The Church Inn, Ludlow

A reasonably attractive pub right in the centre of Ludlow, but largely obscured by the Butter Cross so it’s quite easy to miss. It claims to be from the 14th century, but it certainly doesn’t look this old from the outside, and even less so when you get in. To be fair, there are some chunky old beams on the ceiling which are perhaps remnants of the original building, but it’s clearly been renovated at some point with fresh plasterwork on the walls and retains little of it’s original character, I would have thought. There are old black wooden boards on the floor, khaki green paintwork on much of the walls and a few seemingly random pieces of artwork dotted around, as well as a small shelf with a couple of puzzles. Padded bench seating was fitted around the perimeter, as well as a couple of old church pews and regular chairs. Virtually all the tables were taken by diners on our recent Friday evening visit, and although there was some space to linger around the bar counter, the only seating options here were two high stools. Beers on tap were Best and Gold from the local Ludlow Brewing Company along with Wye Valley Butty Bach, whilst a fourth pump appeared unused. Ciders meanwhile were Henry Weston’s Vintage and Aspall’s. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this, there was far too much emphasis on food and it was lacking much in the way of any character.

Originally the Exchange Vaults Inn and grade II-listed, this pub dates back to the 18th century, so would appear not to be as old as propaganda would suggest. The current name was applied in 1979 due to the pub’s proximity to St. Laurence’s Church, where the ashes of A Shropshire Lad’s author – A. E. Housman – were scattered. New name in frosted glass initials to the picture windows looks a biit cheap, but this is as mentioned – fireplace and some exposed unpainted rafters aside – a place which has been comprehensively modernised; with duck egg green and white colour scheme, some ‘bookshelf’ wallpaper, pale grey carpet (bare boarded to the small bar area) and restaurant-style furniture; the only item of heritage was a log burning stove in a fine fireplace. Trendy décor came courtesy of some pump clips in framed boxes, earthenware pots and pumpkins on display, mouldering away 13 days after Halloween. Entertainment took the form of an AOR soundtrack at a barely audible volume from the likes of Huey Lewis and the News, Toto and The J. Geils Band; what wasn’t so entertaining was the potty mouthed pair of customers, one giggling away like a kookaburra; otherwise the pub was near full on a Monday, customers were of mixed age and local, some genteel families, some in work clothes and almost all eating. One item of interest was the three urinals fashioned from repurposed beer kegs, with witty slogan above (see photo). A cask choice amounted to Hobsons Bitter and Old Prickly, Butty Bach and Ludlow Gold at just £2.05 a half and very nice, served by a friendly and efficient waiter; a return visit found the Hobsons Best (just £2.00 a half) equally good. This place is much more of a trendy restaurant than pub and a bit anodyne; the minority unwelcome customer vocabulary renders the place less than ideal for family dining visits.

A very good looking pub, but very foodie on entering. 6 handpumps serving 3 Ludlow beers and 3 guests. Over our 2 days in Ludlow we visited 3 times due to Ms CAMRA really liking the place. This ment that I tried 4 of the beers and all were in excellent nick. The first time we called on a Sunday afternoon it was packed with diners with only a couple of tables and a few leaning places for drinkers. On the Monday it was much better, although the staff were very friendly and efficient at all times. We'll definitely call in again next time, maybe midweek would be an idea.

A decent refurb of an olde worlde pub. On two floors this is a comfy enough place and the beer choice was good. 3 Ludlow beers on plus 3 not particularly good beers. A decent pub nonetheless.

Billed as a 14th century inn but it's thoroughly modern inside. Half a dozen pulls with locales in very good nick. Largely furnished in restaurant style, and smelling as such, it nonetheless has a fair amount of bench seating and some pubby decor, including hop bines and Brewery posters. Dog friendly too. Not quite as hidden away up a back passage as some inferior pub guides would have you believe. The urinals are cut open kegs with the oft quoted drivel about cross contamination etc on a sign above, more inventively the header tank is a converted "pin" or 4.5 gallon cask. Another more interesting feature is the extra large scrabble board built into a table. Initial impressions weren't that good but the place grew on me as my pint progressed.