A trip to Derbyshire, Chesterfield to be precise where we called in some of the town's fine pubs. Plus a shout out for a few other great pubs in that county that I have visited over the years....
This is not a football blog, but I do admit that it has been mentioned here a little of late. However as all my recent journeys have been based around trips to watch football it is inevitable it will find a way in to the odd paragraph. And the reason for my visit to Chesterfield the other week was for, yes, you guessed it, another football match! So for those of you who are not interested in football, skip the 6th paragraph, after which it's back to the pubs and beer stuff!
I had last visited the town in 2019, the second largest in the county, also for football, which was featured in a blog covering a number of the town's pubs. Highlights of that visit were the Neptune Beer Emporium, with its excellent beer and friendly welcome, and the Chesterfield Alehouse, the town's first micro pub. Both pubs are still in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, but good as they were, I felt it would make sense to visit ones this time around that most of us hadn't been to before. One pub we couldn't visit though was the Rectory, in the shadow of the parish church of St Mary and All Saints which is famous for its crooked spire, as the pub was closed, with Whatpub saying it was expected to open in 2 - 3 weeks (it still does at the time of writing), and had mysteriously disappeared from the Good Beer Guide app.
 |
| The Neptune Beer Emporium, Chesterfield: not visited this time |
We had travelled down by train, the journey from Halifax involving a change at the bleak and windy Wakefield Kirkgate station, before picking up the train onward to Chesterfield. The overall journey took around an hour and 45 minutes and, as the train slowed as it approached Chesterfield railway station, we passed in the distance the Technique Stadium, home of Chesterfield FC, the setting for the afternoon's encounter with FC Halifax Town. We alighted from the train, and headed up the hill from the station, the crooked spire of the church our beacon, as the first pub we were visiting was close by. We passed the delightfully named Pomegranate Theatre - which references the tree that is featured on the town's coat of arms and where over the years many well-known names have appeared - and came to a main road, St Mary's Gate, where the first pub of the afternoon, was just off to the left, directly opposite to the church.
Pig & Pump is situated in a large imposing building and as we walked in it was pretty busy with most seats taken, save for a table by the window. We were able to order from a choice of 10 cask beers, a fairly conservative selection including the likes of Oakham Citra, Thornbridge Jaipur, Ossett White Rat, and Castle Rock Harvest Pale, me choosing the latter when we had finally got served by one of the two friendly girls behind the bar, who were kept busy by a relentless flow of customers, many of whom were ordering food. We moved to the empty table, the reason for its lack of customers becoming apparent as the large window beside it was acting as a magnifier for the sun outside, making it a hot place to sit. Nevertheless we braved it for 45 minutes or so, two pints of Harvest Pale (NBSS 3) going down quickly, as did a follow up half of Citra (another 3 rating) as we tried to organise a taxi to take the 5 of us nearer to the football ground were more pubs lay in wait. The Pig & Pump was decent enough, the beer was OK, the staff friendly, the ambience alright, without being earth-shattering.
 |
| Pig & Pump, Chesterfield (image courtesy of WhatPub) |
Chesterfield's Technique Stadium is situated in the Whittington Moor area of the town, which is around a mile and a half from the town centre, where our taxi dropped us off outside the Derby Tup (opening picture), a short distance up Sheffield Road from the football ground. Situated on a street corner in and amongst terraced houses, local shops, and takeaways, the pub was busy when we walked in, with plenty of football fans from both teams enjoying a pre-match drink. It didn't take long to get served though, the staff despite being busy were attentive and kept the queues moving. There were plenty of beers on hand pump to choose from; regulars include Brunswick Rocket brewed in a pub in the city of Derby, and there are several changing beers as well, plus a number of ciders which meant our cider-drinking chum was happy. I went for the Rocket, which is the brewpub's 4.7% strong pale ale, which offered great value for money at less than £3.50 a pint. It was excellent (NBSS 4), clean and refreshing, and certainly didn't feel its ABV. The pub was traditional in layout with wooden settle seats with a real fire in the colder months, and we sat in a small snug at the far end from where we came in, complete with an attractive tiled fireplace, where we were able to grab a seat at an empty table before the room started to fill up. I liked the Derby Tup; a proper pub.
 |
| Traditional fireplace at the Derby Tup, Chesterfield |
It was time to leave for the football, so we headed off down the hill towards the stadium where plenty of fans were milling around. As is often the case, the away fans were housed in the far side but having bought tickets online during the week, we got in fairly easily although there were a few who found the scanner on the turnstile wouldn't read the barcode on the ticket, and had to waste time going around to the ticket office to sort it out! #21st century problems. The stadium is a fairly compact modern affair, the club having departed their original Saltergate ground which was situated in the town centre back in 2010. Chesterfield were firmly in the play off places, although miles behind the runaway top two of Wrexham and Notts County, and were now having a decent run following a mid-season dip in form. Town, unable to score goals on a regular basis, were stuck in lower mid-table with the threat of relegation still hanging over them. The odds were very much on the home side, and suffice to say that after a few promising moves from Town in the first half, they eventually succumbed to a 2-0 defeat.
 |
| The Technique Stadium, home of Chesterfield FC |
We had a little time before our train back home, so we walked back up Sheffield Road towards the Derby Tup, but just before we got there we came across King Street North, where a few yards down from the junction was the Beer Parlour. Now from the outside the place looks to be falling apart, but as with another place I visited one time, the Rutland Arms in Grimsby, similarly close to a football ground, you can't judge a pub by its exterior. Inside it comprised a single room which offered a warm welcome and a choice of 8 beers on hand pump, plus a range of continental beers, ciders, and perries. It was busy with, I guess, most of the customers having been at the football. Being in the Midlands I thought I would try a pint of Draught Bass. I wasn't disappointed, this 4.4% amber bitter was rich with hints of caramel on both the taste and aroma, and was easily worth a NBSS 3.5. Another place that is well worth a visit if you are in Chesterfield: just don't be deceived by the rather run-down external appearance.
 |
| Deceptive: The Beer Parlour, Chesterfield |
I'd rung a taxi to take us back to the station, which led to some confusion as a large people carrier pulled up across the road. We walked across and caused the driver much surprise when we all started to climb in, despite the fact there was no indication it was a taxi! It turned out he had arrived to pick up some mates from the Beer Parlour. He did say he would take us, but then the real taxi pulled up. We thanked him kindly, and rushed over to the taxi but then realised it would only take 4 people. Problem was there were 5 of us. I was the last one, so I told them to set off. Did I chance it and wait for the second taxi the company had said they would send if they couldn't get hold of a large one, with the time before the train ticking down? No, I dashed back over the road to the people carrier which had by now taken on the guy's mates and was about to set off, and asked him if I could have a lift after all? He waved me in, my fellow passengers were Chesterfield fans, so we spent the journey going over the match, with a tad of banter involved. The lift was much appreciated, and a few minutes later I was dropped off at the station, met up with the others, and a few minutes later we were on the train heading north. Disappointing football, but some good beer was drunk in some good pubs....
Mentioning the Brunswick above, it took me back to when I last visited Derby a few years ago. The brewery is situated at the rear of this distinctive flatiron shaped pub a few minutes walk from the station, in the historic Railway Village part of town. Despite now being owned by Everards Brewery, it is not obvious apart from a few of their beers dotted amongst several of the house brews. The pub sprawls over several rooms, all of which retain many traditional features. It simply oozes a timeless charm and is an essential place to visit when in Derby. The city is one of the country's best beer towns, and when I visited I managed to get enough for two blog's worth of material, and the current edition of the Good Beer Guide features no less than 17 pubs, so another visit could well be on the cards at some point! Others that stood out last time were the Alexandra, just around the corner from the Brunswick, the Exeter Arms (ironically run by the same group as the currently-closed Rectory in Chesterfield), the Smithfield, and the Flowerpot.
 |
| A classic: The Brunswick, Derby |
Further afield, in the village of the Holbrook a few miles north of Derby and close to the A38 is the Dead Poets Inn, which is a sister pub to the Brunswick. I first called in on a pub trip to Derby, and immediately fell in love with this traditional village pub, with its low-ceilinged, stone-flagged bar and got selection of beers. I have called in several times over the years on the way back from the Midlands, although it is a while since I have been in. I have also enjoyed visiting the Kinder Lodge, situated on the edge of the Peak District village of Hayfield, and last year I particularly enjoyed calling in RedWillow brewery's Buxton venture, beautifully converted from a former bank, called imaginatively RedWillow Buxton, along with the Ale Stop micropub in the town.
 |
| RedWillow Buxton |
And of course, along with the pubs, there are many breweries based in the county, including some of the country's best. These range from traditional to modern, and include the likes of Thornbridge, Buxton, Shiny, Torrside, Dancing Duck, Pentrich, Brampton, Leatherbritches, Bang the Elephant, Ashover, Distant Hills (re-badged from Howard Town), Tollgate, and Whim, with some of them finding their way into the free trade so they can be found elsewhere in the country.
And so back to the visit to Chesterfield. There are still plenty more pubs to explore on the next visit. With or without the football....
Follow me on twitter: @realalemusic
Comments
Post a Comment