Temple of Muses, Barnsley

I checked out the opening times and wasn't expecting it to be open so when I noticed the door was open I popped in. Everything much the same as in Will's review including the beers. It was the Marie Celeste behind the counter in spite of a few middle aged women in the bar. Eventually a chap appeared, Mr Benn-like, and explained they were only open as a cafe experiment but not today and will be selling bottles or cans at lunchtime with draught beer in the evenings only.

I thought I would give this one a try, based on an interest in the unusual name and the way that the opening of the pub has resulted from the resurrection of some previously down at heel back street buildings. Once inside, the main room is a large vertical drinking area, which was a bit of a disappointment. The bar counter is on the right with three hand pumps, usually having two real ales and a cider, but at the time of my Saturday afternoon visit only Saltaire Blonde was available for ale drinkers. Looking around there are some nice decorations, furniture, paintings and fire places, but I kept on coming back to that soulless central area and concluded that pubs should have tables and chairs. Date of visit: 24th August 2019