The Blue Bell, Pontefract

Refurbished and reopened under the ownership of A&J Inns, a pubco I haven't previously come across. I know nothing about them except that they need to sack their designer. The exterior of the pub is smart but brash, with no respect shown to the original building. This continues to the inside of the pub, which has been modernised, opened out and stripped of any character and individuality. Added to which was some loud and particularly awful background music. There was one other customer sitting at the bar and drinking lager in a half-hearted way, a couple of women in a window seat, a disinterested (or uninterested) woman behind the bar who may have been the manager, and then there was me. Well, I didn't stay long, I can tell you. My half of Black Sheep was the worst I've had for a long time, but I wasn't going to complain because who's to say that the Timothy Taylor Landlord would have been any better? Also I wasn't in the mood for an argument - my beer wasn't "off" as such, just had an odd flavour that the brewer wouldn't have owned up to having planned for. There were two or three other pubs in my tour of Pontefract that I popped my head round the door, saw there was no real ale and just walked out again. I wish this had been one of them. Date of visit: 27th February 2020

Official site of The Blue Bell - www.bluebellpontefract.co.uk

Official site of The Blue Bell - www.bluebellpontefract.co.uk