The Heart of Northumberland, Hexham

A neat long thin pub with the main counter to the right on entering in an L shape. Either side of the entrance vestibule is seating with banquettes under the windows, the remainder is a selection of tables and chairs other than a settle opposite the long side of the counter. Further back on the left is a dining area on the left while stairs on the right lead to the toilets and another seating cum dining area cum function room. It has old board floors and a bit of panelling, the other walls have William Morris style paper. GBG listed, its a decent pub, however a bit of a foody smell pervades the place. Beerwise there’s a horseshoe with other than Madri and two mainstream ciders a more interesting mix of Heinekin group IPAs but also one from First and Last, a Guinness harp and a Poretti solo complete the line up. On the five pulls, with four in use First and Last appear on two with Landlord and Anarchy Blonde Star on two more, the fifth was covered by a board advertising Lilleys cider.

Located in a pleasant side street just of the main thoroughfare, this is a traditional looking, stone built pub with royal blue paintwork on all the woodwork around the windows and doors. Internally it’s a little more contemporary though, and although some remnants of it’s previous character remain such as an old brick chimney breast with a wood burning stove, on the whole it’s got little in the way of any character. Polished wooden boards were on the floor, with fresh white plasterwork on the ceilings, whilst most of the walls were clad in wood panelling that had been painted in a slightly lighter shade of blue than the exterior. Elsewhere was some rather fancy wallpaper with tropical birds, whilst the seating was mostly standard wooden chairs with a few odd stools around. There was little else of any note, and it was unsurprisingly quiet on our visits, with a few old boys sat up at the bar and the remaining few punters having something to eat. Beers on tap were two from Timothy Taylor with their Landlord and Golden Best, plus two from Allendale with their Golden Plover and Pennine Pale. A further pump appeared unused. The solitary coder meanwhile was Mortimer’s Orchard. Overall, there was nothing at all wrong with this pub, but the lack of much in the way of character or atmosphere mean that I’d be unlikely to make a point of returning.

Official site of Heart Of Northumberland - www.thehearthexham.com

Official site of Heart Of Northumberland - www.thehearthexham.com