Pubs in Walsall
Short Heath:
The start of Short Heath phase 1 of 100 pubs. This is Andy’s manor, and there’s sufficient for 2 visits.
I fist walked into the lounge- Andy was dropping the car at a relative’s nearby- and there was a private party, so I nipped round to the bar. The place looks to have been refurbed recently, and was quite smart and pleasant, and the locals were friendly. Sadly the Trooper ran out, but the HPA was good, and it was a nice place to start the evening.
Walsall:
AKA The Prince Blucher. A magnificent building, with tiled facade, high ceilings, and original etched windows in places. The front room was loud, but the back room was pleasantly quiet. No ale, sadly, but staff friendly enough. Could be a great pub, but currently not my thing.
Walsall:
Just around the corner from The Pretty Bricks, we’d passed this plenty of times, so it was time for a visit. Suprisingly large inside, it had the atmosphere of a working man’s club or snooker club to me, but it was clean, bright, and the barmaid was pleasant. No ale, or lager I’d want to drink, sadly, so ended up with Guinness.
Walsall:
Disturbingly the chosen meet-up place for a recent BNP march, we approached this a bit warily, but all was peaceful inside. Landlord was amiable, too. No ale, despite the signage outside, and the pint of Worthington was vinegary, but changed without question. The (loud) Karaoke was just starting up, so we left pretty quickly. Not a great, or plush pub, but we were welcomed in.
I’d heard good things about The Walsall Arms since it reopened, and finally got there, and the reputation is deserved- a lively atmosphere, nice looking beer garden, and the skittle alley is still there. A great welcome, nice locals, and top-notch beer too- about our only reservation was the slightly bland decor and we preferred the layout before it was opened up, but still a great pub, and deservedly popular.
Walsall:
This pub is a real landmark, a beautiful building- a lovely sight if you drive up Lower Rushall St: a proper terracotta-and-tile 19th century pub, and surprisingly, there’s some great stuff inside too; tiling and woodwork.
It’s been a loosely-Irish pub since the Irish pub boom of the nineties, but in more recent times, it’s gone a bit downhill in clientele- sadly there were some EDL types present (presumably a hang-over from the march in town that day). The Stella was serviceable, but no ale. Cheap, though, and the barmaid was very pleasant- but it just could be lovely; it could be a Woodman quite easily.
Willenhall:
Part of the Dorbiere chain (not one I’d heard of before, but this is their most southerly pub), this is right in the middle of town, and looks to have been refurbished fairly recently: it’s traditional pub inside, but the carpet is modern. There’s real ale, but sadly one was on the sour side and the other ran out, but the staff handled that well and the atmosphere was nice- welcoming even at 10pm on Saturday.
Willenhall:
This was better. Real ale, nice layout, tidy, traditional decor. Cobs and an enviable array of scratchings. As Andy pointed out, the landlady could have been a bit more welcoming, but otherwise fine.
Willenhall:
This could have been a cracker. Traditional decor, a backstreet drinker’s pub, but it all went a bit wrong. No ale of any description, and no lager you’d actually want to drink, so I plumped for Guiness, which proved to be a can poured and put on one of those ultrasonic surger devices, and the others whatever dreadful keg bitter was about. The pub was busy, but the combination of loud music, shouting and a good proportion of wandering kids meant it wasn’t very pleasant. Pity.
Willenhall:
A pub I’d been meaning to go in for years. Inside was a bit loud, and no ale or decent lager on offer, but the keg Banks’s was OK, and staff and locals friendly- but it has to be said the outside seating improved things greatly so we could actually talk. Nothing special, but an OK place.