 |
| Talbot Hotel, Stourbridge (later photo - 29/11/2019) |
The 'Farnham Trubbellers' gathered in the breakfast room at the
Talbot Hotel for a 'continental breakfast'. We had been warned the previous evening that a full English breakfast would not be available as the chef was away. 'Normal' service would be resumed on Thursday.
To pass the time before we caught the bus to Dudley as the first stage of the trip to Walsall, some of us would end up in the nearby Wetherspoon pub,
The Chequers Inn, at the southern end of the High Street.
The attractive centrepiece of the island bar is a reminder that Stourbridge is traditionally associated with the manufacture of glass. Unlike the coffee from the urn at the Talbot hotel, the bean to cup coffee machine here was worth returning to for free refills.
Suitably caffeinated, there was a chance to snap the stylish 1930's style shopfront for
John Pargeter & Sons on the High Street before crossing to
Stourbridge Interchange via the subway under the busy ring road.
Less attractively, we noticed a few closed pubs from the bus on the way to Dudley.
However, passing canals and the chance to see
Dudley Castle from Dudley Interchange were bright spots of the first stage of the journey on this gloomy day.
Separate posts - A
Walsall Wednesday wander and
Destination Bloxwich cover our group's visit to historic pubs in Walsall and Bloxwich.
Returning to Stourbridge from Bloxwich, via Wolverhampton, the group set off for The Chequers Inn (only to discover that the kitchen was closed). However, as I had eaten earlier, I visited the
Red House Boutique, near the subway from Stourbridge Interchange.
 |
| Red House Boutique (later photo - 28/11/2019) |
Featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, this large pub is popular with a younger age group and the classic hits music playing from
Gold radio was mainly to my taste.
Sitting on my own in a quiet corner, it was nice to be approached by manager Danii to ask if I was enjoying my £3.50 pint of Northern Monk 'Don't mess with Yorkshire ale'. She explained that they regularly have tap takeovers at the pub like their current range of
Northern Monk beers on cask and keg.
In turn, this would become my excuse to later approach Danii at the bar and ask her to pose with a copy of
Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine, which I edit.
After finishing my pint, I returned to the nearby Duke William, visited earlier the previous evening.
A half pint (£1.85) of
Craddock's Cast Iron stout would make the ideal nightcap.
It was pleasant to return to the table by the side windows and relax in the dimly lit room with just the sound of lively conversations rather than a radio stream that included irritating advertisements.
I left for the Talbot Hotel before midnight as there would be more Black Country pubs to visit on Thursday.
