|  | 
ONE PUB ONLY?
Newhampton
CRAWLING FROM RAILWAY STATION TO THE GROUND?
Great Western, Tap and Spile and the Combermere
SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT?
Great Western
|  |  Clarendon Hotel
38 Chapel Ash, WV1 4NY T 01902 420587 W www.marstonstaverns.co.uk
G
F Wide ranging menu to suit all needs plus sandwich / beefburger bar on Wolves matchdays. 12 - 3, 5 - 9,Mon – Fri, 12 - 6 Sat
S MP SK BM D
O 11 to 11, 12 to 10.30 Sun.
This hotel is something different to my normal style of pub. The Clarendon is geared up for the younger real ale drinker. It has a big pub style and attitude to match yet is very welcoming in contrast to its town centre look-alikes. There is a TV in view of every seat in the pub. On matchdays the baguette bar goes into footie food mode. In the shadow of the Wolverhampton and Dudley Brewery the pub acts as the Banks’s tap room and as expected, the beer on my visit was superb. You will need to get in early on matchdays, why not? - it makes sense to get a bit of Banks’s when you come to the West Midlands. This is ideal for watching the lunchtime premiership game before strolling across the park to the ground. If only all Wolves fans would understand that for some it makes a perfect day, the stroll, that is.
UPDATE: Ron has moved on and Ray and Angela were at the helm on my visit. They aim to use the pub facilities to the full, i.e. using the function rooms upstairs and continuing to serve top quality ale. The pub does not do accommodation despite the name.
BWV 21.2.05: Banks’s Bitter, Original
BWV 11.11.05: Banks’s Bitter, Original
UPDATE 5.10.09
More changes im management and one more to come soon so no Guv'nor is given here.
BEERS ON 5.10.09 Banks’s Bitter, Original, Jennings Cumberland Ale, Marston Pedigree, Ringwood Best | |  Combermere Arms
90 Chapel Ash, WV3 0TY T 01902 421880 W www.combermere-arms.co.uk
G Gavin Craig
F Award Winning (Midlands sandwich pub of the year, runner up) light lunches
SP TV JB
O 11 to 3, 5.30 to 11 Mon – Fri, 11 to 11 Sat - Sun
How did I fail to find this last year? Perhaps the Ley lines of Chapel Ash were taking me into some sort of parallel universe. The Chapel Ash Freehouse has recently changed to a Punch house but the philosophy of quality real ale in a cracking and beautiful pub will live on under Gavin's’ leadership. Three totally separate rooms plus a rather distinctive courtyard are so characterful that they are defined in folklore by the groups who frequent them The Wolves fans congregate before and after home games in the “Room of Doom,” their numbers being swollen in some years by the now famous Swedish Wolves. They always want to conduct a post - match analysis along the lines of “we were lucky to lose” Gavin is the king of the quote, a sound bite sensation, and so my hour on a wet Friday gave me a small taste of the humour that is also found. A tree in the toilets? True, and there is so much more. Reading fans also make a major detour, using this on a trip to Cardiff! Perhaps this is because the welcome is so distinctively friendly.
Students and professionals make up the locals clientele often in the “shady place for shady people.” Real ale drinking makes up 60% or more of the pub business. The front bar is non smoking. The pub is also a regular haunt for local CAMRA members. The beer list may well return to the extended list that included rarer guest ales. The locals apparently have a particular palate for Enville brews.
BWV 11.11.05: Banks’s Bitter, Mild, Greene King Abbot, IPA | |  Great Western
Sun St. WV10 0DJ T 01902 351090
G Jamie Atkins
F Home cooked Black Country food, quick and simple 12 - 2.15 4 - 7 Wed - Fri + matchday lunchtimes
CP TV BM P D
O 11 - 11, Mon – Sat, 12 - 3.30, 7 - 10.30 Sun
The Great Western is something of a national real ale legend. Due to its location the pub continues to attract CAMRA tickers from the whole country and beyond. It is not a footie pub, but it will be stacked out on matchdays with the archetypal real ale fans. “Don’t even try to go if this isn’t your bag; leave it to those who do.” It is easy to describe. It is “a railway memorabilia strewn platform waiting room of a pub, but with the atmosphere and warmth of your favourite community local.” It’s difficult not to fall in love with the place and understandably the locals cherish the pub and will gladly tell you just how great it is. I will return again on another quieter lunchtime when it has never failed to deliver. The beers always include other locals to the Holden’s regular ales. I wouldn’t necessarily need this as their range is excellent.
UPDATE: It is intended to extend the food range on Sundays - at present it is rolls on the bar. Old Ale will be the Christmas seasonal.
BWV 21.2.05: Batham Best Bitter, Downton Chimera, Firedraft, Holden’s Black Country Mild, Special Bitter, Golden Glow
BWV 11.11.05: Batham Best Bitter, Holden’s Black Country Bitter, Black Country Mild, Special Bitter, Golden Glow, Horndance, Milk Street Autumn Gold
UPDATE 5.10.09 Jamie has taken over and in the 18 months or so has put in three open fires and changed the furniture in the conservatory whilst continuing the envied traditions of the GW. There is now food early evening and, yippee, on matchdays.
BEERS 4.10.09 Batham Best Bitter, Holden’s Black Country Mild, Dragon's Blood, Golden Glow, Special Bitter, Enville Ale, Brough's Pale Ale | |  Newhampton
17 Riches St. WV6 0DW T 01902 746747
G Bill Kendrick
F Seriously good home made food 12 to 9 Mon - Sat, 12 to 4 Sun
SP TV JB P D
O 12 to11 Mon - Thu, 12 to 12 Fri - Sat, 12 to 11 Sun
This is a grand pub in every sense of the word. Massive style, real coal fires, a bowling green garden and toilets like those found in your old primary school playground, I loved this as a place to drink. I also enjoyed looking through the many quality photos of the locals on the walls; it really makes you feel that all are welcome. Add in folk nights, a pool room and great beers and you have a pub to tell others about. On Saturdays it will be the place to get away from the crowds in town, not that it won’t be busy though. As the Express and Star says it is “a great place to come into from the cold to a roaring open fire”. The Newhampton is easily my favourite Wolverhampton pub because it offers something for everyone, whether you are into real ale or not. The locals probably don’t know just how good it is.
UPDATE: Food has expanded after last February’s refurbishment. It has awards for their ciders and perry.
BWV 21.2.05: Thatcher’s Heritage Cider, Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Kelham Island Pale Rider, Courage Directors, Fuller’s London Pride, Theakston’s Old Peculier Greene King Abbot
BWV 11.11.05: Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Courage Best, Directors, Fuller’s London Pride, Greene King Abbot, Spinning Dog Mutley’s Revenge, Theakston’s Old Peculier, Thatcher’s Traditional Dry Cider | |  Tap and Spile
35 Princess St. WV1 1HD T 01902 713319
G Mick Stokes
MP SK BM P D
O 10 to 11 Mon – Sat, 10 to 10.30 Sun
The Tap and Spile meets the needs of those who cannot do without a town centre pub as part of the match day experience. Other pubs nearby will probably be closed or have heavy bouncers (sorry, door personnel) but the Tap is such that the place is a home for the more gentle and rational Wolves fans who appreciate good ale.
The pub consists of a single bar that is subdivided into three separate areas. Each has varying sizes of TV all showing Sky sports (racing, on my visit). I spent the time with Elaine and Boris who were quick to let me know how they use it as the best option when shopping in town. The staff are a main feature, “always helpful, if raving lunatics.” They will also appeal to the students who make up a proportion of the regular pub goers. The pub has a sort of designer - distressed look, a place that many would refurbish whilst being careful not to alienate the locals who give the pub its relaxed, almost laid back atmosphere. It looks and sounds like a true town drinking den in the best traditions of that phrase.
I left to walk in the pouring rain wondering what it would be like later that evening. The same locals may possibly still be there, joined by those having the fist pint of a town centre crawl. For me I wouldn’t venture far, as big bar Britain lies literally around the corner.
BWV 11.11.05: Archers Golden, Banks’s Bitter, Original, Boddingtons Bitter, Salopian Golden Thread, Shropshire Gold, Wood Shropshire Lad | | | WOLVERHAMPTON CAMRA | | 
MOLYNEUX
|
| LOCAL BREWERY
Daniel Batham & Son Ltd.,
Delph Road,
Brierley Hill,
West Midlands.
DY5 2TN
Telephone: 01384 77229
www.bathams.co.uk | | WETHERSPOONS
The Moon Under Water 53-55 Lichfield Street Wolverhampton WV1 1EQ Opening Times: Sun-Thu 9am-midnight; Fri/Sat 9am-1am
| TRY ALSO
The Court House, New Rd , Dudley,
16 Hand-pulls Dudley Camra Real Cider POTY 2009.
Duke of Cambridge , Coltham Rd , Willenhalll
The Vine, Lichfield Rd , Wednesfield ,
Wolverhampton Camra POTY 2009
The Cross, Church Hill, Kinver,
The Old Bulls Head, Redhall Rd , Lower Gornal ,
Brewery Tap of Black Country Ales
|
|  |  |
