The Verulam Arms, St Albans Central, St. Albans

This pub re-opened last Sunday and was pretty busy at lunchtime, certainly in relation to nearby pubs. This had in the past been a decent traditional pub but when it was purchased from Punch a couple of years ago it got the gastro treatment and the venture didn't last long before it failed and the pub closed. The current owners look to be following a similar business model, with their USP being that the menu is largely sourced from locally available produce. This has led to the pub being doubled-named as The Foragers at The Verulam Arms. I can't say I'm in favour of this practice, a couple of other places in St Albans have done it and I see no good reason. It is however pleasing to see that it has re-opened as a pub/restaurant rather than being turned into housing, as was the fear. The bar is well stocked with wines and spirits and there are three handpumps. Youngs Ordinary and Bombardier were on and I was told that the intention is that the third will be used for a local micro beer, possibly from the Verulam Brewery (no relation to the pub) This seems positive news for real ale drinkers but there's not a great deal of room inside making me feel that diners and drinkers won't sit comfortably alongside each other. The premises has had a lick of paint and is very clean, the decor was quite plain but no doubt will take on character over time. I've added a web link although it is currently under development.

Built 1n 1820’s, the Veralum (the Roman name for St Albans – useless info ed) originally opened as a hotel but became a pub in 1853. Sadly it would appear that its days are now over as it has recently shut and is destined to be turned into housing. Whilst it was never an essential part of my occasional St Albans pub crawl, I did pay a couple of visits. The first time I was put off by its slightly upmarket ambience and gastro leanings and paid little more than glance through the door before venturing elsewhere. My most recent visit only occurred because the Farriers Arms opposite refused to allow us in at a few minutes to 11 whilst the Veralum was far more accommodating. On the whole I found it quite a dull place with the now routine modern décor of shades of grey, bare floors and stripped back furnishings. The L-shaped interior was a bit cramped although finding a seat wasn’t hard at that time of night. 3 of the 4 pumps were operational with Black Sheep Best, London Pride, Buntingford Highwayman IPA, the latter being a new one on me. By St Albans standards, the pub was not much above average judging by my last visit but it did once have an excellent reputation and cropped up in the occasional Good Beer Guide. There are far worse pubs around that are more deserving of the axe and the Veralum’s demise should sound a warning bell to a few of its neighbours.