The Dewdrop Inn, Ilkeston

Classic two bar pub in a Victorian building beside the railway station, with a serving hatch in the lobby between two bars all served by a common servery. There’s a small room off to the right from the entrance vestibule where doors lead into the front public bar and a rear lounge. The lounge has five pulls with beers from Hartingtons, Full Mash, Oakham, Thornbridge and Leeds (Kirkstall), a couple of clips were laid on the counter for Whim, Engine Shed Project at the Brunswick in Derby and Dancing Duck which were on in the front bar. The lounge was rammed on my late afternoon visit. The front bar is rather plainer and had the three beers mentioned above and a horseshoe of stuff that dare not speak its name. All round good pub worthy of its GBG2024 entry, but be aware of the opening times.

Lovely multi-room traditional pub next to Ilkeston station. You enter into a spacious lobby area via a door with a beautiful blue stained glass pane, to find a tile floored space giving access to a number of other rooms and with a few tables and chairs of its own. Through the door immediately to the left is a rather spartan public bar with fixed bench seating under the front windows and the servery down the back wall. There’s not much in the way of visual distraction here, and the room even felt a little empty and echoey as a result, but it’s a decent enough, unpretentious pub room nonetheless. The servery can also be accessed via a serving hatch in the lobby and from the much nicer rear lounge bar - a cosier space with smart carpeting, dark lincrusta covered walls with large windows down two sides and a nice stove in a stone fireplace to one side. Comfy banquette seating runs around the perimeter supported by smartly upholstered chairs elsewhere, whilst the bar has an unusual panelled counter front and simple bar back with a door through to the serving hatch and front bar. To the right of the lobby, there is another lounge, similarly decorated to the lounge bar but with a few family groups in during my visit, which was sufficient for me to give it a swerve. There might have been further rooms beyond this, but I didn’t fully explore, noting only the beer garden to the rear. On the bar, a decent selection of ales greeted me - Dark Star Hophead, Thornbridge Jaipur, Castle Rock Elsie Mo, Full Mash Northern Lights and Acorn Blonde - although the latter spluttered its last when I ordered a pint and I had to make do with the Hophead instead, which was in great condition. A replacement for the Acorn had been put on by the time I finished my pint, thanks to the efforts of the genial landlord, and the other staff seemed very pleasant too, chatting to some of the old boys who are clearly in here regularly and offering a warm welcome to strangers like myself. I really enjoyed my visit to this pub, which is very well positioned to make it the first or last port of call for anyone arriving by train, although a little out on a limb from the town centre pubs. A nice traditional pub with well-kept ale and good service, this stood out as one of Ilkeston’s best boozers and I’m glad I made the walk out here to check it out.

Old fashioned place with tap room and lounge entered from a sort of foyer. Fine selection of hand pumped ales and this was a welcome last pub before the station. Would definitely return to this one.