Olde Castle Hotel, Doncaster

Two roomed pub (second room along an alley). Beers from smith's and stones (3 real ale taps not in use as below). The pub has a pool table and was advertising live music. Early opening.

Close by The Corn Exchange in the Market Square is The Olde Castle Hotel, a pub that immediately catches the eye for its striking black and white mock-Tudor frontage. The small frontage looks inviting from a distance, but on closer inspection, we see that it’s rather marred by a surfeit of posters over the leaded windows advertising forthcoming musical entertainment events that make the frontage resemble something of a derelict building thas has been targeted by fly posters. The feeling that we might be entering a less than salubrious establishment is reinforced by several threatening, prominent notices telling us that, if we look under 21, then its “no I D, no drinks, no arguments”. The front bar is larger than might be expected and retains some original features that merit the pub a listing in the new CAMRA publication, Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs, but the overall effect is, like the outside, rather spoilt by the prominent entertainment posters which tell us that there are singers on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 2.30 pm. We’re also invited to “join Kelly in the back room from 4 pm on Saturdays”. The equally large back room is accessed via a rather scruffy outside passageway and this is where the live entertainment is centred. The pub seems to have more than its fair share of local characters and, even though it was still earlyish in the morning when I called in, a somewhat raucous and lively atmosphere was immediately apparent. Unfortunately, this pub appears to be a real ale free zone. Three handpumps down the far end of the bar had no pump clips attached and I quickly concluded that they were now redundant. You’ll probably want to give this one a miss.