Station pubs (part two?)

[xotGD]

The current Good Beer Guide has the Horse Shoe on Drury Street and the Drum & Monkey on Vincent Street, both only a couple of minutes from the north end of the concourse. With a suitable amount of time, though, the Laurieston Bar, Bridge Street, is well worth a walk across the river.

Thank you - if I get a chance to visit one or both, I will report back!

 

[IanD]

Any recommendations for a pint on or close to Glasgow Central?

+1 for the Horse Shoe.

Plus there are two Wetherspoons eiter side of the station at the river end. The Sir John Moore to the west on Hope St/Argyle Street and the Crystal Palace to the east on Jamaica Street at the junction with Midland Street.

 

[xotGD]

I'm in the Horse Shoe now. A good pint in a proper pub.

Thanks for the recommendation @Haywain and @IanD

 

[Jimini]

Pricewatch: friend of mine stopped off at the Parcel Yard in King's Cross last night.

£9.00 for a pint of pale ale

 

[yorksrob]

Pricewatch: friend of mine stopped off at the Parcel Yard in King's Cross last night.

£9.00 for a pint of pale ale

That's taking the p***.

If that's the best Fullers can do, perhaps they ought to step aside for one of the Tap bars

 

[Haywain]

That's taking the p***.

No, it's selling it.

If that's the best Fullers can do, perhaps they ought to step aside for one of the Tap bars

If people pay it, they'll charge it. It's not that horrific for London - even the Wetherspoons at St Pancras charges a fiver a pint, all bar a few pence.

 

[duffield]

No, it's selling it.

If people pay it, they'll charge it. It's not that horrific for London - even the Wetherspoons at St Pancras charges a fiver a pint, all bar a few pence.

That does actually` sound horrific to me. If Spoons can do it at St.Pancras for £5, they should be able to manage no more than £7.50ish at Kings Cross, not £9.

 

[yorksrob]

No, it's selling it.

If people pay it, they'll charge it. It's not that horrific for London - even the Wetherspoons at St Pancras charges a fiver a pint, all bar a few pence.

£5 is about the norm anyway.

The beer at the Parcel Yard isn't the best I've ever had anyway.

Last time I was there, The Betjamin still had reasonable (for London) prices.

 

[Haywain]

£5 is about the norm anyway.

Where? I pay less than that 30 miles from King's Cross and I expect to pay rather more than that in London.

 

[yorksrob]

Where? I pay less than that 30 miles from King's Cross and I expect to pay rather more than that in London.

Try Leeds.

 

[Haywain]

Try Leeds.

So there's regional differences but that doesn't make £5 the norm in south eastern England and especially in London where costs are much higher.

 

[Jimini]

Bit tenuous this one, but bear with me.

Ok, so Southam Road and Harbury station disappeared when Beeching got his dirty mitts on the rail network back in the '60s, but the recently reopened Great Western pub in Deppers Bridge is once again open for business, and has a model railway running above the bar! Spotted on the Beeb earlier:

Pub, complete with model railway above bar, reopens in Deppers Bridge

The Great Western in Warwickshire has always had a model railway above the bar.

www.bbc.co.uk

(Image of pub interior with model railway suspended from ceiling.)

Pub reopens complete with model railway above bar​

A 19th Century pub has reopened after more than 10 years along with the restoration of its model railway running above the bar.
The Great Western at Deppers Bridge, between Harbury and Southam in Warwickshire, closed in 2012 and has since been blighted by vandalism.
Last October, the building was purchased by businessman Shane Bland who has helped bring the G-scale (45mm) model railway back to life.
Siobhan Dodd, the pub's creative director and responsible for renovating its interior, said: "From the very start, this was a big passion project of ours, that if the pub was going to open, the train had to be reinstated".

Image caption,
The pub had been vandalised after it closed 13 years ago
She said many people had asked about the railway as the pub was renovated.
"If you had been brought up in the area, you would have been taken there as a young person, by your parents, nannies, granddads, aunties, uncles," she said.
"The G-scale runs around the ceiling of the front bar.
"I think it was erected in the 60s or 70s, but with the vandalism, and the closure of the building, it was all wrecked and taken down."
Ms Dodd said none of the three people now running the pub knew anything about restoring a model railway, but they got some expert help from a few sources and helped them "rebuild from scratch".
"One in particular, Colin, who is a G-scale expert, gave us very, very lovely amount of volunteer time...," she added.
"She's [the train] absolutely beautiful. And she's called Gwendoline."

Thought it may be of interest to folks on here. I'll certainly try and drop by for a gander next time I'm in that general direction!

 

[Bullfield WEst]

A couple more that haven't been mentioned yet are 301 Miles From London, on Carlisle station, and the Waiting Room on Durham's northbound platform. I would particularly recommend the former of these.

From their Facebook page..

301 Miles is now permanently closed. It was not an option to renew the lease. Thank you for all your support and custom over the years. Thank you to all the great staff and their hard work.

I visited some years ago and found it very pleasant.

 

[Haywain]

From their Facebook page..

301 Miles is now permanently closed. It was not an option to renew the lease. Thank you for all your support and custom over the years. Thank you to all the great staff and their hard work.

I visited some years ago and found it very pleasant.

Yes, that was pointed out 3 posts after the one of mine that you've quoted, and both were posted 15 months ago.

 

[yorksrob]

The little pub on the station at Grantham is a great place to change trains.

 

[dk1]

The little pub on the station at Grantham is a great place to change trains.

I haven’t noticed that. Just thought it was Starbucks there now where you could sit down.

 

[wellhouse]

The little pub on the station at Grantham is a great place to change trains.

I travel between Yorkshire and Norwich a few times a year, and always make a point of selecting Grantham as my changing point rather than Peterborough

 

[Haywain]

I haven’t noticed that. Just thought it was Starbucks there now where you could sit down.

It's at the London end of the up main platform, very convenient if one is travelling in first class.

 

[Justin Time]

It’s OK, but if you want to sit outside on the platform they insist on you having a plastic glass. Takes the enjoyment out of it for me.

 

[Howardh]

Disappointed the Tap on the Oxford Road concourse was closed early Xmas eve, when I passed about 7pm; was looking forwards to a quick half (three) before getting the last train which was about 9pm!

 

[D1537]

Disappointed the Tap on the Oxford Road concourse was closed early Xmas eve, when I passed about 7pm; was looking forwards to a quick half (three) before getting the last train which was about 9pm!

Off topic, but the Salisbury just outside the station entrance is an excellent alternative if that happens!

 

[Howardh]

Off topic, but the Salisbury just outside the station entrance is an excellent alternative if that happens!

Oh yes!! And further up the Grand Central has a live rail tracker display! Also for anyone at Deansgate, there's the Atlas on the corner but towards the tram stop is the Lock 91; so happily we're not short of station pubs.

Bolton - the Sweet Green between the station and Sainsbury's/Greggs has been closed for a while, so the two nearest are Piggys (almost opposite the station entrance) which is something like £3.50/pint (might be less, will pop in tonight), and the York which has been done up a treat now it's under new owners (Paul sadly died waay too young) and cheap there too. Warning though, they have karaoke nights. Grrr....

 

[dk1]

It's at the London end of the up main platform, very convenient if one is travelling in first class.

Yes cheers. Cant believe I’ve missed it. Will call in in the next couple of months as still need to tick the Boston Spoon & it’s another excuse to visit Heckington Windmill.

 

[yorksrob]

I haven’t noticed that. Just thought it was Starbucks there now where you could sit down.

No, it's got a decent number of seats.

I travel between Yorkshire and Norwich a few times a year, and always make a point of selecting Grantham as my changing point rather than Peterborough

Very wise !

 

[Whisky Papa]

Pricewatch: friend of mine stopped off at the Parcel Yard in King's Cross last night.

£9.00 for a pint of pale ale

Okay, certainly expensive, but without knowing which 'pale ale' it's hard to judge. Was it a relatively high ABV craft beer, perhaps, which would have a considerable premium over cask beers.

I recall over a decade ago calling at the Euston Tap on our way back north. They had the same beer from Kirkstall on both cask and craft (ie keg), and I think the caskr was £3.60 and the keg version about £5.20. Why anyone would choose the latter is frankly beyond me!

 

[xotGD]

Okay, certainly expensive, but without knowing which 'pale ale' it's hard to judge. Was it a relatively high ABV craft beer, perhaps, which would have a considerable premium over cask beers.

I recall over a decade ago calling at the Euston Tap on our way back north. They had the same beer from Kirkstall on both cask and craft (ie keg), and I think the caskr was £3.60 and the keg version about £5.20. Why anyone would choose the latter is frankly beyond me!

Back when there were too many bad pints (aka 'vinegar'), I recall some people preferred keg as there was more consistency in quality.

 

[Jimini]

Okay, certainly expensive, but without knowing which 'pale ale' it's hard to judge. Was it a relatively high ABV craft beer, perhaps, which would have a considerable premium over cask beers.

I recall over a decade ago calling at the Euston Tap on our way back north. They had the same beer from Kirkstall on both cask and craft (ie keg), and I think the caskr was £3.60 and the keg version about £5.20. Why anyone would choose the latter is frankly beyond me!

Deya Pale Ale (5.2%).

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Deya Pale Ale (5.2%).

Sometimes it's worth paying a bit more for the beer you really want rather than just going for the cheapest. Deya's one of my favourites; I paid £8.40 for a pint of their Steady Rolling Man on keg in The Tap in Leeds last month.

 

[trebor79]

The little pub on the station at Grantham is a great place to change trains.

Ah it is indeed. In one of those sliding doors moments I popped in there a few years ago now. Eyes met with those of a young lady say alone at a table and for some reason we smiled at each other.
After I'd go my drink, she invited me to share her table and sorted some unfathomable reason I rather gruffly declined at sat on my own.
Idiot.

I did enjoy a pint though it was a bit of an echoey sterile atmosphere, but I think it hadn't been open long and they were still sorting things out. Had improved since.

 

[Howardh]

Sometimes it's worth paying a bit more for the beer you really want rather than just going for the cheapest. Deya's one of my favourites; I paid £8.40 for a pint of their Steady Rolling Man on keg in The Tap in Leeds last month.

I go for the lowest AV, providing it's not one of those watery Fosters/Carling etc!!

In an ideal world pumps would clearly show (a) the price and (b) the AV and I genuinely don't know why they don't - OK there are exceptions like Weatherspoons that shows both, but if you go into a shop you see the labels, why not pubs?

Back on-topic though, are any of the station concourse pubs (eg Piccadilly) open despite trains not running?