin and box drum, peaking with the Waterboy's 'Whole of the Moon' and Tom Petty's 'Free Falling'.  Much enthusiasm from the crowd, including a little jig from the aging Welsh Hells Angel, and some heckling from the ladies on the table next to us who looked to have put a sizable dent in the pub's Prosecco supplies.

Next up: the town's 'Spoons because we needed some no-nonsense food.
And because I'm a sucker for a cinema conversion.

The Coliseum (Lion Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5PH - web)
This opened remarkably early as a cinema in 1913.  By 1930 it had had a refurbishment to increase capacity to 780 and install a sound system for the new 'talkies'.
The Colisuem was a victim of home video, attendances declining until the stalls were converted into shops in 1987, the upper floor continuing to show films for a few more years until bingo took over.  And then, in 2001, along came JD Wetherspoon and their carpets...

To be honest, apart from the sweeping circular staircase leading from the entrance to the bar, the Coliseum doesn't feel much like a cinema conversion.  It's more barn-like, with a lot of people making a fair bit of noise.

The guest beer range was quiet limited and best bitter orientated, although I've no complaints about my enjoyable pint of Great Newsome 'Frothingham Best'.

Where to next?
As we'd walked into town it had been impossible not to notice the Kings Arms, with a large crowd of drinkers spread out onto the market square in front of it.  So we figured we'd go and see what all the fuss was about.

The Kings Arms Hotel (50-60 Cross Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5EU - web)
This provided our second pub band of the evening, set up on the pavement outside and entertaining the crowd with a varied selection of pop and rock covers.
It was fairly characterful inside, with wooden beams and a traditional feel, although not much uptake on the tables with most folk opting to spread across the square.
Bit of frustration that the Bank Holiday crowd had produced a queue to the bar...

But the efficient staff meant it took just a little bit longer than the cover of Jon Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead or Alive' for us to get served.  We had a choice of 'Butty Bach' (of course!), Felinfoel 'Double Dragon', or Wye Valley 'HPA'.
An HPA for me, taken outside and enjoyed on a rare balmy evening, with the crowd and the band providing an entertaining hour in front of the Kings Arms.

And that was our lot as far as pub explorations of Abergavenny went.
Although there was still time to revisit the Station Inn and get another pint of Bass before last orders.