The Wellington, Lichfield

A pleasant comfortable boozer dating from 1818 and Mr Fastard details the canal links below. Bizarre to visit a canalside pub without the canal. The welcome was warm here with the barmaid earning some money away from her veteriniary related studies. The locals are happy to have a banter although when the conversation ran dry, the request for the telly to be switched on was graciously granted. Something of a shame as it detracted from the atmosphere but when in Rome. Beers were Pedigree, Pride, Holdens Golden Glow and Wye Valley HPA. A dull selection but in good nick and the HPA and Golden Glow slipped down fine. Worth dropping in for one.

The pub traces it's roots back to when it served two canal wharves on was is now the infilled Wyrley and Essington Canal,although the bridge parapets survive,and restoration is afoot albeit on a new line to the south.Ale Monsters review of the interior is comprehensive and accurate and the five handpumps on my trip were drawing Pedigree,London Pride,Holden's Golden Glow,Wye Valley HPA(£3) with a Doom Bar clip reversed. This is a friendly locals pub where everyone is made to feel at home and the quality of the ale rightly confirms it's 2013 GBG listing.The ale choice does appear constrained by a pubcos list,less national brands and more Locales would have produced a higher rating,yet it's still worth visiting if your crawling around the city.

This great pub was built around the early 1800’s and has a bit of a Georgian look to it due to the smaller sash windows on the second floor, it is owned by Enterprise Inns. The interior is an irregular open plan layout but with three distinct small areas, public bar, lounge and sports room. On entering you will see the public bar is in the front left corner of the building, the lounge is in the front right corner and the sports area is across the back. The public bar has the small brick fronted and wood toped bar counter in the back right corner, a nice cast iron fire place with tile surround in the left hand wall, red fabric bench seating and carpeted floor. The lounge has brown leather arm chairs, a large flat screen TV on the right hand wall and a dart board on the back wall. the sports area is accessed from the back left corner of the public bar on a lower level down a couple of steps, this has a central pool table, red fabric bench seats and a large flat screen TV showing sport on the right wall. The décor is fairly traditional with some original features but a slightly sparse modern style. The sports area has a door which leads out to a small patio area and a large grass area behind the pub. There is a small car park on the left of the pub. Regular ales are currently Marston’s Pedigree, Fullers London Pride and Holden’s Golden Glow with two changing guest beers which on this occasion were Wye Valley Hereford Pale Ale and Sharp’s Doom Bar (GBG 2013). I sampled the Glow and the Pride which were in good condition. I got the impression that this is a wet led pub as it is relatively small and I didn’t spot any menus or food boards. A brilliant locals pub that has survived a turbulent couple of years, the friendly landlady informed me that the place had been voted pub of the year in 2010 by the Lichfield, Sutton and Tamworth branch of CAMRA and then closed suddenly in January 2011 due to (all too common) Pubco issues, the current lease holders reopened the pub in April 2011 and have been struggling with the Pubco prices ever since. Despite this they seem to be doing a superb job, a good selection of well kept beers and a nice atmosphere, the pub was more than half full on our Saturday evening visit, I would definitely return if in the area.

A friendly locals pub, with a warm welcome from behind the bar and plenty of banter to be had with the regulars if you so choose. Six ales available (a mix of national and local); my Purity Goose was spot-on. Awkward interior layout. A couple of TV’s had the cricket on. I even got a free slice of home-made pork pie after I mentioned my reviewing for Pubs Galore, so an extra mark there! The first and best pub of the day in Lichfield – wish I could have stayed for longer.