Two Towns In The Marches....

I was away last week, visiting one of my favourite parts of the country. And whilst there, I had a day out exploring a couple of attractive small towns and discovered a number of excellent pubs in both....

 

 "Edrychwch arno. Dwed e. Didoli." *

I was travelling on a Transport for Wales train between Shrewsbury and Leominster and yet another dual-language train announcement was playing over the tannoy. I'd become somewhat acclimatised to these having travelled down from Manchester to Shrewsbury the previous day, also on a TfW train. And so there would be a lilting gentleman's accent announcing in Welsh that this train was bound for Caerdydd Canolog and would be calling at such stations as Llwydlo and Y Fenny, which would be then be repeated in English by a voice that sounded very much like Nessa from Gavin & Stacey, and although I have been unable to confirm that this was definitely the case, I am sure my ears were hearing correctly!

We were passing through the Marches, the name given to the areas of Shropshire and Herefordshire that lie to the east of the Welsh border. The train dropped me off at Leominster (or Llanllieni as the Welsh announcer called it), a small market town in north Herefordshire with a population of around 12,000. It's actually pronounced Lem-ster, and this was to be my first visit to the town. The station is just on the edge of the town, but it only took a few minutes to walk along quiet streets to the centre with its square featuring a number of attractive black and white timbered buildings. The Good Beer Guide only listed one pub, which I passed on the way in to town, but as it wasn't due to open till 12 and I was early, I decided to make it my last call in Leominster. Meanwhile WhatPub? or whatever its new name is, listed one or two other places which seemed worthy of checking out, and a couple were already open. 

One of these was the Duke's Head, a deceptively small-looking Wetherspoons where, once inside, it was obvious that it went back quite a long way and was actually rather spacious. It was fairly busy at 11.30, but quite sedate with a generally older crowd - a mix of couples, solitary old guys, and small groups of drinking buddies. I ordered half of Ludlow Gold which, with beer festival prices in operation, cost me the princely sum of a pound! It was a pleasant enough drop with which to start the day, and was a fruity and well-balanced beer (NBSS 3). Next door, meanwhile, was an attractive cafe bar/pub called the Press Room, which back in the 18th century was the original Duke's Head! Attractively fitted, furnished, and decorated, there was more of a female presence, with coffees, cakes, and early lunches being consumed. There were also 4 hand pumps on the bar, with a number of keg lines, and cans and bottles to buy from a fridge. I ordered a half of Hobson's Town Crier, a full-flavoured, crisp golden beer with a touch of sweetness balanced by a dry finish. It was in excellent condition (NBSS 3.5). 

I finished my beer and headed down the narrow Draper's Lane with its attractive little boutiques, where at the end the lane it led in to the appropriately-named Broad Street where I found the Grape Vaults. As the CAMRA comments noted, it had a rather plain exterior, but inside was wonderfully unspoilt, with a traditional fireplace which, on a slightly chilly day, was a home to a welcome roaring fire. There was bench seating and many other traditional features which gave the place a somewhat timeless feel. At one time this was a cider house, which was not unusual in these parts with Herefordshire being a big cider county, but today there were several hand pumps on the bar selling beers from Ludlow Brewery, each pump quirkily sporting a tiny little woollen hat! I ordered half of Ludlow Blonde, which I took to a table in a corner away from the bar so I wouldn't disturb any more the ongoing flow of conversation between a few old guys, each at their own table, with the landlord. The scene was timeless, we could have been in a pub from 50 years ago save for musical references to the likes of Morrissey and Oasis from more recent times in the guys' conversation. My beer was well-balanced, fruity and hoppy, which I reckoned was a 3 on the NBSS scale.

I retraced my steps back to the town square, and then cut through on to the road to station on which the CAMRA Good Beer Guide-listed Chequers was situated. This rambling pub did have a striking exterior, a black and white, timber-framed structure which dates back to at least the 16th century. Inside there was a large  comfortable lounge with areas to either side of the door, plus an area with additional seating in front of the bar. Here there were several Wye Valley beers available as you would expect in one of the brewery's 7 pubs. I ordered a pint of the 4% HPA, straw-pale in colour, which is brewed with locally grown Target and Celeia hops and Maris Otter pale malt to produce a deliciously drinkable beer (NBSS 3.5). There was a number of people in the room, with a group sat by the fire and another two or three by the bar, all of a certain age, and I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere with snippets of conversation popping up from time to time whilst a TV on the wall opposite was showing the racing from Cheltenham. I went to the loo and walked through a further large room with its own bar, beyond which there was a games room, whilst patio doors opened on to an outside drinking area. I finished my pint and went to get a half, but the genial landlord misheard me and poured my a pint instead. Still, it was good beer, and as luck would have it my train was running late so I didn't have to rush it down. 

The Chequers was certainly the best of the pubs I went in for overall beer quality, ambience, and attractiveness, but the others all had their good points. Leominster I found to be a pleasant and quiet town, certainly not a sh!th*le as it was described as by someone I was talking to later in Ludlow, but I would accept that compared to that more well-heeled fellow market town over the border in Shropshire, it seems more quiet and sleepy. I walked back to the station and after a few minutes wait, the delayed Transport for Wales train which was on its way to Manceinion Piccadilly arrived, and 10 minutes or so later I was alighting at Ludlow, or Llwydlo, as it was also described in the train announcements.

I had been to my first port of call before. Twice in fact, on my last two visits to Ludlow, the most recent being in 2018. This was the Ludlow Brewing Company taproom, which is situated along with the brewery in an old railway shed close to the railway station. It was pretty much how I remembered it, with a seating area as you go in with some of the brewery vessels in this area, and the rest of the brewery through a door to the side of the bar. I ordered a pint of Ludlow Gold, which predictably was in fine form (NBSS 3.5). I found a seat in what was quite a well-occupied room, and thumbed through a leaflet I'd picked up at the bar. I noticed they were doing brewery tours every day at 3. It had just gone 2.45, so I went back to the bar and enquired, only to be told that as they'd had no bookings for today it wouldn't be happening. So slightly disappointed, I returned to my seat and continued drinking my beer. A few minutes later I was joined by a couple from Tenbury Wells, who'd asked if they could join me as there were no free tables. They were both Brummie escapees and were enjoying life in the country and were regular visitors to the brewery, as it seemed were plenty of other people, with a steady stream popping in to buy bottles and minikegs to take out. I got a half of the brewery's 5% premium pale ale, Stairway, which was an enjoyable beer with citrus flavours and floral aromas courtesy of the Eastern European hops in the brew (NBSS 3.5). I bade farewell to my companions and headed off in to town.

On that last trip to Ludlow I'd visited an unusual self-styled 'parlour pub' not far from the station called the Dog Hangs Well, which I would love to call in again, but with its somewhat limited opening hours a Tuesday visit was not an option. But if you are ever in Ludlow when it is open, I would certainly recommend checking it out, those times being 5 to 9pm Thursday to Sunday, and 4 to 8pm on the first Sunday of the month. These were my thoughts on the Dog Hangs Well at the time.

I walked past Tesco and turned left up the hill towards the centre of town. Despite the fact that with a population of around 10,500, Ludlow is actually smaller than Leominster, it does actually feel bigger and more substantial. Some of that is no doubt down to the presence of the castle, which along with the Grade l listed St Laurence's parish church, the largest in Shropshire, is situated at the top of the hill which lies on the eastern bank of the River Teme. Ludlow Castle was an important border fortification along the Welsh Marches, and one of the largest in the Norman/English ring of castles surrounding Wales in the days when border skirmishes were frequent. It played a significant role in local, regional and national conflicts such as the Owain Glyndŵr rebellion, the Wars of the Roses, and the English Civil War. The castle and the town grew in political importance and in the 15th century the castle became the seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches. It was also a temporary home to several holders of the title Prince of Wales, including King Edward V. The town became an important market town, and today its market stalls with their blue and white striped awnings stand in the square near the castle. Ludlow's history has bequeathed it with almost 500 listed buildings, many of which are of Medieval or Tudor-style half-timbered construction, and Sir John Betjeman described it as "probably the loveliest town in England". In recent times, it has come to be known as something of a foodie town, with a number of its restaurants being awarded with Michelin Stars over the last few years, whilst it also hosts an annual food festival, there is a regular farmers' market, and there are a number of specialist food retailers in the town. Not surprisingly, taking into account all of this, plus the history and the beautiful countryside nearby, Ludlow has become increasingly popular as a tourist destination.

Ludlow market, looking towards St Laurence's Church

One of the most historic pubs in the town is the Rose and Crown, (opening image), which is situated in a courtyard close to the market square. It is probably Ludlow's oldest pub, with parts of it dating back from the 14th and 15th centuries. A hanging sign above an entry caught my eye as I walked down a narrow street off the sunlit market, so I went in to investigate. I hadn't had chance to call in here on my last visit to the town, when it had been in the Good Beer Guide, and whilst it has since dropped out, I reckoned it would be worth a look at.

I walked into a narrow yard and was treated to the sight of a beautiful black and white half-timbered building with several small windows and traditional Joule's brewery signs. Even the presence of a load of modern steel barrels and stools couldn't detract from the sense of history that jumped out. I walked in to a large room with wooden floors and much wood in evidence throughout, with exposed beams in the ceiling. There are plenty of historical features here including a old fireplace which was exposed during the pub's refurbishment. The long bar was situated to the right of the entrance on which was a bank of hand pumps featuring the usual Joules beers. The brewery have some great pubs in their estate, but the beer range is not the most imaginative, with just the 3.8% Blonde, the 4.1% Pale, and the 4.5% Slumbering Monk Bitter making up the range. That said, my pint of Pale was in fine form (NBSS 3.5), which is just as well as for the second time over the day I'd asked for a half and I was pulled a pint! The Rose and Crown is well worth calling in.

The historical Rose & Crown

Just down the narrow street from the Rose and Crown and behind the Buttercross is a current CAMRA Good Beer Guide-listed pub, the Church Inn, not surprisingly as it is close to St Laurence's Church, in whose graveyard the ashes of A. E. Housman, the Shropshire poet, are scattered. This is another old pub, dating from the 14th century, but it looked and felt more like a contemporary town-centre pub, which was somewhat at odds with the other places I had visited today. The were 4 hand pumps on the bar selling local beers and I opted for a half of Wye Valley Butty Bach. a 4.5% premium golden ale whose name means 'little friend' in Welsh. It was pleasant, smooth and quite sweet (NBSS 3). The Church Inn was probably the most disappointing pub of the day.

Whilst I felt the Church Inn lacked much character, that could not be said for the final pub I called in on this visit. Just around the corner was the narrow frontage of the Blood Bay. Its unusual name is taken not from some gory battle but from a champion race horse, who is depicted in Victorian style in the hanging pub sign above the door. The sign shows the 1932 Grand National winner Forbra, which was owned by the then-mayor of Ludlow, William Parsonage, along with the jockey decked out in Parsonage's colours. Blood bay refers to the horse's colour, which is a deep reddish brown said to resemble the colour of blood. 

The pub itself, sandwiched between a butchers and a kebab shop, is an absolute gem, a real step back in time. Back to Victorian times, in fact, as the pub incorporates many traditional features from that period. However it is essentially a re-imagining of how a Victorian parlour pub would look, as this former newsagents only became a pub in 2017. It was opened by Jon Saxon who has the Dog Hang's Well I referred to earlier. He spent 9 months refurbishing the place during which time many traditional features were uncovered and incorporated into the pub. The curving bar and beer engines were salvaged from a pub in London that was facing demolition, whilst a public bar and a snug were created in the front of the building, with a tiny room added at the back of the bar. Wood panelling, traditional seating, and period lighting add to the authentic look. Mobile phones are discouraged although I had no trouble taking the pictures below, and conversation is king here, with the murmur of conversation filling the air. The hand pumps display no clips and the lady behind the bar was vague is to who the brewery was of the pale ale I requested, but according to the Good Beer Guide it was from Gloucestershire brewers Uley. Whatever it was, my half was most refreshing and flavoursome (NBSS 3.5).

Full of character: Blood Bay, Ludlow

I wished I'd had more time to spend at the Blood Bay as it had a great atmosphere but I needed to be heading back to Shrewsbury to get some food, so I finished my drink and headed back down the hill to the station as the evening sun got lower in the sky and the temperature began to drop. Fortunately the train wasn't too long in coming though. I'd had a most enjoyable day and visited some cracking pubs in these two towns in the Marches....

And finally, I thought I had visited all of the Good Beer Guide-listed pubs in Ludlow. I thought I had been to the Blue Boar previously, but I realised when I got back home that I hadn't, as I had got it confused with a different pub! But at least it gives me a reason to go back to the town. Not that I really need an excuse to go to Ludlow though....

* See it. Say it. Sorted.

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