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The Swan in the Rushes, Loughborough
Loughborough
LE11 5BE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
This is a nice traditional two bar pub opposite the town’s main shopping centre. You enter via a porch with some beer engines mounted to the rear and doors for each bar on either side, each with etched glass panes with a swan in rushes motif. The doors lead into roughly equal sized rooms on either side of the centrally positioned servery, with fixed bench seating around the perimeter and plenty of chairs in support. The walls are painted in plain colours, with large bay windows to the front with Castle Rock branded panes, and scuffed parquet flooring throughout. The walls have been decorated with some nice arty photos of the local area, a few framed certificates, well stocked bookshelves, and plenty of blackboards listing the beers, ciders and snacks on offer. A nice fireplace in the left-hand room looks like it gets plenty of use in the colder months, with large buckets of old newspapers stood on the hearth. The right-hand room has a decent juke box judging by the tunes that periodically became audible from that side of the pub, and I spotted a few TV screens here and there, although none were in use at the time of my visit. The servery spans both rooms and has a modern timber fronted counter and somewhat chopped out bar back. A door to the rear leads through to a games room, dominated by a centrally positioned pool table.
Castle Rock beers accounted for most of the cask range, with Harvest pale, Preservation, Elsie Mo and Our House available alongside Charnwood Black Fox and Salvation plus one from Nene Valley, the name of which I didn’t catch. There were also a few real cider options and the friendly, if somewhat bored looking, barman poured me a good pint of the Preservation, which I enjoyed supping in near isolation, with just one other customer on my side of the bar.
I thought this was a decent enough Castel Rock pub which perhaps doesn’t quite measure up to some of the brewery’s best houses, but was a decent enough place to start my crawl from. The interesting beer selection and pleasant two bar layout were big plus points for me and perhaps I’d have felt even more favourably towards the place had I caught it at a busier time.
On 9th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
Was looking forward to this one as a Castle Rock run CAMRA National Inventory pub but sadly what I got was a down-at-heel place. There’s a bit of heritage over the two rooms off an impressive entrance porch. The lounge was deserted but in the public bar were a smattering of punters. Quite shabby here with the banquette fabric worn to the quick and scuffed magnolia woodchip wallpaper. Tinny modern music to detract further from the ambience. Three Castle Rock beers and a guest in the form of Charnwood Vixen which was in good shape (NBSS 3.5), saving the visit a bit. The brewery need to pull their finger out of their shive and spend a few quid getting this place back up to muster. It’s GBG’22 listed.
On 19th November 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
For me, the best pub in Loughborough. Two rooms that contained drinkers and a fine selection of Castle Rock ales, including Screech Owl which is one of my favourites. Definitely return to this place.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
I remember coming to this one years ago long before a micropub, a Blue Monkey and even JDW came to town. As you would expect from Castle Rock you get an old school multi-roomed traditional boozer. Back in the day this was the real ale venue for Loughborough but now tends to get overlooked, it's not in the 2017 GBG. One plus point for this one is that certainly in the left bar where I went there are no TV screens.
Of the nine beers on offer four were from Castle Rock and the five guests were Dukeries De Lovetot, Daleside Stout, Roosters Yankee, Charnwood Vixen and Little Valley Cragg Vale Bitter. I went for the De Lovetot and Cragg Vale Bitter (both 3.20) both of which were excellent.
I'm not sure why this one is out of favour, it doesn't sell Bass or Pedigree and doesn't have TVs. My only criticism is that all the guests were around the 4.0% ABV mark. As far as I'm concerned it's well worth visiting.
On 7th December 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
A very good traditional pub run by Castle Rock Brewery. This is a two roomed pub with a bar and a large lounge side. We opted for the lounge side, which was very comfortable and along with the original parquet floor, there was a 1950's fireplace, which was lit on our visit. Alongside their choice of four CR ales, they also had five guests on. We went for the Charnwood Try Hopped and Imperial Brewery Lincoln Blonde.
On 12th April 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
Excellent CR pub with the usual selection of brews and some guests. Sampled a pint of Elsie Mo and a half of Harvest Pale, both excellent. A must do pub in Loughborough.
On 1st March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Richard Sharman left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
Tynemill pub group, run by the Castle Rock brewery in Nottingham, must run some of the best pubs in the UK, and this one is no exception. Always a selection of Castle Rock beers plus several guest ales and a large selection of continental beers in bottle and on draught.
Good food available. Two main rooms with a small back room off the lounge. The lounge on the left is the comfier of the rooms but there's a good atmosphere in both and the service is excellent.
On 8th February 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 43 recommendations about 43 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
Fine, traditional Castle Rock pub with a central bar serving two main rooms on either side of the entrance. Fairly basic 'old fashioned boozer' furniture and decor - and none the worse for that - supplemented by some old pub signs and other memorabilia. Ten handpumps, with three ales from the owning brewery plus a decent range of guest ales priced on strength (ranging from £2.30 to £3.00 for the excellent 5.0% Magpie Midnight Porter).
On 17th September 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
Very popular and busy pub with both bars occupied by a wide range of customers from students to pensioners.Although there is a lot of real ale available ,it does seem to be a case of quantity over quality and the guest selection was disappointing.The regular Castle Rock range of five ales were adequate if uninspiring.The bar staff were a little rushed and not very knowledgeable about the beers on offer.Maybe we caught this place on an off day but I prefered the Tap and Mallet.
On 5th May 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
A large and busy Castle Rock venue which promises much, given the number of available ales, but turned into something of a disappointment. Regular beers were from Castle Rock: Sheriffs Tipple, Elsie Mo and Harvest Pale in addition to Adnams. Guests were a mild and 5 real ales including one from Thwaites. The difficulty was that although the Elsie Mo was fine, without being in any way exceptional, the choice of guest ales was so unimaginative as to leave the ale drinker with little option but to stick with the Castle Rock offerings. This may well be the policy but with so many ales on, paradoxically, there seemed to be very little choice.
On 4th May 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]