Tite & Locke, Lancaster

Set in a in nicely restored building with a multiple room layout, this is a surprisingly large station pub, run by the local Lancaster Brewery. You enter from Platform 3, into a small bar, which was completely empty on my visit, exxept for some limited high table and stool seating and a small unmanned section of servery. Passing through the doorway at the end of the room, you reach the main bar area - a spacious room with bare floorboards, exposed brick walls and a tidy servery in the front corner, with a smart counter boasting an embossed patterned front and a simple bar back with a load of keg taps to one side. Further back a few long padded benches and a comfy banquette serve a couple of long tables, with a small, unused fireplace to one side. As you might expect, there's a lot of railway themed stuff throughout, including some luggage racks high up on the walls and a map of the Lancaster to Carlisle railway line. A door to the rear right, signed as the 'Second Class Lounge', leads into a side room with a mix of tables and chairs and some high stools, in a bare brick walled space with a bigger fireplace on the end wall. This room seemed far more popular than the bar area and I noticed another door at the far end, signposted as the 'First Class Lounge', although I didn't get around to exploring through there. Soul tunes played discretely in the background but some sort of competing soundtrack was notably coming from one of the other rooms, creating a bit of a sound clash in the main bar area. Lancaster beers dominate the handpulls, with options available running to Black, Blonde, Amber, Red and IPA plus a guest in the shape of Seven Brothers Sunset IPA. The barman was very friendly and offered me an unprompted top-up. Unfortunately, the beer wasn't up to such standards, and my pint of Blonde ended up being a bit of a slog to get through. It's nice that this station has a bar like this, set in an interesting old building and serving beer from a local brewery, but they need to ensure there's sufficient demand for their cask ale to justify having such a wide range. Beer quality aside, I liked this place and whilst it's not quite up to the standards of the Tap chain, it's a good station bar and well worth stopping at if you've got a wait for a train. Date of visit - 14th January 2024

Although this was a bit of a quick visit, between trains, I was very disappointed with the beer quality. The first pint I was served was very poor and turned out to be the last from the barrel, not that this prompted any comment when the member of staff advised the next customer that it had 'gone'. I tried my luck with a half of one of the Lancaster beers on offer, but that really wasn't much better. I'd like to think that the pub was having an off day but I won't be rushing back to check.

It’s long overdue that Lancaster got a good station pub, and this lives up to the hype. it’s very nicely done, utilising the character of the building to make a pleasing multi roomed pub with exposed brick and different seating styles. Pleasant and stylish barman served up an okay but not mind blowing pint of Lancaster Blonde, other cask beers are all from that brewery so you have to like them. It’s a good addition to this lovely city, just wish it had been here when I was studying at uni here.