Crown & Sceptre Hotel, Taunton

An Edwardian town hotel which originally served the railway station, so was rather grand in its day. Now it’s a rather sad looking town boozer, the ground floor rooms have been opened out to form a single large, L-shaped bar which is carpeted and devoid of charm. It feels dated, there is no atmosphere and it desperately needs an overhaul. There is a pool table at one end, a dart board at the apex and plenty of roon to sit or circulate depending on your preference. The aged staff were welcoming enough, but not particularly engaging, almost to the point of awkwardness. There were a couple of tv screens behind the bar, but these were turned off. There was only one ale on, Tribute, which was in decent condition. I’d include in a crawl but spending a whole evening here would be too depressing.

Just down from the train station and not far from the cricket ground. 3 real ales. The pub has a pool table and was advertising live music.