Duke of Bridgewater, Crewe

After a seemingly short closure the Duke of Bridgewater has reopened with a new tenant, who was very welcoming when I popped in on Saturday afternoon. A couple of locals sat at the bar were friendly enough, as was the handyman who was doing a few odd jobs. Facing the entrance, the bar supports a standard keg range alongside Madri Excepcional. Is Madri a premium beer, I’ve no idea? There are also four handpumps, three of which were unused which left Sharps Doom Bar as the uninspiring cask ale option. I didn’t see any food advertised. Seating is found around the exterior walls in the bar area and to the right are a pool table and dartboard. A jukebox was playing some background music that was also being piped into the back garden. The sloped back garden has a mix of lawn, paving and woodchip that supports some picnic tables, some of which area covered. This pub has the feel of just being taken over and although I wouldn’t go out of my way to revisit I would pop back in if passing to see what the new governor makes of the place.

Pretty decent corner boozer. Open plan and a good start for the long walk to the station.