Welcome to Pubs Galore

A traditional stone built pub, owned by Clark’s brewery, in the impressively grand village of Heath. (Once known as the ‘village of mansions’, many of the large properties are Grade II listed buildings).
The pub features a corridor entrance with two small side rooms, to the left and a tiny snug and a larger main bar, to the right. There is also a modern conservatory to the rear. Dark wooden panelling is used extensively in the original rooms with lighting being famously provided by old fashioned gas lamps. There are four real fires, one of which is incorporated into a lovely old range. The fire surrounds are thought to have been salvaged from the long demolished Heath Old Hall. It’s hardly surprising therefore, that the ‘King’s Arms’ appears in CAMRA’s National Inventory Part II of heritage pubs.

Seven real ales were on offer during this visit. Tetley Bitter, Taylor’s ‘Landlord’ and Clark’s ‘Classic Blonde as the regular beers and four guest ales: The Brewery Company’s ‘Abyss’ & ‘Frontier IPA’, Ramsbury ‘Winter Knobber’ and Beartown ‘Bearskinful’ (Be aware that the hand pumps for the regular beers are in the snug, whilst those for the ‘guests’ are in the main bar).
I tried the ‘Frontier’ and the ‘Bearskinful’. Both were well pulled and nicely cool, not cold, however the IPA was very tired compared to the daisy fresh Beartown.
Although the landlord has gained ‘Cask Marque’ accreditation and the pub has been a Good Beer Guide entry for many years I’ve always found the beer quality a little erratic. However, I was still a little surprised to see it omitted from the 2010 edition, as it always appeared to be a permanent fixture.

Bar food is based largely on traditional pub staples. From when I last ate (sausage and mash, beef filled Yorkshire pudding) the quality is solid and honest rather than inspirational. For serious diners there is an adjacent restaurant.

The bar maid was friendly and polite despite being kept very busy. She had to shuttle between the main bar and the snug section. The bar has a tendency to feel understaffed and a wait of several minutes to get served is too often the norm.

A relaxed, chatty atmosphere when I called and surprisingly busy for a Thursday lunchtime. The King’s Arms is one of those pubs you just want to snuggle down in, particularly when the fires are lit. For fair weather drinking there is a grassed drinking area to the side and an enclosed raised beer garden to the rear. There are also several benches in front of the pub. Unfortunately, one dampener on drinking outside has been the introduction of a mandatory plastic glass policy.

Overall, it’s still a ‘must visit’ pub if you’re in the Wakefield area. Highly recommended.