Pitcher & Piano, Nottingham

This was my third visit to this remarkable conversion of the Grade II listed Unitarian church, but for various reasons it was the first time I've managed to actually get a drink. Despite the potentially off-putting fact that this is part of a national pub chain, the marvellous interior makes it worth a stop regardless of any prejudices you might hold. The conversion is very clever, making good use of the extremely high ceiling to create an upper floor from which you can get a unique perspective of a church interior; albeit one with a huge island servery plonked in the middle. The floor has, for the most part, been covered up with floorboards and a series of patterned tiles around the bar area and in a small section to the rear. There is plenty of standard, high stool and armchair seating throughout, although ironically the only seating type I couldn't spot was pews. Suffice to say, it is the church's architectural features that steal the show, with some fabulous pillars, arches and stained glass windows to admire. The servery works well as the focal point and it was definitely the right decision to break up the vast space by putting it in the middle of the room. An original church light is suspended above the bar and this has inexplicably been adorned with weird items such as pots and kettles. There were four ales available on my visit - Marstons EPA, Jennings Cumberland Ale, Wychwood Hobgoblin and a rather good Blue Monkey BG Sips. I turned up at lunchtime looking for a bite to eat and after a bit of confusion around where I needed to sit and how I had to order, I ended up with a very tasty burger and chips at a reasonable price. A word should also go to the waitress who served me, who was extremely friendly, helpful and chatty. I'm glad I got around to spending a bit of time in this unusual pub environment. I'm not sure the place lends itself to a prolonged stay, but the beer was good and the service was great which left me with a favourable impression. As far as the Pitcher and Piano chain goes, this wasn't quite a Road to Damascus moment, but it was certainly an improvement on previous experiences.

Situated in the Lace Market area this Grade 2 listed building was once the place of worship for the Unitarian Presbyterians until 1982 when it was converted into the Nottingham Lace Museum,but this prooved financially unviable,and was then transformed to it's present use.As previous reviewers have pointed out a superb renovation has been undergone with a large amount of original features are still intact including the fine stained glass windows. Ther is a long bar to your left as you enter and had 3 cask beers on although i did find the prices a tad steep. There is plenty of seats to go at on the lower floor,with another upstairs seating area which has a small bar in the far left.The Gents toilets are up a 20 step spiral staircase,and the Ladies up another further 20 steps.Certainly worth a visit,and could make you want to go to Church more often.