The Royal, Bilston

Solid-looking sized pub in Coseley's very modest town centre, featuring a two-part bar area (one much larger than the other) and another lounge on the right-hand side. All parts have been refurbished at some stage, but there's nothing fancy here - just the numerous sports TV screens competing with the more-than-background music. Disappointingly, the clips for Doom Bar and Wye Valley's HPA were reversed on the pair of handpumps (with cask ale seemingly a thing of the past here now), so a quick pint of John Smith's (just £2.70) was the order of the day.

A white rendered corner pub in Coseley, with car park to the rear. The pub itself (hotel) was certainly around in the Victorian period, although I believe this to be a later rebuild. The interior is an L-shaped room around the serving bar that faces you on entry. The décor is cream and red, with cream ceiling and carpet floor. It has a lounge area at one end and a bar area the other, separated by a fakey electric fire feature at the turn of the room. The bar has a dart board and several TV’s that had horse racing on, as well as a trophy collection. The lounge has a collection of pictures and mirrors, a sofa and patterned seating. There was no music. The service was fine and a decent mixed crowd was in. Beer; all tap stuff, with a decent enough Banks’s MILD. No real ale. A solid locals pub really that uses its space well, it just lacks real ale for my personal taste.