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Detail Pages
The Nag's Head, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
SY1 1XB
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Nag's Head
A mediocre pub type of pub with a limited beer selection. The Nags is OK but nothing to write home about. I can't really say much more, the place just had no wow factor, the beer however was well kept and the place was OK for a quiet pint.
On 25th June 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Nag's Head
Situated on the attractive Wyle Cop, just up the hill from the English Bridge, the Nag’s Head is a small, traditional two room pub. The compact front bar has wooden flooring and upon entering, the servery is directly opposite in a corner position. Bench and low stool seating runs around the perimeter under bare brick and whitewashed walls which have been covered in old photos , various bits of brewerania and several pictures of nag’s heads. In addition to this, a carved horse’s head can be found mounted on one side of the bar. A passageway of sorts, lined with mirrors, leads into a similarly sized rear room with an L shaped padded bench and more low stools around tables that are crammed into every available space. There are some old enamel adverts and a collection of bottles on display, plus a juke box which was playing tunes at a sensible level on my Saturday early evening visit. Meanwhile, TV screens in each room were showing muted Sky Sports News. A door at the rear leads out to a surprisingly large garden with plenty of picnic benches for the summer months.
Four ales were available at the bar – Deuchars IPA, Wells Bombardier, Hobson’s Up n Down and Ludlow Stairway. The latter, which set me back a reasonable £3.00, was in fairly good shape and served by a pleasant barmaid. A board listed a range of ales, only one of which was actually available, which may hint at an ale rotation policy or perhaps more likely, was just out of date.
I expected to find an older clientele in this place, but there were customers of all ages which must say something for its appeal. It doesn’t quite match up to some of the town’s top ale houses but it is well worth a look if you like traditional pubs in nice historic old buildings.
On 5th May 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Nag's Head
The pub hasn't changed much in the last 4 years but the beer range has improved with Hobsons Bitter and Three Tuns XXX available on this visit alongside Deuchars & Landlord. The Three Tuns was a good pint as well, as it should be as this pub is in the CAMRA GBG2013. The pub cat was wandering around as well, but we weren't good enough for her. :-))
05/12/2008
Nice little pub surrounded by other historic buildings on Wyle Cop. The beer range wasn't too inventive when I visited, mainly the Greene King range. I had a pint of the guest beer Black Sheep Bitter, which was very good. Well worth a visit though.
On 30th April 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Nag's Head
Standing half way up Shrewsbury’s attractive and historic Wyle Cop - on the former London to Holyhead busy coaching route - which climbs up to the centre of town, is The Nags Head. The first thing we notice is the overhanging upper storey jutting out slightly from the two lower floors.
It’s a traditionally furnished interior with subdued lighting and something of a slightly worn and lived in feel. The walls are decorated with a series of reproduction enamel signs – eg His Masters Voice – and photos of old Shrewsbury. A door at the back leads out to, what by town centre standards, is a very large grassy garden with the usual picnic tables. Here we see an unusual timber framed remnant of an old 14th Century building – best appreciated from the far end of the garden – which now acts as a smokers shelter.
4 real ales were on when I visited one recent mid-September evening – TT Landlord, Three Tuns XXX, a beer from Hobsons and an increasingly rare sighting of Deuchars IPA. The deuchars IPA wasn’t particularly good at all, but the pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular.
I didn’t particularly warm to this place when I last visited Shrewsbury in 2009 and, after this more recent visit, it’s still not one of my favourites
On 4th October 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
lance presley left this review about The Nag's Head
well worth a few pints in this pub, friendly staff , good choice of beer, i (elvis) as am known as i always put elvis songs on the juke box often like to pop in here.
On 6th September 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 11 recommendations about 11 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Nag's Head
Pub is as described in previous reviews , the upstairs room(the one jutting out over the street)is reputed to be haunted , several people have commited suicide over the centuries due to an ancient painting on the door of the room .
The service and locals were friendly and the beer decent , a couple of locals , Salopian Gold , Three Tuns XXX and a few nationals Brakspear Oxford , TT Landlord , Deuchars , its a decent no frills pub this
On 21st March 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Nag's Head
Near the river by English Bridge it appears a very traditional no frills pub but there are a couple of clues that it isn’t quite so simple. The large clear windows, exposed brickwork and the arty photos for example, on the other hand the Britannia tables (including one cut in half), bare boards and bench seats along with old photos and prints are very traditional. The front room has the counter and supports 5 pulls with a mix of nationally recognisable brands, Taylors, Deuchars plus two more local beers from Hobsons. There is also a low T Bar with well known lagers, a cider and a smooth. The beer is pretty good, the pub is a GBG entry and the service is friendly. The back room is in similar vein with enamel advertising posters, a fruit machine, a juke box and a ciggy machine. The pub advertises “fine dining” that is a pork pie with pickled onions and mustard for £2.50, it also has a slight Laural & Hardy fetish.
On 16th September 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ale Monster left this review about The Nag's Head
This is a small traditional town centre pub owned by Punch Taverns which has two rooms served by a central bar counter, The front public bar has the bar counter straight opposite the entrance on the left of the room, bench seats against the walls with only three or four small tables, a large flat screen TV in the opposite corner to the counter and modern arty black and white photos on the one wall with various brewery posters and memorabilia on the other walls. On the right of the bar counter is the entrance to the back room which is equally small with only three tables, no bar counter this side, but more of a large serving hatch, both rooms have authentic wooden beams. From here there is access to the large beer garden at the back of the pub. The pub interior is fairly unremarkable but as mentioned by the previous reviewer the main attraction is the incredible 14th century timber building behind the pub, it must be one of the “oldest timber” buildings in the town and it’s occasionally used as a shelter for smokers!!! Absolutely bonkers.
Regular ales are Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Courage directors and Wells Bombardier with a single changing guest beer which was Wychwood Hobgoblin on my visit (GBG 2010). The beer range consists of all safe bets but they were all well kept in my opinion.
This is a good drinkers pub with some character which is worth a visit when on this side of the town, even if it’s just to see the remarkable 14th century smoking shelter! (Some one should do a risk assessment on that shelter). More suitable for gents than women or couples and there was no indication that food is provided, could do with two less national beers replaced by two Shropshire guest ales instead, I would definitely return but there are better real ale pubs in Shrewsbury.
On 8th September 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 199 recommendations about 199 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Nag's Head
This medieval building stands just up the hill from the English Bridge, its overhanging eaves spectacularly setting it out from the flat brick walls of its neighbours. The pub isn’t particularly large or spacious and the general ambience leans towards the rock / indie side of things that would attract student types. The unpretentious and quite basic interior is split into 2 distinct areas with a small central bar and has quite a scruffy and random appearance with walls plastered with a selection of posters, adverts and brewery mirrors. The 5 ales are a bit unadveturous by Shrewsbury standards; Courage Best, Bombardier, Landlord, Youngs and Hobgoblin on my visit.
The most interesting aspect of the pub is out the back in the large beer garden where the skeletal remains of a 14th century building now double up as one of the more bizarre smoker’s shelters that you will come across in a pub. Shrewsbury is full of interesting and varied pubs and whilst the Nags Head wouldn’t be among the first on the list, it is certainly worth popping in, especially when there is wall to wall Thin Lizzy on the jukebox.
On 13th March 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]