Railway Tavern, Chelmsford

Long and narrow pub immediately opposite the entrance to Chelmsford railway station. It currently opens at either 10am or 10:30. So, it made a good first stop for us in Chelmsford after leaving the station. We were the first in shortly after 11am on a Friday morning. There is a seating area at the front as you enter and a larger area to the rear beyond the bar. Beyond that was a door leading to an outside seating area. Handpumps are used at either end of the bar. But ales are also listed on blackboards, also at each end. Ales are mostly from East Anglia. Greene King Abbot is a regular beer. So is Red Fox IPA. Wily Ol' Fox was another Red Fox beer on offer. Other guests were Dartmoor Jail Ale, Maldon Puck's Folly & Woodforde's Mardler's Mild. The real cider was Weston's Rosie's Pig. What struck me most about the pub was the friendly nature of the 2 barmaids. We told them we were doing a tour of the town's pubs and they invited us back for a nightcap at the end of the day. Certainly a pub I will go back to at some point and a fitting start to our crawl.

Official site of Railway Tavern - www.grayandsons.co.uk

Official site of Railway Tavern - www.grayandsons.co.uk

Just across the road from Chelmsford station, this is a nice old fashioned pub that must’ve been serving visitors to the city for decades past. The pub has a long, narrow interior that is squeezed even further when the servery appears on the left hand wall, midway through the building. There is a cosy small seating area to the front which was packed when I arrived on a Saturday evening, but seating options are severely limited until you get beyond the far end of the bar. This narrow space sees the dark wood servery dominate, but it is worth stopping as you pass through in order to admire the attractive windows with their patterned decorations on the opposite wall plus the bar canopy which has been decorated with various train themed landscapes. The rear part of the room has recently been refurbished and I’m told that there used to be furniture inspired by old Pullman carriages, but this has now all gone except for some partitioning screens which still bear old ‘LMS LNER’ and ‘GWR SOUTHERN’ plaques. Now we just have some striped back banquettes and standard chairs, which were admittedly nice and comfy. Rail enthusiasts can still admire the old railway themed paintings and photos which are dotted around the entire pub and keep the theme alive. There is a patio garden to the rear which I didn’t get around to exploring, staying indoors instead where I was subjected to an 80’s pop soundtrack. The barman here was extremely friendly and talked me through the pub’s ale policy and their current range of beers which comprised Red Fox IPA, Greene King Abbot Ale, Tiny Rebel Beat Box, Woodfordes Mild, Adnams Broadside, Sharps Special and St Peters Porter. I had a pint of the Red Fox IPA which I had to neck pretty quickly as my train home was due sooner than I’d expected, but it was in decent shape, so that was no real hardship. This is a pretty nice station pub with very friendly and helpful staff, good natured customers and some decent ale. The place needs to keep on top of its game with the Ale House a short distance away offering a wide selection of ales in contemporary surrounds. This place makes a compelling case for a more traditional drinking environment and Chelmsford is therefore blessed with two high quality station pubs – one for when you arrive and one for when you leave!