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The Test Match Hotel, Nottingham

Gordon Square
West Bridgford
Postal town: Nottingham
NG2 5LP

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Pub Type

Greene King

Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Steve C left this review about The Test Match Hotel

The Test Match is an imposing pub at the end of the main street in the well-to-do area of Bridgford. There are fake grass areas with picnic tables either side of the revolving door front entrance that leads to a large and impressive high ceilinged lounge area. To the right is a dining room with a thick red curtain that can be pulled across to create a private area. On the rear wall a flight of stairs lead up to the advertised function rooms, but a red velvet rope deemed these out-of-bounds during a recent Wednesday afternoon visit. The décor is impressive art deco and there is a cricket theme throughout, including a huge wall painting of two cricketers from yesteryear. The main bar counter is found towards the rear where it faces some open plan seating where televisions, that are found throughout, air Sky Sports. Doors at the rear lead to the toilets and a second smaller bar that houses a dartboard and pool table, but this was empty and the bar was unmanned.
Premium and craft keg were available and the six hand pumps on the main bar were drawing the regular TT Landlord, GK IPA and Abbot Ale alongside Blue Monkey Brewery’s Infinity Plus 1, Abbeydale’s Moonshine and Dancing Duck Brewery’s Ay Up. The Greene King pub co food menu is in operation, the pub grub mains start at £11. The service was very polite and there was lots that I didn’t see during my short visit so I’ll pop back in for another look if I find myself in the area again.

On 10th August 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Alex Conway left this review about The Test Match Hotel

A very impresseive grand looking pub at the back end of central avenue. This is a Greene King pub but before you shudder with grief they have adopted a similar policy to that of the bell and trip to Jerusalem in town e.g nothing like most of their horrific attempts at pubs.

The inside in very impressive with large ceilings and grand wallpaper and paintings of cricket matches and tapestries. the bar is located in the right hand corner as you enter through a very nice self push rotating spiral door that looks to be an original feature. This pub was refurbished not long ago and i must say they have made a grand job of modernising it while keeping it in touch with its original appeal.

On the bar are eight hand pumps but they have cleverly realised that their beers suck so have dedicated five of them to guest beer (praise the lord). aside from their Greene king IPA (£2.90) Abbot and London glory there was Castle rock Screech owl, and harvest pale as well as Taylor's landlord, Abbeydale moonshine and another I failed to note.

being Bridgeford they do like to hike up the price of beer and looking at the price list Landlord was a very high £3.65! I would not have minded but the beer to my taste was very unusual for someone used to drinking a lot when at university in Yorkshire, the beer was not off but there were defiantly funny flavours that are not usually present which makes me suspect maybe a problem with the cleanliness and upkeep with the lines. They also sell a small range of outrageously expensive draught craft beer which on my visit were Punk IPA, guinness hop house lager and goose island.

The beer issues with my landlord were a great shame as this pub has so many fantastic qualities besides being empty on my visit but i suspect on evenings and weekends it fills up. I would be willing to give this place another try as the building is so striking and impressive. defiantly a destination pub but probably go on a weekend to get the best of the atmosphere and beer quality, some small improvements and this could be a real gem, who ever thought a Greene king pub could be that? 7.5

On 13th March 2020 - rating: 7
[User has posted 457 recommendations about 457 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Real Ale Ray left this review about The Test Match Hotel

An entry in Camra's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. We visited here on a Sunday afternoon and this large Green King pub was very busy, but to my joy, the public bar around the back was empty and unstaffed. This gave me a great opportunity to view the impressive terrazzo floor, tiered counter and slate fireplace all from the Art Deco period. The main entrance was also my main reason for visiting this pub, one of three Art Deco pubs left in the country and one of two with an original revolving door.
Beerwise Eight handpumps, with a selection of eight cask ales. We went for the Blue Monkey Infinity and Abbeydale Moonshine, prices here were high.
We found the easiest way to get here was get the No. 6 bus from central Nottingham, which drops you right outside.

On 12th July 2016 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Test Match Hotel

Imposing 1930s façade, and plenty of Art Deco features retained inside the Grade II* listed building once you pass through the revolving front doors. Four, partly opened-out rooms forming the main 'L'-shaped bar / lounge. Smaller public bar to one side housing the pool table, etc. Although a Greene King house, there are more guest ales on offer from the eight handpumps than those from Bury St Edmunds, e.g. Extra Pale Ale and Pinta Cha Cha (£3.20) from the local Nottingham Brewery. A 'must visit' pub.

On 26th April 2015 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about The Test Match Hotel

This large, imposing pub, built by Hardy's and Hanson back in 1938, is a real architectural gem, boasting a well preserved art deco interior. Just entering the pub is a novelty, with access gained through a revolving door, which leads you into a spacious lounge with high ceiling and plush carpeting. Banquettes and tub chairs run along the front wall with a mixture of high tables and stools or sofas and padded low stools providing the remaining seating options. A few more tub chairs can be found arranged in front of a typical art deco fireplace and the whole room has some wonderful wood panelling, which is apparently English ash and uses the wood grain to great visual effect. To the left of the entrance, a huge wall painting catches the eye, depicting cricketers George Parr and Wm Clarke playing a match with Nottingham Castle in the background. To the right, a curtained opening leads through to the former Smoke Room, which has now been set up for diners, with all the tables laid with pristine white tablecloths and cutlery. The main bar is to the rear of the lounge/lobby area, and boasts an attractive counter which runs into the rear part of the pub. This sees another very large room, this time with much more limited seating options, plus a small stage. A snug-like area has been created opposite the bar and looked like quite a comfortable spot to enjoy a few drinks. A sign noted the availability of the Carlton Bar, which I presume is the Public Bar to the left of the building. I didn't get round to exploring this room, but the sign noted that it has a dartboard and pool table and is available for private functions. A sweeping staircase leads up from the lobby to yet another bar, but the stairs were roped off, so I was unable to take a look. As you might expect, décor throughout is in keeping with the art deco era and although the pub has been altered in recent years, it has very much retained a sense of its time and was accordingly awarded an English Heritage pub design award in 2002.
This is a Greene King house, so all the usuals - IPA, Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen and Ruddles Best, were on at the bar, but a stroll along the counter revealed more hand pumps offering Nottingham Rock Bitter and Pale Ale, Black Sheep Bitter and Taylor Landlord. I gave the Pale Ale a try and thought they kept it pretty well. Food comes courtesy of a standard Greene King menu, with most mains priced around £9.
This is undoubtedly a beautiful building and well worth making a bit of effort to check out, but for all its splendour I'm not sure all those large open spaces help generate much of an atmosphere and I did have to keep reminding myself that I was actually drinking in a pub. Still, this should be an essential port of call if you find yourself this side of the Trent, even if it's just for the one visit.

On 16th November 2013 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Alan Winfield left this review about The Test Match Hotel

The Test Match was a Kimberley tied house and is now run by Greene King.
This is a very large pub that has'nt been altered in years you go through a revolving door and your in the main bar area which is wood panelled throughout there are other rooms off the main room,the pub has plush carpets and is very comfortable inside.
There is the usuall selection of Greene King beers on the bar but there are also about five or six other pumps with locale and other micro beers on i tried Castle Rock Harvest pale and this was a very nice drink.
There are a few tables at the front of the pub but your a lot better off sitting inside the pub is on Camras national inventry and i think this pub is well worth a visit.

On 27th July 2010 - rating: 9
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]