The Magnet, Colchester

This Greene King pub has a prominent location on a busy intersection close to Colchester North train station. Essentially a single room pub, this is a bright, spacious affair that’s been given a full make over by the brewery. You enter through the front door to the main bar area, with scrubbed floorboards, broad upholstered bar stools, tub chairs, and leather sofas. The servery is directly opposite the front door and if you move round to the left, some steps lead up to a small, semi-partitioned seating area, with white wood panelled walls and a mix of standard and tub chair seating. Moving to the right of the bar, a series of arches and former doorways hint at previous partitioning and create a divide for a separate area with some high tables and stools and a juke box. Beyond this there is a space set aside for a pool table and as you reach the rear, a door leads out to a garden and car park with ample seating and a smoking shelter. Several TV screens throughout the pub were showing various sports channels and a mix of home and away fans peacefully comingled prior to a match at Colchester United’s stadium. Just three ales were available alongside the usual keg offerings. Two Greene King Beers – IPA and St Edmunds – were being dispensed along with St Austell Trelawny (£3.10). Not a bad line up for a Greene King pub and my pint of Trelawny was in good nick and very drinkable. The staff coped well with the crowds, ensuring punters didn’t get held up at the bar. I didn’t have any real hopes for this place and only called in due to it’s proximity to the Victoria, but this turned out to be a half decent spot for a pint. The interior design may have robbed the pub of any charm, but I found the place welcoming with a good convivial atmosphere and certainly worth a quick look if you’re passing by.