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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Olde England, Kingsley Park, Northampton
Northampton
NN1 4BP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Olde England
A bit of a walk out North from the town centre, this is an unusual three storey micropub on the fringe of The Racecource park. Arriving at opening time, I thought it would be a bit weird to vanish onto one of the other floors, so I only managed to check out the ground floor, which is a very small bare boarded space in the style of a Dutch brown cafe. This room is so small, that there’s only enough space for a small servery to the left of the entrance and a few low stools and tables. The bar has a traditional counter front with a cartwheel nailed to one side and barrel ends on the bar back, where a few keg taps can also be found. A small brick fireplace stands next to the bar, with an unlit stove inside and a good pump clip collection above. Despite being a shop converted micropub, the place has managed to generate a traditional pub feel thanks to all the wall panelling and decor that includes old bottles, jugs and earthenware in the windows, a few pub signs, some old paintings, tankards hanging from the ceiling beams and bizarrely a collection of old vehicle tax disks. All of this was weirdly contrasted by a strange dance soundtrack, which definitely didn’t fit the timber-framed, old-school vibe of the pub. Stairs lead up and down to the other floors, but they’ll have to wait for a return visit.
Despite arriving dead on opening time, I wasn’t the first customer and others soon followed in after me, which has to be a good sign. This meant I couldn't loiter at the bar for long, so I ordered a pint of Castle Rock Griff and grabbed a seat, only managing to note that several other beers were available on cask, including brews from Potbelly, Bloke Down the Pub and Beowulf. The barman was very friendly and I really enjoyed the Griff, which was in good shape.
I probably didn’t get the best impression of this place, as the main bar space is pretty cramped and uncomfortable, whereas I suspect the upper and lower floors provide better seating spaces suited to longer visits. It’s a pretty good micropub nonetheless, and I particularly liked its attempts to style something a bit more pub-like compared to most of its contemporaries.
On 29th December 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Olde England
Quirky three level pub, street level, cellar and upstairs, the downstairs section was closed on our visit and the servery was basically serving hatch upstairs, there was numerous beers on, at least ten from stillage, my Hydes Lowery was very good, the bar maid gave a couple of our group a tour of the downstairs room despite it being closed and it was a very interesting space with lots of nooks and cranny's with secluded seating.
Back upstairs more dark wood and seating areas on the street level area, upstairs is a more basic room but full of curios like suits of armor and mounted Boar and Deer heads, paintings and pictures of interest. A bit of a hike from the train station but more than worth the effort.
On 6th May 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Olde England
A lovely three level pub (from a shop conversion) on a street corner. The bar (the only one that we noticed, anyway) is downstairs (somewhat smelly with quarry tile floor), with seating on all three levels. Three ales on here that I could see, Vale Gravitas, Ringwood and Church Brewing, the latter of which was in good shape. It appears that more available elsewhere down here but in the crowded scrum post-football we must have missed them. We took our seat in the ground floor (aka the mid-section room) which had wood panelling, wood seating. All-in-all it’s a quirky place that certainly demands a visit when in Northampton and I think I must have missed a chunk of the fun via an upstairs bar so I will definitely be back.
On 13th August 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Olde England
We too enjoyed our visit here, and it was only a five minute walk from the Lamplighter. You enter the pub through a corner entrance into a ground floor seating area. The cellar bar was shut on our visit, most probably as it was a mid week. The first floor consisted of the kitchen on the left at the top of the stairs and on the right there was a small serving hatch and behind this, was their cold room. There was a front lounge area with long wooden tables and robust wooden chairs. There was also a small wood burning stove at one end throwing out plenty of heat.
The young barman was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the beers. There were 14 ales on the beer board on this visit. We tried Pot Belly Hoptrotter, Crouch Vale Gold, Purple Moose Resolution and Great Oakley Welland Valley Mild, an excellent mild may I add. The prices here were good, around the £2.75 a pint mark.
On 2nd March 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about Olde England
The Olde England has been operating as a pub for a year or two and has built up a good reputation. I'd been advised to visit both for the ale selection and the uniqueness of the pub.
It certainly is unusual. You enter into a small room with wood clad walls, wooden floor boards and heavy rustic type furniture all kept warm by a large and efficient log burner. There isn't a bar though. Ahead is a narrow staircase which takes you past the kitchen and the bar is then a small hatch off the corridor which leads to the main upstairs room. This is rectangular and again fitted out with heavy rustic furniture and a warming log burner and was set up for eating on our visit as I'd guess is usual. I only caught a glimpse of the short but interesting menu but it was certainly proving popular on a Tuesday evening.
The beer upstairs is on stillage with the only indication of what's available being pump clips stuck on the wall. Given that the 15 or so available ales at the upstairs bar are predominantly from local micros, a board with some sort of brief description may be useful but maybe the beer turns over too regularly to make this a practical option.
There is also a staircase, to your right on entry, which leads down to the cellar where there is the only conventional bar in the pub although the 10 handpumps are behind a glass window to your right. There's another rectangular room down here which doesn't follow the theme of the rest of pub but is decorated with various pictures in keeping with the theme.
The welcome's warm here and the pub seems to be staffed by knowledgable real ale enthusiasts, some complete with luxuriant beards. Games are readily available and there are packs of cards left on some of the tables.
BEER: As mentioned, the bar upstairs has 15 constantly changing local micros on which included beers from Julian Church (Kettering), Nobbys (Guilsborough), Potbelly (Kettering), Frog Island (Northampton) and Whittlebury (Whittlebury) as well as from Growler and Milestone further afield.
The cellar bar has 10 handpumps which on our visit were taken up with: Adnams Broadside, Dow Bridge (Catthorpe) Praetorian Porter, Castle Eden Ale, Oakham Bishops Farewell and JHB, Nobby's Guilsborough Gold, Newby Wyke Bear Island, Youngs Best and Vale Gravitas and Brill Gold. More of a national bias than the upstairs bar but with a couple of local brews thrown in.
I tried the J. Church Cained and Unable upstairs and Praetorian Porter downstairs both of which were very good but the selection is incredible and includes some very good beers.
I'd recommend a visit for both the range of ales and a look at the imaginative way that this former shop has been transformed. I'll certainly visit again for the beer and perhaps to try the food.
On 12th March 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Olde England
A highly unusual shop conversion at the edge of town with a vast selection of real ale and very popular for food.You enter into a small ground floor room,wood panelled and on different levels with traditional pub furniture but no sign of any bar.The steep stairs lead to the first floor kitchen ,loos and a small serving alcove where the selection of ales is noted by pump clips on the wall,on my trip 15 with 5 coming soon.Polypins are used up here but you cant see the stillage,the barman simply hands you your selection,which up here is dominated by Northamptonshire micros with multiple offerings from Potbelly,Nobby's,Whittlebury,Julian Church and Frog Island available on my trip.The room beyond the serving alcove has a wood burner and several large wooden tables many with reserved signs for the diners,so food can dominate in this section.We slipped back to the ground floor with it's nooks and crannies and another very warming wood burner.
However it is important to descend down to the cellar bar,if it is open,for this is where the better selection of real ale exists drawn from 10 handpumps.The bearded barman was very knowledgeable and explained that his selection here was more dominated by "national "brands by which he meant not brewed in Northamptonshire !There is seating in a seperate section in the cellar where a flatscreen on the wall was off,and pictures of olde England adorned the walls.Eclectic rock tracks were playing at a reasonable volume,there are loos down here and a very charming little alcove but the lack of heating was an issue on a night when few people were populating the cellar,it all felt a bit gothic.
Needless to say ale quality was top notch,I really enjoyed my Nobby's Ralph Revenge (upstairs) and Dow Bridge Praetorian Porter and Oakham Bishops Farewell (cellar),it's in the 2014 GBG.
This pub is really unique and must be visited when in Northampton.By all accounts it gets very popular at weekends,and booking for food seems wise.I am hard pressed to think of any other pub with such a wide real ale choice,it's like a permanent beer festival.
On 6th March 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]