Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, Derby

A characterful multi roomed pub both inside and outside. Can’t say exactly how many rooms there are as to our shame we only discovered the two either side of the main serving bar. But in my defence once you are in the back lounge bar in front of the open fire, it’s difficult to leave. In normal circumstances the quantity of nine real ale offerings here would also make this a top pub to visit for the ale. But as the choices are mainly the standard offerings from mainline breweries, it doesn’t really cut the mustard in such a town for choice as Derby. The front bar had Marstons Pedigree, TT Landlord, Sharps Atlantic and Doombar and the Dervento Brewery King Arthur on the pumps and then Bass, Hobgoblin, GK Abbot and Camerons Strongarm were available on those in the back lounge. Like the others from that lot the King Arthur was the obvious choice and decent it was to.. It would be harsh to penalise this historic Inn, just because it’s surrounded by drinking establishments fully embracing the explosion of regional craft and cask microbreweries and therefore I also fully recommend it as a place to visit when in Derby.

A fine-looking pub, both inside and out, and claiming to be Derby's oldest. Features two bars with various seating areas and very traditional furniture / decor throughout. Pretty good selection of real ales including the local Derventio King Arthur (£1.70, half). Recommended.

A gem of an interior,a must visit for that alone.The three seperate rooms are all worthy of close inspection,especially the small rear snug.The exterior is also beautiful.Proud to be the oldest pub in Derby,I failed to note the full ale range but it seemed to be exclusively national brands including my Sharps Atlantic.If you are looking for cutting edge real ale this isn't for you,but if you appreciate old pub interiors this should be right up your alley.

Great old beer pub in the heart of Derby. Much has been said in previous reviews, all true. Several good brews on my recent trip, including Betty Stoggs, Atlantic, Pedigree, Bass, Hobgoblin and Trooper. Well worth a visit on a crawl round town, easy walk to equally good pubs and the station.

A really good pub. Claiming to be the oldest in Derby. Real ale available. Descriptions elsewhere. Worth a visit.

Update – November 2013 Despite being a trained investigator, there’s a number of additional rooms in this pub which I evidently missed last time and didn’t therefore include in my earlier review below. Behind the main bar is a splendid, cosy wood panelled snug with a small serving hatch to the main bar. This snug has banquette seating and a number of interesting items of memorabilia, including part of the centre circle of the Baseball Ground ( the former ground of Derby County F C ). At the back of the pub, with a separate entrance, is a Lounge Bar. A brass plaque on the door tells us that “standards of dress and behaviour must be observed”, although I didn’t immediately see anything to clarify what these standards were. Whilst I was certainly on my usual impeccable behaviour, it didn’t stop me attracting a rather fierce frown from a white haired lady who reminded me of Pat Butcher, formerly of Eastenders An outside stage is used for live music. Beers on were predominantly the mainstream, usual suspects – Deuchars IPA, Doom Bar, Adnams Broadside, Timmy’s Landlord, Pedigree, Bass and Abbot, although I did enjoy a splendid dark mild – Centurion ND from the Nottingham Brewery – notably, served direct from the barrel, via a jug. I really like this pub, and, if you’re a first time visitor to this city, you’ll probably want to come here, but it would be nice to see a couple more or so local micros being represented ORIGINAL REVIEW - APRIL 2009 This is an attractive black and white timber-framed Tudor-style pub close to Derby Cathedral in the City Centre. It's Derby's oldest pub - 1530 AD - a fact of which it makes no secret, judging from the blackboards outside. It's an old highwaymans' pub apparently - a framed print in the Offilers Lounge tells us that Dick Turpin allegedly stayed here where he had "an illicit affair with the inn's young and beautiful landlady". The pub interior is a typically cosy wood-panelled interior with etched leaded windows and a low beamed interior. There's several rooms either side of the entrance and an upstairs restaurant. ( Surprise, surprise !) - several ghosts are said to haunt the pub and local Derby Ghost Walks start here. There was a good range of real ale available on my visit, mainly mainstream. Sod's law being what it is, on the date of my visit, the only beer that I wasn't familiar with - Nottingham Legends - wasn't on. However, both the TT Landlord and the Deuchars IPA ( £ 2.85p and £ 2.75p respectively ) were on form. Adnams and Black Sheep were also on. The pub is listed in the 2009 GBG. There's an outside drinking area at the side of the pub and a beer festival planned for July. You should make the effort to do this one when in Derby