Bensons, Llangollen

Very happy to add myself to the list of reviewers completely confused by this place. I would have mistaken it for a bric=a-brac shop if it wasn’t for the almost incidental bar half way down on the right hand side and large flat screen TV’s at the beginning, middle and end of this long thin drinking establishment. Only one real ale available in the form of a fairly average Black Sheep Bitter, but the visit was made enjoyable by the riverside outside decking area which has been recently renewed and is a decent spot for an alfresco pint on a fine weather day. But it is easily missed as you have to go all the way to the smarter River View bar at the back and then down a flight of steps tucked away to the right. However as riverside decking goes it still cannot compete with what they have done at the Hand Hotel.

A very odd pub this one. There is not an inch of space on the ceiling with all manner of odd items hanging. In fact every nook and cranny is full of curious things. It has gone beyond being cluttered to looking pretty cool. Nice to see a local beer from Magic Dragon brewery - Eyton Gold, which was fine. We watched a football match in here and would happily call again.

Occupying a central position in Llangollen, just off the main drag, is Bensons, an establishment that brands itself as a “Hotel, Bar and Restaurant”. A longish glass fronted shop style exterior gives way to an eclectic and unusual interior with fake wooden beams at slightly below ceiling level from which hang a large and varied collection of model cars, planes, bicycles, ships lamps, old copper pots and pans etc. We also see an old metal AA Hotel sign and an old bus stop. Seating at the front consists of some leather button –backed sofas accompanied by several old three legged circular copper topped tables. On the walls here we see a number of signed framed football shirts ( eg – Pele, England, Newcastle United ) and also a collection of Liverpool football tickets from their Wembley appearances in years gone by. The interior extends back a long way and towards the rear we see a pool table and a piano, over which is a large rocking horse and several old sewing machines. A few brewery mirrors and old enamel advertising signs feature. Some ornate looking chairs and tables here on the other side of the room cater for diners. Further back still is a separate smart looking dining room which leads out to what the arguably the establishment’s best feature – a large outside decking area overlooking the fast flowing River Dee and the famous old stone bridge crossing it. A small modern looking bar counter is in the middle on the right hand side, rather oddly surrounded by some vertical and horizontal fake wooden beams that effectively divide the area directly in front of the bar in two. 2 real ales were on – Cottage Brewery’s Defiant ( £ 3.50p ) and Blindside, neither of which were particularly memorable. I didn’t detect much, if any, interest in real ale from either the management or the other punters. I find this a difficult one to sum up on the basis of one relatively brief afternoon visit. It certainly doesn’t feel like a hotel bar, yet, by no stretch of the imagination, does this resemble what I would regard as a traditional pub. Interestingly, despite clearly emphasising the restaurant side of the business, on my visit, food trade was negligible and, with a TV screen at each end of the room showing the Leicester v Aston Villa game with full sound on effectively dominating proceedings, there was a hint of a sports bar feel to the place. It feels like one of these place that doesn’t really know where it is trying to position itself. If you’re in town, you might want to look in, but it’s not worth going out of your way to visit

Lots of interesting stuff hanging from the ceiling and pleasant in the summer when the frontage is opened out.