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Detail Pages
The Cock, Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
CM23 2DX
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Cock
Fairly bog standard boozer located on a busy set of traffic lights. There were only a couple of other customers present on my arrival. Although, I believe a band may have been about to set up outdoors at the rear and there were a few drinkers filtering outside too.
The ale choice was uninspiring - Doom Bar & Tribute. But the barman was happy to chat.
On 9th August 2020
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Cock Inn
ORIGINAL REVIEW Sept 2010
A beautiful building from the exterior with a refurb which is more cock up than Cock Inn.The bar is immediately infont of the front door with four handpumps serving Adnams Bitter , Broadside and Spitfire as regular ales and Adnams Explorer as a guest but sadly not on during our trip.Vertical drinkers gather round the bar while to the left is a seperate room with two sofas,stools and large coffee tables and a clutter of wooden artifacts that make the area feel smaller than it really is.If this is meant to be a quiet area ,that objective is ruined by the Sky sports screen.Around the otherside of the central bar are more screens,a ubiquitous (for Stortford) pool table and muzak is blared at significant volume.Needless to say the ale left something to be desired.Such a wasted opportunity in what could be a very interesting pub interior in the hands of a sympathetic owner.
UPDATE
Pints of View have reported before Christmas 2014 that Punch have sold this pub to the Craft Beer Company,but this may be wishful thinking because it is still being run by a Punch lessee and there is a board on the outside stating that the lease is available.No change to report sadly.
On 17th January 2015
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Cock Inn
The Cock dates from 1547 and has been a pub since 1620 when it was called the Black Lion and later the Vernons Head. It stands at a crossroads on the edge of the town centre and is the last of 4 pubs that once stood here. The pub is said to have been a regular haunt of Dick Turpin who, if the stories of his frequenting of pubs is to believed, would never have had time to do any robbing. The pub also doubled up as a courthouse and jail so I doubt he would have been too keen on hanging around (metaphorically speaking). One of the upstairs rooms is also said to contain a priesthole.
From the outside it does appear a bit faded and grubby and the interior has been given a fairly basic, stripped back and quite modern makeover that perhaps doesn’t enhance all the best characteristics however there are still enough wonky walls and sagging ceilings to attest to its great age.
The main bar is L-shaped with fairly spartan furnishings including a couple of high back pews but on the whole it comes over as quite dull and underplayed. The rear section is separated by a wall remnant with double sided fireplace and contains a pool table. There is also a small equally spartan side room with a bit more of a loungey approach. There were several rather lewd, double entendre, pub adverts making the most of the pub name in a Carry On style of humour and also some unusual modern artworks (for sale). I think the TV count must have been addressed since the previous reports as I noted only 3 (main bar, pool section and side room) and they didn’t come over as particularly intrusive
Beer wise, there were 4 ales available for my visit, 3 by Adnams (Bitter, Explorer and Broadside) plus Spitfire. I tried the Explorer which was fine quality wise and priced in line with most of the pubs in the area.
I certainly didn’t feel uncomfortable here and the customer base seemed perfectly civilized although it is yet another pub in the area that probably hasn’t made the best of its attributes. As it is on the way to the football ground, I wouldn’t have any major objections in making use of its facilities at some future stage.
On 1st February 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Cock Inn
The Cock Inn is a picturesque 16th century timbered building with more flat screen televisions inside than I've ever seen in a pub. There's even one between the optics which you can watch while your drinks are being poured.
The beer was Adnams Bitter and Broadside and Spitfire the latter two of which were poor to undrinkable.
When it comes to ale, The Cock is cock.
On 30th September 2010
- rating: 3
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]