The Bartons Arms, Birmingham

A very impressive building inside and out and certainly worth the bus trip out from the city centre, I tend to prefer smaller compact pubs but the interior as well as the beer selection as mentioned in the October reviews makes for a pub well worth returning to.

Well, they don’t make them like this anymore. It’s quite frightening to think we almost lost this late Victorian masterpiece some 20 years ago. The interior is so good that you would even enjoy drinking a pint of John Smiths smooth crap in here. The fact that it is owned by Oakhams and there is a decent guest ale policy almost makes this the perfect drinking experience. It’s almost sacrilege to not have an Oakham ale after how they have looked after the place for the last 18 years, but I went for the Froth Blowers Riverside Stout and very good it was too.

Grade II*-listed and featuring on CAMRA's list of pubs with historic interiors - of National Importance - this is one of our most opulent pubs, with probably the most stunning tilework I've ever seen, pictures of which can be seen on CAMRA's site. The interior is very large indeed, meaning that the smell of Thai food didn't intrude. I plumped for an Oakham White Dwarf at £2.00 a half which was as good as any drink had on the day. This isn't in the best location, but is a must-visit if in town.

A palatial showpiece Victorian pub, still as described below and on various websites including their own. Sitting in the sun streaming through the large windows in the midst of such classical pub architecture was a very pleasant experience, quite apart from the excellent beer (I went for a well-conditioned brew from Frothblowers on this occasion) and a very tasty Thai sausage! Nowadays it is not in the most exciting of surroundings but it is definitely worth the trip out of town.