Prince of Wales, Ilkeston

Victorian brick built local, ignoring the WhatPub entry I was attracted by the “micro brewed ales from Derbyshire, Nottinhamshire, Leicestershire & Yorkshire” sign. Well WhatPub was right, maybe trading standards should look into this, Molson Coors beers are macro brewed and predominantly in Staffordshire, Guinness in Dublin of course and the ciders manufactured in the south west, probably. There are two unused pulls in each of the two bars, labelled lounge and public bar, plus a trio of T-bars in the public and I think one in the lounge as well. Laminate floors mostly furnished with stools and high tables. Striking blue and cream paint work, but minimal décor, there is of course a screen and a machine. More comfortable decor and furnishings in the lounge. There is a pool table in a back room and the toilets are adjacent. Checking the mirror I was right, it said ‘sucker’ in big letters on my forehead.

Old school, two bar town centre boozer accessed through a porch with doors to either side signed for the Lounge Bar (left) and Public Bar (right). I opted for the lounge, but quickly regretted my decision as it was full of arguing kids, so I ordered my pint and quickly beat a retreat to the Public Bar instead. This was a shame, as the lounge was a tidy, carpeted space with plush button backed banquettes, plain painted walls decorated with old black and white photos of local scenes and an out of use TV screen, which was later turned on to try and placate the aforementioned kids. The Public Bar is bare boarded and has a padded bench along the front wall, high tables and stools along the right-hand wall and a single table with chairs to the rear. The walls are half panelled with plain uppers decorated with more old photos, shelves stacked with dusty books, a few CAMRA certificates and a couple of modern brewery signs. The bar sits between both rooms and has a lovely, curved counter, painted in a deep shade of blue, although there’s no bar back as such – it just looks straight through to the other room. A garden out the back can be accessed via a rear room with a terracotta tiled floor, poot table and dartboard. The majority of my visit was unencumbered by any distracting background music or TV, but around halfway through my stay, we were treated to a single Westlife track, played at ear-splitting volume, apropos of nothing, then back to silence again. Four handpulls on the bar but only one in operation, chugging out a decent enough drop of Adnams Ghost Ship. The barmaid who served me was very welcoming – I was the only punter when I arrived and she seemed a bit shocked to see me, but a few more folk turned up later and seemed to have a good rapport with the staff. This was one of the quietest pubs I visited in Ilkeston, on a day when many of the town’s boozers were doing a roaring trade, which perhaps already tells you something about this place. I can’t fault the welcome I received, not the pleasant two-bar set-up, but the limited ale range and shouty kids were definitely not conducive to a prolonged visit, and whilst I left feeling generally favourable to the pub, I would probably skip it the next time I’m in town.