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The Head of Steam, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
HD1 1JB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Head Of Steam
Classic rail refreshment rooms that still seem to survive and thrive in Gods Own County. There's an entrance from both directly from the platform (1) and another from St George's Square. The interior is a multi-roomed layout, with the central island bar servicing ale to three rooms that each corner it, with the fourth set up for food. There’s also a long narrow room dedicated to traditional pub games. Loads of old rail memorabilia to be seen, the speciality seems to be the pre-war tin advertising signs and black and white pics of old steam trains. A lot of effort has gone into the interior which should be applauded. Eight ales available alongside a good number of proper ciders and perries. Disappointment here though; the usually reliable Copper Dragon Golden Pippin was warm and tinny tasting. Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted was better but still not up to standard, plus it came in a glass ravaged by a thousand rounds in the dishwasher, pitted and scarred, which I doubt helped matters. I also popped back in for a quick one before my train set off, Thwaites Dark Mild, which wasn’t much cop either. Oh dear.
Overall, this is a great character venue but the ale stopped it from being comparable to the WRLRR in Dewsbury, which I also visited.
On 6th September 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
cask drinker left this review about The Head Of Steam
i often go to the west riding in dewsbury the cellar bar in batley and have being to the navigation in mirfield which are all great pubs. we decided to go a bit futher out and thought we would give the head of steam a go for a change.
when we walked into the pub it was lifeless, it was saturday night, there were quite a few people in but no atmoshere at all.
the only cask beers were copper dragon golden pipin, black sheep, and 2 others one of which was brigton rocks at 4%. after finally getting served i ordered 2 pints of brighton rocks and a bag of nuts it came to £6.25 which i think is a bit pricey. it might have being worth it but the beer was not nice at all. no real taste and the aroma was like a can of carling lager.
there was a massive selection of bottled ales and we were going to buy a couple of bottles of sam smiths nut brown which is a very nice drink. however there was a train to dewsbury due and with the lack of any atmosphere and not much choice of cask we left and went to dewsbury for a choice of 8 cask ales. i dont think i will be going back to the head of steam for a while.
On 7th August 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4 recommendations about 4 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Head Of Steam
Brilliant they had Northumberland Brewery on handpump what more can a guy say.
On 30th July 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Head Of Steam
As you enter this pub which is housed at one end of Huddersfield train station, you are presented with a choice of bars. To the left, there is a an open room with very little in the way of seating - just a couple of sofas and low tables in one corner - which is decorated with all manner of old advertising signs for the likes of Cadbury's Chocolates, Bristol Tipped Cigarettes and Lyons Cakes. A huge Bass mirror hangs over the fireplace on the right hand wall and a doorway leads to a smaller, similarly decorated room to the rear with what appears to be access out to the platform. A side room was signposted as being a games room, but it appeared to be closed and the games, which included lots of traditional pub games and some old school video machines (Space Invaders, Pacman etc...), were all packed away when I had a look.
Should you turn right upon entering, you will instead find yourself in a nice, carpeted bar with banquette seating and all manner of rail memorabilia on the walls including some rather lovely train station signs. A TV was on in here, showing 'Loose Women' which was mercifully muted in favour of a rather enjoyable selection of music. Again a second, smaller room can be accessed and as with the other side of the pub, this one is similarly decorated to its corresponding front room, with the train sign theme still prominent. There are more standard tables and chairs in this room and it was being used by quite a few diners whilst I was there, myself included. A doorway in here leads to the other rear room, meaning that you can complete a full circuit of the pub's four bars.
A very strong beer line up was split across the four bars but listed on blackboards for ease of ordering. The selection on my visit was Roosters Spearmint Mild and Mocha Stout (£3.05), Black Sides Best Bitter, Brass Monkey Baboon, Copper Dragon Golden Pippen, Wylam Heddon Light (which is apparently brewed especially for this pub and costs just £2.25 a pint), Nethergate Priory Mild, Northumberland Bucking Fastard, Cottage Comet and Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted. There was a mild festival in progress throughout May, with 31 milds (one for each day of the month) lined up for the coming weeks. I counted a list of seven ciders and perrys on the blackboards as well. I also had some food in here and thought that it was fairly good value for money as the portion size was very generous.
I got a very friendly welcome in this pub and really enjoyed my time in here. There is an excellent beer selection which no doubt makes it very popular with those enjoying the Trans Pennine Ale Trail and a wealth of rail memorabilia which should please the train enthusiasts who stop off here. Well worth getting to the station nice and early to enjoy some time here before setting off.
On 11th June 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Andy Ven left this review about The Head Of Steam
Excellent place. Was it four rooms or five? I’d lost count by this time. The long narrow former ticket office has been converted into a games room with jenga, table space invaders and a swinging skittle game thingy. The platform side room is set out for dining, the rooms on the opposite side next to the taxi rank is for the drinkers. It vies with the Station Buffet Bar in Stalybridge for the title of best pub on the Trans-Pennine Rail Ale crawl. Its absence from the GBG 2010 is an oversight, surely.
On 16th May 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 244 recommendations about 240 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Head Of Steam
Housed in a pavillion at the west end of Hudderfield station's platform 1, the opposite end to the King's Head. Décor wise it is also the opposite, much more has been made of the victorian station aspect of the building, old style wallpaper, a very nice embossed freize and it has a large collection of enamel signs and railway pictures. It offers a changing range of seven decently kept ales plus umpteen kegs from bar counters in each of the four interconnected rooms. Each room is a little different in style with the two nearest the platform being more dining areas and the two others having more of a lounge and public bar atmosphere. The beers are mainly mainstream with some interesting smaller brewers mixed in. The décor being more user friendly than the King's Head and as it also serves food, it attracts a wider range of customers, mainly rail passengers I suspect as you can enter from both the street and platform 1.
On 24th October 2009
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Head Of Steam
More comfortable than the King's Head at the other end of the impressive station building (but this does depend on which of the rooms you are sitting in), albeit with a smaller range of beer. The Thwaites Dark Mild was well kept, and overall this place is pretty good as a pub, let alone a station buffet.
On 28th February 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Keith Taggart left this review about The Head Of Steam
Good choice of beer and pleasant atmosphere. Part of a group with one on Lime St station in Liverpool and 2 in Newcastle. Can be worked into an excellent train pub crawl with Dewsbury and Batley if you want to stay local or add York and Leeds or Marsden and Stalybridge if you fancy a full day out.
On 15th August 2008
- rating: 8
[User has posted 22 recommendations about 22 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
James Joines left this review about The Head Of Steam
One of those must visit places in West Yorkshire and a great excuse to change trains at Huddersfield. The old style waiting rooms now host a pub with a number of seperate rooms offeriing a wide choice of Real Ales plus a food offering.
Entrances on both the platform (Westbound) and from the station approach.
On 14th May 2008
- rating: 8
[User has posted 841 recommendations about 835 pubs]