The Peacock Inn, Loughborough

The Peacock Inn has a U-shaped stool lined serving counter centrally placed on the rear wall, standard and premium keg were available alongside Bass from a lone hand pump. The service was polite but the Bass was far too cold. With laminate flooring throughout there’s a seating area to the left of the entrance where a large television hangs on the left-hand wall, I don’t recall seeing any satellite sports advertisements. There’s a bit of a snug in the front right-hand window from where banquettes run up the right-hand wall past a tiled fireplace with burner to a dartboard and large projector in the rear. There’s a pool room out back and fairly regular pool competitions are held here. During my recent midweek afternoon visit all the televisions were off and the background music was being supplied by a radio station with adverts. This pub is good for fans of estate boozers.

An opened out community local in an older building, mainly a keg pub but the single handpump serves Bass in so so condition baring in mind it’s current incarnation is a fairly bland, uninteresting beer. It does seem popular in here. Formerly at least two rooms it now has a few areas with residual walls to mark the former layout. Two distinct areas at the front with a central servery and a longer space to the right. There’s a back room to the rear left with a pool table. Two horseshoes serve the expected kegs. The locals seemed loudly happy enough with the place. Usual compliment of screens, machines, music and a dart board. Odd decor including some nautical looking lights and a peacock.

Backstreet pub. Pretty basic and unprepossessing inside and has been subjected to a half-arsed refurb, with the dark wood painted over and Wilko paint on the walls. Halloween garb in full swing and curry smells coming out of the kitchen (no menus on the tables, is it a takeaway?). Two pumps with cask one on, Bass - the reason for my visit – NBSS 3. The Bass makes it a draw but precious little else sadly. Of historic note is that it’s the former residence of William Cotton, inventor of 'Cotton's Patent' knitting machine.