The King & Castle, Kidderminster

Couldn't see how this place could be improved really. Old school railway pub charm, fitting in with the Severn Valley Railway theme but never feeling like a touristy pub. Always have a fine selection of beers on - including Bathams. Despite the options available, I always seem to plum for it. Latest visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2CDSjaw

This remarkable pub is a faithful recreation of an old Great Western Railways refreshment room, situated in part of the terminus buildings for the Severn Valley Railway and next to the Kidderminster Railway Museum. For a recreation, they have certainly done a good job, using lots of period features to give a sense of the age of steam that works better than in many other re-opened refreshment rooms around the country. You enter to a tile floored area with the bar running along the end wall. A small carpeted snug-style area has been squeezed in between the front wall and the start of the bar - enough space for a single table and a few chairs under a large map of Wales and the West Country. The bar has a fine marble topped counter with a nice hop-lined dark wood bar back decorated with old engine name plates, which looks very good. Several old black and white photos of various steam trains have also, perhaps unsurprisingly, been hung around the bar area and are well worth a quick perusal. The room opens out to the right opposite the bar, into a plushly furnished space with lovely GWR carpet throughout and some well upholstered sets of padded bench and chair seating down either side. These pass through what appears to have previously been two separate rooms, now opened out, but still distinguishable as distinct areas in their own right thanks to the wide arch that stands between them. At the end there is a nice fireplace, which acts as a focal point for the whole space and the walls are once again decorated with all sorts of vintage railway memorabilia. There were only three ales available on the eight handpulls, seemingly a result of the large crowd in here on a Saturday night, and the cheery barman was quick to apologise for the hit the pumps had taken. The three surviving ales were Bathams Best Bitter, Holden's Nutty Dark Mild and Titanic Lifeboat - not a bad selection to chose from and my pint of the Best was absolutely top quality. This is a quality example of a good railway refreshment room that certainly doesn't suffer from the fact that it's a recreation rather than an original. I enjoyed nosing around the memorabilia and soaking up the atmosphere, all accompanied by a fine pint of local ale. The railway museum next door is also worth a look, so it's a bit of a no brainer to combine the two and if you want a quick pint before jumping on a train at either station, this is undoubtedly your best bet.

An excellent pub and railway refreshment room. Now on 8 handpumps. Superb Bathams Bitter (an old favourite since my first trip to the Lamp Tavern and the "Bull & Bladder" in the '70's). Hobson's Mild, Town Crier, and Old Prickly (no Hedgehog crisps!), Exmoor Gold, Bewdley Worcestershire Way, White Goose Crafted and An Other were the others. The An Other was as good as ever! A very handy first port of call before the football match and last visit before the train home, with time to photo a few steam engines.

Pub is well described below , well worth a visit if on either at the normal station or SVR , the 6 real ales varie and are usually in decent nick , the bar snacks are also good value .

Another classic railway refreshment room (although this one is a loving re-creation rather than an original survivor). A large traditional T-shaped room, with painted red wallpaper, drape curtains and GWR roundel carpet. Some people elsewhere have commented on a lack of atmosphere but it was certainly buzzing (unexpectedly so) on my Sunday evening visit. Six ales; Stancil Blonde, Kinver Edge, Cottage Golden Arrow, Bathams Bitter, Hobsons Town Crier and Mild. Both the Batham's and Hobson's Mild were in good form. Extremely handy for both railway stations (Severn Valley Railway and mainline BR) so you’d be daft to miss it.

Part of the station complex at the Severn Railway station (which is adjacent to the mainline station), entry is from both the car park and concourse. It's fully carpeted, with comfortable seating and the room is immaculate. The bar offers 5 handpumps, including Black Country legend Bathams. While the King & Castle is certainly a relaxing place to enjoy a few pints, it doesn't have a great pub 'feel'. That may bother you; it didn't bother me.