Prince of Wales, Belle Vue, Shrewsbury

Old Boots is right, the Prince of Wales does have that estate pub feel. We arrived just as an 80th birthday party was breaking up and ended up the last people in the place. The beer was mediocre, but the worst thing was the funny smell in the main bar. Non of our party of 6 could stand to be in the place and we went out onto the rear deck to drink our beer. On finishing we found that there was no option but to hold our breath and dash back out through the pub. I have no idea what the smell was, it was just unpleasent and un-necessary.

Well hidden in the backstreets of the Belle Vue neighbourhood, south of the town centre, the Prince of Wales is a tidy two bar community pub. The lounge bar, on the right as you enter, is a reasonably sized carpeted room which winds around a centrally positioned servery. The walls are half panelled with wallpaper above and there is a good range of comfortable seating throughout. The decor includes various photos, beer adverts, mirrors and a good selection of Shrewsbury Town football memorabilia. The pub has good links with the football club and runs a minibus down to the ground on match days, although I made the trip on foot and thought it wasn’t too far to walk. The public bar on the other side of the servery has more basic seating as well as a dartboard and a large TV screen. The back of the pub is well lit thanks to some large windows which look out to the beer garden, which seemed to be pretty spacious. The pub has found its way into recent editions of the Good Beer Guide and boards outside detailed upcoming beer festivals, so I was keen to see what was on at the bar. The choice on my visit was from St Austell Tribute, Mitchell and Butler Mild, Hobson’s Twisted Spire (£2.90), Thwaites Wainwright, Greene King IPA, Salopian Golden Thread and Clark’s Classic Blonde. I decided to give the Hobson’s a go and thought it was an excellent pint at a reasonable price. The staff and locals seemed like a friendly bunch, with fans of both sets of teams mingling and chatting after the match. I left this pub with the impression of a well run establishment that looks after its regulars and is welcoming to new faces. Given the wealth of options in the town centre, it might not quite merit the walk out here, but it is well worth a look if you find yourself in the neighbourhood.