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Detail Pages
Arkwright Arms, Chesterfield
Duckmanton
Postal town: Chesterfield
S44 5JG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about Arkwright Arms
My first visit to the Arkwright Arms since the depredations of the Covid-19 pandemic. A quick comparison between the 13 live beers I counted in 2012 and the six hand pumps (one without a pump clip) suggests that things are quieter, but I didn't make a note of any "craft" keg offerings, which may have taken up some of the slack. Perhaps I should go back and check. I went for a pale beer called Joker (made with the hops called jester) from the very reliable Whim Ales in the Peak District; it was very good (NBSS 3.5) and still under £4 a pint.
My notes made at the time riff on the "dog friendliness" of the pub. A madly hyper dog came in with its equally badly trained human, and started barking at everything, to the bewilderment of two calm dogs who were watching quietly with raised eyebrows. Those two got a tickle behind the ears from their humans.
Date of visit: 2nd July 2023
On 5th September 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3730 recommendations about 3467 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Arkwright Arms
Called in this 2016 Good Beer Guide pub on a CAMRA coach tour, and had a wander round the 2 well appointed bars as it is over 10 years since I was last here. Breweries featured were Newby Wyke, New-K-Ham, Shugborough, Greene King, Whim, North Yorkshire, Kings Clipstone, Raw and Welbeck Abbey and we managed 3 excellently kept ales in the time we were there. There is also a good selection of ciders and a board gives tasting notes for all beers and ciders.
On 19th April 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Arkwright Arms
There's a banner on the front of this eccentrically designed building, proclaiming it the winner of Derbyshire Camra's Pub of the Year 2008. I didn't spend as much time exploring the pub as PSM (below), so I was glad to read of their "countless CAMRA awards including Chesterfield and District Pub of the Year 2011". Certainly a beer list that featured no fewer than 13 real ales (with another blackboard listing Belgian bottled beers) suggested a commitment to good beer that deserves some sort of recognition.
I only stopped for a quick half as I was cycling, but my Muirhouse Smoked Porter was spot on. Muirhouse Brewery is in Ilkeston, about 25 miles away, but there were also beers from Raw Brewery of Staveley, just down the road, and one from Dancing Duck in Derby. I don't think I've ever seen such an eclectic beer list: from further afield there were beers from Navigation (Nottingham), Liverpool Organic, Bradfield, Burton Bridge, Whim and from XT Brewery of Thame, Buckinghamshire. Interestingly, there was a "Speciality Lager" from Taddington Brewery near Buxton, and, for the less adventurous, a well-travelled offering from Greene King of Bury St Edmonds. I will definitely be back, and this time my bike can stay at home.
On 7th December 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3730 recommendations about 3467 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Arkwright Arms
The Arkwright Arms is a large, two room roadside pub on the busy A632 from Chesterfield to Bolsover, relatively close to Junction 29a of the M1. Boasting a fine looking brewer's Tudor exterior, the pub is certainly easy to spot and can be reached on the 82 & 83 buses that run every 15 minutes from Chesterfield town centre. Entering into the lounge bar on the left hand side of the building, you pass through a doorway with a nice stained glass window with the image of a dragon in it. The room is carpeted with the servery to the right and a sizable seating area in an open space at the front. My Saturday lunchtime visit coincided with the arrival of a large CAMRA group who had travelled all the way down from Sunderland to award the local Raw brewery with their 'Beer of the Festival' award. Therefore, this seating area was absolutely packed and I had to settle down at one of the two tables opposite the bar which had one long banquette running past both tables under a large Bass Brewery mirror. From here I could inspect their well organised displays of pump clips as well as countless CAMRA awards including Chesterfield and District Pub of the Year 2011. An archway past the end of the bar counter leads into a restaurant area which looks quite smart and extends through another archway to the back of the building. The public bar on the right hand side of the pub is quite basic, with a pool table taking up much of the space and limiting seating options. A TV screen was showing Liverpool vs. Man Utd and there were a few slot machines here and there.
The first thing I saw on entering the pub was a huge blackboard listing all the ales available including helpful tasting notes. I was treated to an excellent selection and found it hard to choose from Raw Anibus Porter and Black Ghost IPA, Greene King Abbot and Abbot Reserve, Muirhouse Magnum Mild, Durham Magus (£2.60), Oldershaw Yuletide, Off Beat Way Out Wheat and Out of Step IPA, Hornbeam Citrus Temptation and Mary Rose Bitter and Real Ale Corner Under Racked. As if that wasn't enough, I counted 11 different ciders and 5 perries as well as an interesting keg range that included Taddington Moravka lager and a Belgian bottled beer range. I tried the Magus and Black Ghost IPA, both of which were on top form and served by the very friendly proprietors. Food is well priced with mains around the £6-7 mark. I had a toasted sandwich with chips which was really nice and a good portion size.
I'm really glad that I made the effort to visit this place as it's an excellent pub and a worthy winner of all those awards. A great place for the ale drinker to spend an afternoon, but the pub has a much wider appeal than that and I would recommend anyone who might be in the area to give it a look.
On 4th February 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]