Bell Inn, Matlock

Will Larter left this review about Bell Inn

The Bell Inn just about gets into Camra's inventory of well-preserved pub interiors, but to me the most interesting room has been spoilt. This is described as a snug, but in fact it's more like a corridor with some settles fixed into a couple of corners. The walls, plain painted in the Camra photo, have been covered with some imitation bare brick wallpaper, and there are no tables. (The last may have been temporary as there were some birthday balloons resting in here, so maybe the tables will be back before too long.) It was pretty quiet soon after opening (which is 4pm most days), and I had a bit of a nosey round. The public bar was overwhelmed by the smell of bleach, the lounge was dominated by pop music, which left me with the table-free snug with its daft wallpaper. I had enough time before my bus back to Matlock to whip out my tin of metal polish and do the four hand pumps in the lounge, but unfortunately I'd left it at home. The same excuse that every person that's worked here for the last 50 years has come up with, no doubt.

The good news is the beer: Oakham Citra (which I left unsampled) and Bass. If I hadn't been a fan of Bass before, I would have been after drinking a pint here. It was definitely NBSS 4 and may have been inching towards 4.5. Just £3.70 for a pint and worth every penny.

On 4^th July 2023 - rating: 6
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