The Boathouse, Shrewsbury

This old building makes a pleasant prospect when approaching from the opposite bank of the Severn, but once inside it's been tastefully modernised with plenty of grey paint, just like thousands of other gastro pubs up and down the country. There's an understated bar counter (with some traditional hooks), featuring six hand pumps. One of these had a real cider, while four others had real ales on at the time of my Friday afternoon visit. I went for Hobsons Twisted Spire (for other beers, see photo), which was in good condition, but not so good that I would make this a "must visit" if all you're after is a beer. Date of visit: 18th October 2019

Modernised pub / restaurant in a great position on the outside of the River Severn loop adjacent to the 1922 pedestrian suspension bridge. Bar and dining room at street level on one side but forming the first floor when viewed from the Quarry on the town bank. Substantial patio and (part covered) decking terrace at the water's edge. Six of seven handpumps in use, featuring two from Salopian (Shropshire Gold and Oracle), Three Tuns Pale, Rev James Gold, Golden Sheep and Spitfire.

Update – September 2015 The Boat House has had an unsympathetic refurbishment since my previous visit in September 2009 ( review below ) and now brands itself as a “riverbar and grill”. It also seems to like being referred to as “the boathouse” with that rather de rigeur habit of not using capital letters at all, which is also rather irritating. It’s all rather spick and span and, predictably, featureless. White painted wood dominates and it all feels a bit antiseptic, a bit like a hospital ward. The establishment’s advertising flyer refers to it as being “one of Shrewsbury’s most loved historic pubs”. There’s no sense of any history at all inside, even if you use your imagination, yet the phrase “most loved” is perhaps true as, on my recent Monday lunchtime visit, the place was doing a roaring trade by about 12.15pm, with food clearly the dominant factor. As previously reported, the big draw here is still the fine outside seating area by the river and the range of real ales, which, notably, and perhaps contrary to what one might expect, seems to have actually increased when compared to my earlier visit. Decent pints of Purity UBU and Three Tuns Pale Ale were enjoyed here with other local breweries also represented ( eg – Salopian ) . Note that the outside bar only has a limited ale range – you need to go up the steps and inside to see the full range. It’s a decent place to sit outside on a fine day, but I'd recommend giving it a wide berth at other times and don’t expect a normal pub experience at any time. ORIGINAL REVIEW - SEPTEMBER 2009 Well appointed riverside pub overlooking the River Severn, easily accessed by a footbridge from the park on the opposite bank. Inside is a reasonably traditional and pleasant interior, but somewhat unremarkable. The big draw here is the fine outside terrace, which includes some decking and standard recreation park type seats. Four real ales were on during my recent early evening visit - Woods Shropshire Lad, Everards Tiger plus 2 beers from Salopian - Darwins Origin and Lemon Dream. Perhaps surprisingly - as I didn't sense this pub had a lot of real ale trade - both the Shropshire Lad and the Darwins Origin were in excellent form, although prices were at the top end of my expectations ( Shropshire Lad - £ 2.80p ). I quite liked this one - probably one to do more in the summer months, though

A nice place to have a drink on a summer afternoon, if you can get a speck outside. 4 cask ales available. A bit cramped if you have to sit inside.