The Abbey, Darley Abbey, Derby

I can remember coming here with my brother more than 30 years ago when he lived in Derby. We must have had a drink in the upstairs bar, as I certainly have no memory of the undercroft. It is a Sam Smiths pub with three hand pumps - as Sam's only has one real ale, this is either a remnant from a former owner or they must get through a serious amount of Old Brewery Bitter. To be fair, it was pretty busy at the time of my visit, a Thursday afternoon after Christmas, when I think quite a few people had been out to Darley Abbey to exercise their dogs or children or both. This very old building has a bar and restaurant upstairs which was closed because of a fire but I imagine will have reopened by now. The undercroft has a brick floor and bare stone walls. It's quite small, with tables and stools or benches either side and a clear area in the middle. The bar is wooden, with hooks; the toilets are labelled Nuns and Monks, so are probably not authentic. Date of visit: 28th December 2017