The Glebe, Stoke Central, Stoke-On-Trent

Joules pub - nicely done out with Slumbering Monk on, unfortunately that was the strongest ale on offer.

A beautifully grand split-interior Joules pub which has been reconstructed in homage to the former glories of an old pub-going era. Intricate tiled flooring, leaded and stained glass windows, coat of arms above the fireplace, large oil paintings, breweriana, red lincrusta ceiling and lots of dark wood. Note the large wood panel where the rest of the Joules pub estate is listed in gold leaf. Forgot to note the ale options but if I recall correctly there were three, all from Joules. Both of the beers we had were in decent nick. If you’re in the area you’ve got to pop in here to take it in. 8.5

Located amongst Stoke’s grand civic buildings, an easy walk from the train station, The Glebe is a fine, traditional pub which has been carefully restored by the Joules brewery. The pub is notable on approach for the dazzling stained glass windows, which were apparently made by William Morris’ studio. They now also display the brewery’s name and create quite an impression in passing but look even better from the inside when the sun is shining through. The pub has a slightly opened out, two bar layout with the corner entrance taking you into the more modest of the two. There is plenty of comfy looking seating to the front and down the sides whilst the original mahogany server appears to the rear, from which it runs through into the right hand side of the pub. This room is bare boarded and has some fine panelling around the walls, including one upon which the whole of the Joules pub estate has been listed. Elsewhere, the room has been decorated with a large Joules mirror, a grand fireplace with the royal coat of arms above and a couple of huge portraits. The servery has a nice dark wood counter and a pleasant decorative tile band running around the floor. Seating on this side is mainly in the form of fixed benches and low stools, with ample room set aside for vertical drinking on a particularly busy Stoke match day. Further back there is a rather gloomy space with a drinking shelf under some very dark wood panelling, leading on out to a small rear garden. I spotted menus lying around and a quick peek saw some reasonably priced dishes, mainly specialising in sandwiches, jacket potatoes and burgers. The ale range focused mainly on Joules beers, with Pure Blonde, Slumbering Monk, Moon Madness and Pale Ale available on this visit along with Navigation Wise Guy as the lone guest. After a bit of a scrum at the bar, I was able to eventually get my hands on a fine pint of the Slumbering Monk, which slipped down very easily before I wandered outside where buses were ready to transport us down to the Britannia Stadium. It was a bit tricky trying to gauge what this pub is really like on such a busy afternoon, but I left with a very favourable impression nonetheless. The place seemed to have been very sensitively refurbished, creating a comfortable environment in which to enjoy some of the fine period detail that has been retained over a good pint of beer. This made an ideal pre-match venue and I imagine I’ll be back again in seasons to come.