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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Railway Bell, Kidderminster
Kidderminster
DY10 1QN
Pub Type
Local Pub (Marstons)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Railway Bell
The Railway bell has large front windows with one side etched and the other side not, so at night the pub is all lit up inside and on approach one could be forgiven for thinking a Channel 4 pub documentary was being shown on a TV. Wooden flooring runs throughout and a blue and white tiled wooden topped serving counter across the rear faces a line of small round tables that run across the centre of the pub and banquettes under the aforementioned front windows. A dartboard is on the rear wall to the right of the counter and muted Eastenders was on one television and Now 70s was supplying background music from the other. An advertised function room is accessed up a few steps to the left of the counter. Standard keg was available alongside three hand pumps, one of which was drawing Bank’s Amber, the Stella wasn’t great but I had been on the ale beforehand so it may have just been my tastebuds kicking off. The governor was very friendly, pretty much like everyone I met during my recent crawl of the town, but there are better options close by.
On 27th March 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Ian Mapp left this review about The Railway Bell
With the King and Castle closed on a Monday, I needed to wait out 30 minutes for the bus somewhere.
Usually, this place has disco lights and loud music in the evenings and weekends. A little more sedate in the afternoon.
Couple of old boys nursing pints and early finishing workies playing darts in a single roomer.
Surprised to see a single cask (Banks Amber) and people drinking it. Played safe with a £4.85 Stella.
On 25th March 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Railway Bell
Handily located just over the road from Kidderminster station, the Railway Bell is an imposing looking Victorian pub and former hotel, now operated by Marstons. You enter into the main bar - a spacious front room with modern floorboards and a nice patterned tile area around the servery, which runs along the back wall. These patterned tiles also appear on the front of the bar counter, alongside some nice green glazed tiles, whilst further examples of period tiling can be found on the bar back which also boasts a back-lit stained glass top and impressive etched glass Railway Bell mirror. Sturdy banquette seating runs beneath the front windows and to the right, with chairs and stools filling up the rest of the room. A space has been set aside to the rear right for a darts area whilst over to the left there is a nice little fireplace with pictures of the brewing process above and a sparsely filled bookcase to one side. The room has a high ceiling with red anglypta covering and some very swish modern light fittings that work quite well in the context of the pub's overall look. TV screens at either end of the room were showing live football with the sound clearly audible. A door to the left leads out to a beer garden which I didn't bother to explore and I'm told there is another room with a pool table somewhere, but I can't say I noticed any sign of a second room.
I visited this pub because I had a 45 minute wait for my train and arriving just before the place opened, I found myself stood outside with two real characters, who may or may not be representative of the pub's clientele. On opening, I found all four handpulls had reversed pump clips, with nothing ready to be pulled through, so I ended up with a Guinness for £3.20, which didn't really hit the spot. Being a Marstons pub, beers from their portfolio can be expected and I noticed Pedigree, Wychwood Hobgoblin and something from Banks's were among the clips that had been turned.
I'm prepared to accept that I got unlucky on the beer front, although it also implies that they ran out of ale at some point during their Saturday evening service, which doesn't seem to bode well. The pub looks like it's pretty well kept and is in a striking Victorian building but far better options can be found nearby or down the hill in the town centre.
On 9th April 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Railway Bell
The first pub you see when leaving Kidderminster railway station, with a bold façade which catches the eye. Once inside, you find a basic main bar with limited furniture and dominant sports TVs. There also appears to be a small lounge located up five steps to the rear (not visited). Beer-wise, it seems to be an unbranded Marstons pub, and for such an apparently basic boozer I was surprised to see three of the four handpumps and offering Banks's Bitter, Elbow's Charge and Golden Dale from the Corvedale micro-brewery (£1.40 for a half) as a guest. The locals and barman were friendly enough, too.
On 23rd March 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Railway Bell
Large traditional one room pub, with a mahogany bar running across the whole of the back wall. More of a locals pub now, but it was still worth a look in. Ales on offer were Hobgoblin, Boondoggle and Banks bitter.
On 23rd July 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]