There are several places that I have visited over the past few months over that have not made into a blog for various reasons but are well worth a visit if you are in the area. Here's a few of them....
It happens quite regularly. Often when on a rail journey where I have to change trains I have enough time for a pint while I wait, so I call in a station buffet bar or nearby pub. If I end up writing a blog, to include this particular place may well not fit with the context or general rhythm of the piece and so the visit never gets a mention, even if the place or beer would otherwise merit it. Or it may be somewhere local or random that you visit on its own that isn't easily accommodated within a blog. So I decided to pull a few of these together that I have visited in the past few months, with most of them falling into the first category, and a couple fitting into the second.
One place that I have called in a couple of times this year and numerous times in the past is the York Tap (opening image) which I have mentioned in previous blogs when I have been featuring York, but on both times I have visited this year the beer and ambience has been as good as ever. This former Victorian railway tea room was converted to a pub in 2011 by beer distributors Pivovar who are based in the York area and who also run the Taps at Sheffield and Harrogate stations. The award-winning sensitive refurbishment of the ornate ceiling, Art Deco stained glass windows, terrazzo floors and stained glass ceiling domes houses a central circular bar with 18 beers and 2 ciders on hand pump plus a range of craft beers and lagers on tap and bottled beers in the fridge. Typical breweries that you will find on the bar include Taylors, Thornbridge, Bristol Beer Factory, Brew York, and their own in-house brewery from the Sheffield Tap, Tapped. The bar, which can be accessed from both within and outside the station, opens every day from 10am to 11pm, apart from Sunday when they have a lie-in. And with the once-reliable Maltings a short distance away now operating as an Irish bar, this is the most practical option for a pint when changing trains in York, and I have no doubt I will be calling in a few more times over the coming months.
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| Enjoying a pint with friends a few years ago at York Tap |
Another station bar that is an ideal calling point when in-between trains is the Draughtsman Alehouse, which is situated on platform 3b of Doncaster Railway Station, which I last called in on my way to and from Lincoln a few months ago. This is a gem of a micropub converted from a former Victorian buffet bar which had lain empty for 18 years before opening in 2017. It is run by CAMRA member Russ Thompson, his son Luke, and an enthusiastic team who attract a crowd of regulars along with a stream of rail travellers. The draughtsman in question is Russ's father who worked at the Doncaster Locomotive Works, making the bar's location particularly apt. The Draughtsman may be much smaller than the York Tap but like the former it has retained some of the original features, notably the Victorian wall tiles which along with framed draughtsman's drawings of steam locomotives give the place a somewhat nostalgic feel. The bar is small and cosy with a real fire warming things up on a cold day, with a small seated area outside on the platform. It is very much geared up for the daytime when more trains are running, opening from 10 every day except for Sunday when they open at 11, whilst they shut at 8 every day apart from Saturday when it is even earlier at 7pm. There are 3 beers on hand pump from both local and regional brewers which change regularly. The Draughtsman is always worth calling in if you are in the area.
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| The Draughtsman, Doncaster |
I passed through London recently which provided the opportunity to visit a number of pubs, two of which I'd never visited previously. Just outside Waterloo is a fine pub, the Hole in The Wall, which is situated within a railway arch at the far side of a ramp leading down outside the station. It is an independent free house with 6 handpumps dispensing beers from mainly London-based and Southern breweries. We had only a short window in which to enjoy a pint before catching our train towards Southampton, but we were served quickly by one of the friendly staff working the bar, going for a local beer, LPA from Southwark Brewery, who are also based in a railway arch, this time in Bermondsey where they opened in 2014 and were the first cask-focussed brewery on the famous Bermondsey Mile.
Interestingly the founder of Southwark, Peter Jackson, who opened the brewery with his friend Andy Nichol, had never brewed a pint in his life despite having worked in the brewing industry throughout his career. But he was able to call on an old friend for advice, the legendary Sean Franklin who had set up Roosters Brewery, who were pioneers of British hoppy pale ales, and this is reflected in some of the beers Southwark brew now.
And as a nod to that Roosters connection, LPA, which stands for London Pale Ale, is a modern 4% ABV easy drinking pale featuring Citra, Simcoe, and Northern Brewer hops with pale malts. With the day being warm we took our pints outside to a small intimate patio out the back, and I have to say the beer was very good, rating it 3.5 on the NBSS scale. One other thing I can report from our brief visit was confusion when visiting the gents - it seems they operate a one door in, one door out system. However that wasn't obvious when I was in there, nor to another guy who'd gone in at the same time as me. Confronted by a door with no handle when we turned to go out the way we'd come in, the other guy, who was taller than me, managed to grab a gap between the top of the door and the frame, and pull it open so we could get out, only for my brother to tell mewhen I returned to finish my pint that there was another door to get out! I don't get to Waterloo very often, but next time I do I will happily return to this fine London pub (and hopefully remember the toilet door arrangements!).
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| The bar at the Hole in the Wall, Waterloo |
The following day, having returned from Eastleigh and Southampton, we arrived at Waterloo and then took the Northern Line to Euston, where we left the underground and emerged into bright sunshine and walked over to the Euston Tap, which I had visited before when we were in London following FC Hslifax Town's most recent visit to Wembley. Situated in a couple of Grade ll-listed former railway lodges built out of Portland stone, separated by a road, inscriptions on the outside wall feature several towns from up and down the country, including Halifax, presumably destinations that could be reached from the nearby station. Inside the West Lodge, there is a small room with the bar facing the entrance and a spiral staircase leading to a room with seating upstairs. There is a fridge in one corner selling cans, with a board propped up against the wall listing the beers available on both cask and keg. We ordered a pint of English Pale Ale, a 4% light ale from the East London Brewing Company who have been based in Leyton since starting out in 2011. The beer was pleasant enough but a little thin (NBSS 3), but bearing in mind it was only £4.20 a pint which is a steal for London we couldn't really complain! With the sun shining bright on this warm early spring day we took our beer outside and rested our pints on old barrel as we watched the world go by in this busy part of the capital.
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| The Euston Tap: models for scale |
We finished our beers and having taken the glasses back inside, we set off walking along Euston Road, passing landmarks such as the Grade ll-listed Euston fire station, the British Library, and the stunning former Midland Hotel, now known as the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, before first St Pancras and then King Cross Stations. We passed the front of King Cross and carried on, before turning left a short distance afterwards on to Caledonian Road. Just after the junction was our destination, the unusually-named Scottish Stores pub. The pub was built in 1901 and takes its name from the days when visiting Scottish traders would bring in haunches of venison which would be hung in the pub before being sold. The interior is Grade ll-listed and is identified by CAMRA as having an interior of national importance, with a central bar serving three rooms which have much wood-panelling, screens, glazing, with a traditional bar back and many original features. In contrast to the busy streets outside, the pub was an oasis of calm, and we were quickly served by the friendly lass behind the bar. The beer choice was disappointing unfortunately; the inevitable Landlord or Lighthouse, a session pale from Adnams. We plumped for the latter, which was at the more normal London price of £5.95 a pint (what would Landlord have been, I wondered?). To make things worse, even though it is only 3.4% ABV it was very thin and lacking in character, and I have drunk plenty of beers at that strength that have more about them. I would rate in a 3 on the basis it was in good condition, but given a choice, I wouldn't go for it again. Still don't let me put you off the Scottish Stores; it is a fine pub that deserves checking out and fortunately the beer range does change regularly.
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| No venison in sight: the Scottish Stores King's Cross |
Meanwhile, closer to home in Halifax, there have been a couple of recent openings in the Westgate area of town. The long-closed Westgate pub on the corner with Union Street has been re-opened by owners Star Inns, and one does have to question why it took them so long given the fact that the Piece Hall opened next door and now attracts thousands of visitors each year, together with the re-vitalisation of this part of the town centre. I popped in recently and the place was quiet with most that were in watching the rugby league on one of the TV screens that are dotted around the pub, whose footprint is smaller than you'd expect given the imposing nature of the building. And whilst I wouldn't expect cask ale drinkers to be the target audience, there were 4 handpumps on the bar which included Landlord (of course!), Old Peculier, and Ossett Yorkshire Blonde. I ordered a half of the other one, Proper Job from St Austell which you don't normally see on handpump in Halifax, which was quite enjoyable.
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The recently-re-opened Westgate, Halifax
Diagonally opposite the Westgate is another option for a drink in the town. The Hop In is a bar and bottle shop run by Nick and Karen which opened on Union Street a few months ago, having previously been situated within the town's market where they had built up a regular crowd of customers. Being located within the market inevitably limited the number of hours they could open and this location gave them the opportunity to not only open for longer but broaden the scope of what they do. Alongside a wide range of packaged beers and ciders from local, national, and international producers, beers are now available on cask and tap. They have supported local breweries such as Halifax Steam and Darklands from the outset, but other breweries regularly are featured and have recently included the likes of Phoenix, Leatherbritches, and Pomona Island. The bar is right in front of you as you walk in, with seats along the bar encouraging you to chat with the friendly owners, with bottles in shelves and cans in the fridges down the sides and further seating in between. There is another room upstairs along with the toilets, which features live music from time to time. A friendly little bar that is well worth hopping in to.
So a mixed group of places this time around which I felt all deserved a mention for one reason or another....
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