Royal Exchange, Stourbridge

Fine old terraced Batham's pub with a central alleyway with the bar off to the left and a small lounge with a fair amount of additional external seating further back as you emerge into the rear courtyard. Quite traditionally furnished in the front room but slightly smarter and more modern in the other (although the 'background' music here was a bit louder than I expected in such a place). Just the regular Bitter and Mild (£2.45) of course, but this is ample reward for the aficionados.

An old style traditional pub with a public bar and rear lounge, both accessed from side doors via an open link corridor which also serves the toilets on the opposite side. We were in at around 6pm on Saturday and there wasn't a seat to be had, the atmosphere was lively and enjoyable. Various posters indicate the pub as a community hub, there is a vague Irish slant, I understand the landlord hails from Ireland, signs give distances to various towns over there. A bit of a time warp with white stucco walls, artex and terrazzo style flooring, pewter tankards on hooks, banknotes on the ceiling beams and shelves of whiskey boxes, framed newspaper cuttings feature the pub and local characters. I spotted a nice old framed OS map of Victorian Stourbridge. A dartboard in a front recess looked unusable without a major furniture reshuffle. Just Batham's Bitter and Mild on, the bitter was excellent, a fine drop indeed. Food looks to be limited to cobs and pork pies, a decent enough fix while drinking however I don't know if full meals are served at other times. An excellent characterful proper pub. They don't make them like this anymore.

This was the only pub on my visit to the Stourbridge area that I had been to before, admittedly back in 1983 and once a few years before that. I doubt that it has changed much since then although I don't remember the garden at the back. For me this one, the Vine at Brierley Hill and the Lamp at Dudley are the three classic Batham's pubs. Unusually with this one the only entrance to the bars is from the central corridor. The public bar at the front seemed rammed so I opted for the quieter back bar. Batham's Mild or Best were on offer, I went for the Best (£2.55) which was in superb condition. Despite the choice in and around Stourbridge, I can't imagine coming here and not revisiting this one.

A typically painted exterior Batham's pub. We entered the main bar to the left, which was busy with an older locals crowd, all drinking Batham's bitter. Also to the rear was a separate lounge and bar area, which was only accessible from the courtyard. The manager has Irish roots, so there is lots of Irish memorabilia dotted around. I fancied a crusty cob, but unfortunately on this visit they were soft baps, where the tomato had ran into the bread and made them soggy. The barmaid advised me that the Mild wasn't at it's best and to stick to the bitter, which I thought was a nice touch.

This is a Victorian terraced Bathams house, with a patio area at the back. The exterior is in a split yellow and toffee kind of colour, with brown paintwork. The pub has a bay window with etched glass and entrance is via a central corridor that takes you to the patio area. The bar and lounge are off to the left. The interior has a couple of rooms. The bar is first to the left. It is slightly L-shaped to accommodate the dart board at the end. It has cream artex and brown split walls, with a white ceiling and a reddish concrete floor. There is a brick chimney breast with a little furnace fire and red bench and stool seating. Strange bits of ephemera are dotted about, including bank notes from the world. The lounge is a little room at the back. It is in half white and half cream patterned paper, apart from one tartan wallpapered wall, with a white artex and fake beam ceiling and there is a red patterned carpet. There is a curious picture of a tiger on the wall. They do the usual pork pies. There isnt a TV and there was no background music. Service was fine and the clientele mature locals mainly. Beer; usual tap stuff with Batham's Bitter and MILD on handpull, which was sublime. A fantastic place and one to which I have already returned to. It was very crowded on my first visit and i caouldnt get into the bar, hence a return - strictly for research purposes of course!