Victoria, Walsall

This is a traditional two room town centre pub that is a free house, the entrance is down the right hand side of the pub and leads into a hall with a staircase, a door to the bar on the left (front of building) and a door to the lounge on the right (back of building), there is a central bar that serves both rooms. The public bar is small with a bar counter on the right and a brick fire place surrounded by horse brasses in the far wall on the left of the counter. The lounge is slightly bigger with a small bar counter on the left which backs onto the counter in the public bar, a small fire place on the wall to the right of the counter and a door opposite the counter at the back of the room, this leads out to a small patio with loads of flowers and a fully used green house in the corner! The décor is minimalist but leans more towards traditional than modern and the colour scheme is quite bright. Regular ales are Green King Abbot Ale, Ruddles County and Old Speckled Hen with two changing guest beers which on my visit were Wye Valley HPA and Purity Mad Goose. I can’t comment on the consistency of quality as this was my first visit but on the day my drinking partners and I all thought the beers seemed well kept. A really good traditional pub with a decent selection of beers, it feels like an old local’s type pub which in my opinion is a good thing with so many characterless chain pubs around these days. One of the better pubs in the town, I’m surprised it’s not in the GBG 2010. I would most definitely hope to return in the near future.

Pub Closed and boarded Admin edit:- Marked as closed (18/09/09)

This is a terraced 19th century brick building, with a blue and white frontage seemingly stuck on. The inside has two rooms; bar and lounge. Decor is white walls, with wood panel and a few pictures and mirrors dotted about. Know locally as Katz, the place is very traditional. The TV in the bar only gives footy scores on Ceefax. Beers; tap tosh, with Everard's Tiger and Abbot Ale as regulars. 2 Guests rotating, the last being Rev James and Goffs White Knight that i had. No regular MILD, but ale is always well kept. A must do place