Nelson & Railway Inn, Nottingham

The Nelson and Railway is another former Hardy and Hanson’s pub and the most family friendly and food orientated pub of all the pubs we tried in Kimberly. Raised up from the main road slightly the outside that of an old attractive cottage and looks like a good traditional pub from the outside. This looks like it has had more money than most Greene King pubs in the area spent on it as you can tell it has been modernised over the years. As you enter there is a long traditional bar room to the left that I didn’t manage to get a good look at on my visit as it was Saturday night and it was packed and defiantly one of the busier pubs of the evening. We instead went right and took a seat in a lounge/dining area that was quite quiet but very warm and comfortable and the restoration over the years has been quite kind to the nelson as it did not feel cheap and tacky like a lot of Greene king Chain pubs. Although we didn’t manage to get into the bar it looked very good and lively and the sort of place you wouldn’t mind loitering round for a few on a Saturday evening but we were happy enough sat down. The room we were in is served by a side bar of the main bar but there are no pumps on display and only chalk boards to guide decision. The beers on offer on my visit were Hardy and Hanson’s Kimberly Bitter, Black Iris Snake Eyes, Dancing Duck Ginger Ninja and Nottingham EPA, not a bad guest selection for a GK pub. I had a pint of the Hardy and Hansosn seeing as I was in Kimberly and t compare it to that I had in the Lord Clyde and it was head and shoulders bitter and shows that when well-kept even Greene king products can sometime be palatable, though I still insist that the beers they have taken over and made are still a lot better than any of their own original beers. The Beer was in a great co0ndiitonand priced at £3.20. Overall a very decent pub that is all the better for not being the usual Greene king chain that has carp decor and below average beer. When in Kimberly it is worth a visit.

The Nelson and Railway is a really nice old pub that is on a street above the main road through Kimberley. This is probably the closest pub to the now closed Kimberley brewery so it was probably the brewery tap. Once insied the pub has got an olde worlde feel to in with low beamed ceilings and very comfortable seating,the pub is carpeted and i think it was the type of pub you could stay in for a while. The pub used to be a Kimberley tied house,when i first went in this pub there were two real ales on the bar and the Kimberley bitter was a very nice well kept drink here,the other beer was Kimberley mild. This pub is still up and running and is probably a GK house. Pub first visited 23/11/1982 Photo taken 5/7/2006

Official site of the Nelson & Railway, includes menu - www.nelsonandrailway.co.uk

Official site of the Nelson & Railway, includes menu - www.nelsonandrailway.co.uk