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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
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Detail Pages
The King & Castle, Kidderminster
Kidderminster
DY10 1QX
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The King & Castle
As a historian it would be madness to think I wouldn't like this place. Taking its name from the GWR classes of locomotives the pub is housed in the old station buildings, overlooking the approach and the concourse area (with the SVR locos and stock), which have small patios. The pub part is a T-shaped room with the serving bar on the left as you walk in which forms the 'T' part. The rest is a long room with a fireplace at the end. Plian decor with a GWR carpet. Transport photos and some ephemera are dotted about. No TV or music. The service is good and the clientele, not surprisingly, more mature. Several handpumps, with a few ciders - Bathams Bitter, Bewdley Worcestershire Way, Hobson's MILD, WV Butty Bach, Three Tuns XXX all seems to be permanent or very regular. The Bathams and MILD being very good. There was a guest, Hobson's Manor (also a class of GWR loco), which I was informed was good, too. A class place, a must do.
On 23rd July 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The King & Castle
There can't be many rail lines with a GBG pub at each end of it but the SVR is a famous example.
This one is more centrally located than the Bridgnorth place and appeared to be attracting more than just the rail visitors. The main room overlooks the station car park rather than the platform which also makes it feel more like a pub.
On my visit one of the eight hand pumps was unused but the rest had Hobson's Mild, Twisted Spire & Town Crier, Batham's Best, Bewdley Worcestershire Way, Skinners Betty Stoggs and Wye Valley Butty Bach. It was a hot day and I found a seat near the door where a breeze was coming in so got stuck into the Batham's Best (£3.15). I tried the Town Crier (£3.00) which was also excellent.
I liked this one a lot and as I failed to make it to the Station Inn have a good excuse to return!
On 2nd July 2018
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The King & Castle
As Station pubs go this is about as good as it gets. Great selection of 8 ales on including Bathams. Holdens and Hobsons. I went for Bewdley Worcestershire Way which was spot on. Well worth missing the train for - you can always catch the next one!
On 11th April 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1656 recommendations about 1556 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The King & Castle
Couldn't see how this place could be improved really. Old school railway pub charm, fitting in with the Severn Valley Railway theme but never feeling like a touristy pub.
Always have a fine selection of beers on - including Bathams. Despite the options available, I always seem to plum for it.
Latest visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2CDSjaw
On 19th December 2017
- rating: 10
[User has posted 277 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The King & Castle
This remarkable pub is a faithful recreation of an old Great Western Railways refreshment room, situated in part of the terminus buildings for the Severn Valley Railway and next to the Kidderminster Railway Museum. For a recreation, they have certainly done a good job, using lots of period features to give a sense of the age of steam that works better than in many other re-opened refreshment rooms around the country. You enter to a tile floored area with the bar running along the end wall. A small carpeted snug-style area has been squeezed in between the front wall and the start of the bar - enough space for a single table and a few chairs under a large map of Wales and the West Country. The bar has a fine marble topped counter with a nice hop-lined dark wood bar back decorated with old engine name plates, which looks very good. Several old black and white photos of various steam trains have also, perhaps unsurprisingly, been hung around the bar area and are well worth a quick perusal. The room opens out to the right opposite the bar, into a plushly furnished space with lovely GWR carpet throughout and some well upholstered sets of padded bench and chair seating down either side. These pass through what appears to have previously been two separate rooms, now opened out, but still distinguishable as distinct areas in their own right thanks to the wide arch that stands between them. At the end there is a nice fireplace, which acts as a focal point for the whole space and the walls are once again decorated with all sorts of vintage railway memorabilia.
There were only three ales available on the eight handpulls, seemingly a result of the large crowd in here on a Saturday night, and the cheery barman was quick to apologise for the hit the pumps had taken. The three surviving ales were Bathams Best Bitter, Holden's Nutty Dark Mild and Titanic Lifeboat - not a bad selection to chose from and my pint of the Best was absolutely top quality.
This is a quality example of a good railway refreshment room that certainly doesn't suffer from the fact that it's a recreation rather than an original. I enjoyed nosing around the memorabilia and soaking up the atmosphere, all accompanied by a fine pint of local ale. The railway museum next door is also worth a look, so it's a bit of a no brainer to combine the two and if you want a quick pint before jumping on a train at either station, this is undoubtedly your best bet.
On 9th April 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Hurdle left this review about The King & Castle
An excellent pub and railway refreshment room. Now on 8 handpumps. Superb Bathams Bitter (an old favourite since my first trip to the Lamp Tavern and the "Bull & Bladder" in the '70's). Hobson's Mild, Town Crier, and Old Prickly (no Hedgehog crisps!), Exmoor Gold, Bewdley Worcestershire Way, White Goose Crafted and An Other were the others. The An Other was as good as ever!
A very handy first port of call before the football match and last visit before the train home, with time to photo a few steam engines.
On 24th October 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 707 recommendations about 645 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The King & Castle
Pub is well described below , well worth a visit if on either at the normal station or SVR , the 6 real ales varie and are usually in decent nick , the bar snacks are also good value .
On 22nd February 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The King & Castle
Another classic railway refreshment room (although this one is a loving re-creation rather than an original survivor). A large traditional T-shaped room, with painted red wallpaper, drape curtains and GWR roundel carpet. Some people elsewhere have commented on a lack of atmosphere but it was certainly buzzing (unexpectedly so) on my Sunday evening visit. Six ales; Stancil Blonde, Kinver Edge, Cottage Golden Arrow, Bathams Bitter, Hobsons Town Crier and Mild. Both the Batham's and Hobson's Mild were in good form. Extremely handy for both railway stations (Severn Valley Railway and mainline BR) so you’d be daft to miss it.
On 10th November 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about King & Castle
Part of the station complex at the Severn Railway station (which is adjacent to the mainline station), entry is from both the car park and concourse. It's fully carpeted, with comfortable seating and the room is immaculate. The bar offers 5 handpumps, including Black Country legend Bathams.
While the King & Castle is certainly a relaxing place to enjoy a few pints, it doesn't have a great pub 'feel'. That may bother you; it didn't bother me.
On 4th November 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about King & Castle
Very easy to find as it's only across the car park on the Worcester - Brum side of the mainline railway. After a bit of a nose round Kidderminster, this was a great spot to down a couple of ales before our return journey. It was great to see a working steam loco and coaches in the station area at the rear of the pub. Ales on the day were Royal Piddle, Wye Valley Flower Power and the Bathams best bitter, which was brill.
On 23rd July 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]