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Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Gann on the Pub Forum

The Railway, Belper

25 King Street
Belper
DE56 1PW
Phone: 01773822223

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Pub SignMan left this review about The Railway

Spacious pub close to the station, as the name suggests, with a wet-led feel to it despite the strong food offering. The pub has a relatively open-plan layout, with the servery over to the right and ample seating through the rest of the space. To the left of the entrance is a separate carpeted seating area with nice button backed banquettes along the end wall with plenty of tables and chairs under nice wall panels and fancy wallpaper. This space is screened from the main bar area by a large section of partitioning wall which isn’t retained on the similarly styled right-hand side of the room, resulting in a less cosy feel despite similar furnishing. The bar has a nice wood panelled counter and basic bar back, split part way along by a large pillar which the beer bards have been helpfully tacked to. The room extends back, beyond the servery, into a fairly plain rear space where plenty of extra seating can be found. Soul tunes were playing at a sensible volume in the background and there was a nice buzz from a diverse crowd, many of whom seemed to be dolled up for a big night out somewhere.
Apparently this pub used to be the town’ fighting men’s boozer, but has undergone something of a transformation and is now pretty respectable, with a good ale range to show for it. Options on this visit amounted to Lincoln Green Hood, Buttermuch, Archer, Marion and Tuck, Butcombe Original and Holdens Golden Glow. My pint of Hood was in very good condition and was served to me by a super-friendly barman.
I can well imagine this place as a typical, depressing station-side boozer that everyone swerves upon arriving in town, but they’ve clearly done a great job turning the place around, as I found it to be a very welcoming pub with great beer and a cracking atmosphere. Not quite in the Belper’s top tier, but a great pub to start or end a crawl at nevertheless.

On 4th September 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Railway

Lincoln Green town centre local close to the well-hidden railway station.

It's a single room pub with a few nooks and crannies. The bar is on the right-hand side as you enter. I think they were serving food, but most people seemed to be there for the beer.

4 Lincoln Green beers appear regularly - Archer, Hood, Marion & Tuck. A 5th beer from Lincoln Green - Sherwood Foresters went off whilst we were there, whilst they also had Great Newsome Frothingham Best, Fuller's London Pride & St Austell Proper Job. Craft beers included Beatniks Republic Surf Etiquette, Burnt Mill Beyond the Firs & Green Path, Tiny Rebel Club Tropicana, Brixton Cold Harbour & Beavertown Neck Oil.

Unfortunately, they appear to have stopped serving real cider.

One feature of note were the mirrors in the gents toilets, etched with an old British Rail logo. Maybe originals, but probably not.

Dogs are welcomed, but a few seemed to be getting a bit boisterous and creating a bit of a racket!

On 13th December 2021 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Will Larter left this review about The Railway

My first visit to Belper for more than three years, so was unaware that the Railway was no longer the rather rough-looking shopping street pub that it had appeared to be previously. The eight hand pump line up includes six from Lincoln Green, of which I went for Tuck, a 4.7% porter which was in good nick. The pub is looking smart both inside and out, and seems to be attracting real ale drinkers, as although it wasn't busy (between 12:30 and 1pm), there were beers being poured during my visit which is not always the case where real ale has been introduced to a pub that might not have had a reputation for it before. I'm planning another trip to Belper soon, as it's looking like a really good beer town for its size.

On 10th October 2021 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3699 recommendations about 3440 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about The Railway

This pub has gone through a complete turnaround now that Lincoln Green Brewery have taken it over. Apart from the refurbished interior a major effort has also taken place to regenerate the large rear patio garden area, which was completely full of customers on our return to the train station later on in the evening. Eight handpumps on our visit, plus a choice of six craft keg. I went for the Adnam's Ghost Ship and Lincoln Green Marion, both were in top condition.

On 3rd October 2019 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3376 recommendations about 3376 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Aqualung . left this review about The Railway

Presumably this was once a Station hotel but today you would hardly know the station is even there as it's hidden behind Poundland.
Ominously it had a Star pubs lease for sale sign on the outside.
Inside it's a large open plan roughly square room that is carpeted at the front and wooden floored at the rear. I noticed a pool table at the rear. It was quiet on my Friday midday visit.
The bar has four hand pumps which had three unused and Theakston Best (£3.20). This was warm and rank so I sent it back and the landlady said she should have pulled some through (so why didn't she?). The replacement was better but not great. I wouldn't return here.

On 7th August 2018 - rating: 3
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]