Jolly Brickmakers, Holmethorpe, Redhill

Old-school local in the northern suburbs of Redhill with no pretentions, retaining a two-room layout: the main bar on the right-hand side with the primary entrance, and a smaller one off to the left with another door and room for the pool table, dartboard and little else. With two of the three handpumps in use, I found Courage Directors and Gravity from Brakspear (whose name can be seen on the façade, and expensive for such a place at £5.40, but at least in good shape).

This is a simple, two bar pub stuck out on its own in the northern suburbs of Redhill, although it's closer to Merstham station if visiting via public transport. You enter into the right-hand room, which is carpeted throughout and has plain painted walls with the servery over to the left. The bar has a tongue and groove panelled counter with curved ends and an unsatisfying modern bar back, which looked a bit out of keeping with the rest of the pub. A large section of partitioning wall opposite the bar, helps break up the space in this room nicely, with a good sized seating area beyond offering a mix of uncomfortable pews, basic chairs and a sofa. There's the rare sight of a bar billiards table on the back wall, as well as a dartboard to the front and a juke box on the aforementioned partitioning wall, with limited decorative features elsewhere. The left side of the pub is a quieter space - in fact it was empty on this visit with the exception of the pub dog - although a pool table stands in the centre, with limited seating around the perimeter and a well stocked trophy cabinet to the rear. I wasn't expecting to find more than a cursory ale option here, so was surprised to see three clipped pumps offering Courage Best, Wychwood Hobgoblin and Brakspear Gravity, although the latter was far enough past its best to suggest that they're over-extending with such a range. This was backed up by the fact that there were only two other punters in, one of whom I ended up having a good chat with. The landlord was very friendly too and helped me with directions to Merstham football ground. For a pub stuck in a residential area between two towns with no competition nearby, this was actually not all that bad a place, but their inability to attract passing trade meant that I caught this at a quiet time, which didn't help showcase the pub at its best. The beer was poor and the place has a very male-dominated feel which won't appeal to everyone, but I was at least made to feel very welcome. It's nice to have a pub like this still serving the local community, but it's not really somewhere I'd recommend anyone making the effort to specifically seek out. Date of visit - 5th November 2024

Backstreet local hidden away, not far from a park and an industrial estate. I arrived a little earlier than expected and prior to the midday published opening time. Seeing the lights already on, I tried the door, only to find it locked. However, the pub dogs had alerted the landlord to my presence and he invited me into the much cooler interior, on what was the first warm day of summer. As has been described below, there are two sections to the pub. Handpulls are in the right-hand section, where the bar billiards table can still be found. There was also a TV showing some kind of sport. A cabinet on the wall contained a sizeable collection of miniature spirit bottles. A door leads out from this side of the pub to an outdoor seating area at the rear of the pub. Of the 5 handpulls, 4 were in use. Brakspear Gravity & Ringwood Fortyniner are regular beers. Guests were Courage Directors & Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold. I chose the Directors, having not had that for a few years. It was as good as I could have hoped for. The pub dogs turned out to be friendly and enjoyed having a bit of fuss. I didn't see any sign of a food offering. Since John Bonser's review below, the pub did appear in both the 2013 and 2014 Good Beer Guides, but I guess its comparative lack of choice has seen it dropping out since. Nevertheless, I found this a friendly and cosy local that is no doubt cherished by the local community.

Official site of Jolly Brickmakers - www.jollybrickmakers.co.uk

Official site of Jolly Brickmakers - www.jollybrickmakers.co.uk

In a residential side street on the edge of Holmethorpe Industrial Estate, a mile or so north of Redhill – in terms of stations, it’s almost closer to Merstham – is The Jolly Brickmakers, a smallish, unpretentious, but warm and welcoming community local. As we approach the pub, we see that it’s badged as a Brakspears pub with the prominent accompanying bee logo. As those of us who made the pilgrimage to Henley when there was a brewery there – Brakspears Henley Brewery of course – will fondly remember, Brakspears was a name much revered by real ale enthusiasts in days long gone. Now of course the Henley Brewery is sadly no more and the Brakspear Pub Company is a trading company owned by Marstons ( formerly Wolves and Dudley ). The Jolly Brickmakers is a comfortable, carpeted pub with two adjoining bars, obviously separate rooms once. The area on the left has a snooker table, some wood panelling and, high up on a shelf, a collection of darts trophies. The area on the right has a bar billiards table, a Bass mirror, a smallish unobtrusive TV and a shelf with books which can be borrowed with proceeds to charity. Seating consists of traditional tables and chairs in both rooms. A door at the back leads out to a covered smokers shelter. On my recent Saturday lunchtime visit, the friendly landlady, Judith, had prepared a small buffet for the local hockey team who had just completed a league fixture. It is clear that this a pub at the heart of the local community. A notice on the pub sign tells us that “there are no strangers here, only friends you have yet to meet”. 3 beers were on – Brakspears Bitter, Ringwood Fortyniner ( both of which appear to be regular beers ) , plus Wychwood Dogs Bollocks as a guest. Large posters by the bar give tasting notes for each of the beers. There’s also some framed Brakspear posters. Both the Brakspears and the Ringwood - £ 3.00p and £ 3.20p respectively – were in good form. The pub has made the 2012 Edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide – it’s first entry, I think. It’s a bit of a walk from Redhill station, but it’s on a bus route ( 430). This pub isn’t going to uproot any trees, but I found it to be a likeable place and I’d happily call in again