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Recommendations with sheffield hatter
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Duke William, Matlock
Starkholmes
Postal town: Matlock
DE4 3BZ
Pub Type
Admiral TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Duke William
Located a little way out of the town centre and up a bit of a hill, this is presumably unlikely to get much in the way of tourists and struck me as more of a local’s pub. We thought we’d sit outside as it was a very nice day, but the picnic benches in one corner of the car park didn’t look particularly appealing, and nor did the shirtless gentleman who was sat at one of them.
Internally it’s a good size with a public bar at the front and more of a lounge at the rear which is configured in something of Z shape. Décor wise it’s fairly traditional although with some more contemporary touches as well. Flooring was a mixture of sanded wooden boards and flagstone style tiling, whilst the low ceiling had a few old oak beams in amongst the Artex and there were some exposed brick supporting pillars. Most of the walls had been painted khaki green and a few old black and white pictures were dotted around. The rear room was slightly cosier perhaps with carpet on the floor, feature wallpaper at one end and fitted Chesterfield style bench seating, although it was also presumably more intended for dining with an unused carvery counter off to one side. We subsequently found a rear courtyard to sit out in, but this wasn’t especially attractive and a couple of the pub’s dogs in an adjacent fenced off area were barking incessantly which was very annoying.
Beers on tap were Dancing Duck Abduction and Timothy Taylor Landlord, whilst a further pump appeared unused. Ciders meanwhile were Inch’s Medium Apple and Thatcher’s Haze. Overall, it might be ok if you’re in this part of town and fancy a quick pint, but it’s certainly not worth making a special effort to get here.
On 30th July 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2163 recommendations about 2055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Duke William
This handsome building has had a major reinvention at some time, the front door being converted to a window and a new entrance created at the side of the pub in a flat-roofed extension which also incorporates the toilets. The smaller bar room now has the front of the building to itself, while the larger lounge or dining room has the back portion, further extended towards the rear, where there is also a small covered area of outdoor seating. On the bar (and I assume duplicated in the other room) were three hand pumps with Dancing Duck Ay Up and Timothy Taylor Landlord; a blackboard behind the bar also mentioned Wainwright for £4.30 a pint, but it seems that this is a keg version. The Landlord was pricey enough at £4.10, but although it was in very good condition it was somewhat lacking in flavour. I had come here for a pre-match beer, Matlock Town being at home to the team from the city that was my home between 1973 and 1983, Lancaster. I was expecting there would be a bit of a crowd in the bar, but there were fewer than 20 people altogether by the time I left. The landlord, a Sheffield man, reckons local people don't much like climbing hills. To be fair it's a stiff pull up from Matlock Green, and an equally tricky descent. I would have given this pub a higher rating, as it is a lovely building, well presented, and the only thing wrong with the beer is what happens before it arrives in the cellar. My problem is the background music, which was too loud to ignore, and was of the genre which I think of as "annoyingly chirpy" - perhaps there's a CD with that title, or maybe it's a setting on Spotify. Whatever, I wish it would stop.
On 5th February 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4920 recommendations about 4502 pubs]