29 Market Street, Tamworth, B79 7LR
Albion Road, Marden, TN12 9DT
Riviera Centre, Torquay
11-13 April 2025
23 Haltwhistle Road, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5ZA
Unit 11, Valley Point Industrial Estate, Beddington Farm Road, Beddington, CR0 4WP
Argyle Place, Love Road, Lowestoft, NR32 2NZ
116, Foregate Street, Chester, Chester, CH1 2HH
This 200-year-old pub has outgrown its chequered past and blossomed to embrace a modern era. The Grade II listed building has been restored and its faded and rather tired décor has been given a new lease of life – all in tune with its grade 2 listed status.
With 3 Robinsons beers and 2 guest hand pumps atop a wonderful tiled bar it is an impressive view that meets your eyes as you walk through the door. There is also a fine array of bottles and keg beers for those needing more. There are 2 back rooms plus a further upstairs room, bands often perform in the large backroom. The front room features an excellent jukebox.
Historic Interest
Grade II listed dating from 1776.
Three star - A pub interior of outstanding national historic importance
Listed status: II
A small city centre pub with alterations of around 1900. This is one of a number of Kay's Atlas Brewery pubs with ceramic frontages. The interior has a layout of three rooms with a corridor down the right-hand side. The original vestibule on the right has been replaced with a smaller one, but the mosaic floor declaring 'Castle Hotel' remains and 'The Castle' is named in the inner door etched panel. The small public bar has a wonderful colourful glazed ceramic bar counter front – one of only thirteen such examples left in the whole of the UK. Also remaining is a fine old bar-back fitting, 1960s fixed seating and a good patterned anaglypta ceiling. The partition between the bar and the corridor was removed many years ago. A door beyond the public bar servery announces ‘Bar Parlour’ in its glasswork and the room retains old fixed seating , bell pushes and a baffle by the door. At the rear is an extended and modernised room albeit with notable old leaded windows in the partition separating it from the corridor.
Early to mid C19 small city centre pub with c.1900 alterations. It has a brown ceramic frontage with raised white lettering 'CASTLE HOTEL'. This is one of a number of Kay's Atlas Brewery pubs with ceramic frontages. The interior has a layout of three rooms with a corridor down right-hand side. The partition between the corridor and the public bar was removed many years ago. A vestibule on the right has been replaced with a smaller one, but the mosaic 'Castle Hotel' floor remains and the inner door has a 'The Castle' etched panel. The small public bar has a wonderful colourful glazed faience (both ceramic and tiles) bar counter front - one of only thirteen such examples left in the whole of the UK; it has a new wooden top. Also retained is a fine old bar back fitting, 1960s fixed seating and there is a good patterned anaglypta ceiling. The left-hand door, which gives directly onto the street, is disused.
The patterned ceiling continues into the passageway to the rear. A door beyond the public bar servery has a 'Bar Parlour' etched and frosted glass panel and the room retains old fixed bench seating on two sides, some bell pushes, a baffle by the door, and has a reproduction Victorian-style fireplace. Further down the passageway at the rear left is an extended and modernised room with a stage for music events. Although containing no original fittings it does have a partition wall with old leaded windows separating it from the corridor. Note the carved corbels for the beams.
Other Heritage Pubs with a ceramic bar counter are the Black Horse, Preston, Lancashire; Burlingtons Bar (at the Town House), St Annes on Sea, Lancashire; Mountain Daisy, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear; Red Lion, Erdington, Birmingham; Polar Bear, Hull, East Yorkshire; White Hart Hotel, Hull, East Yorkshire; Garden Gate, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire; Golden Cross, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales; Crown, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Other examples can be found at Horse & Jockey, Wednesbury, West Midlands where a small part on the left has been lost; Hark to Towler, Tottington, Greater Manchester where the bar has been moved; Waterloo Hotel & Bistro, Newport, Gwent, Wales which has no public bar facility; and there is one in China Red which was the Coach & Horses, Dunswell, East Yorks and now operates as a Chinese Restaurant.
This Pub serves 2 changing beers and 3 regular beers.
Castle Hotel, Manchester
Live Music
Garden
Dog Friendly
Function Room
Smoking
Real Ale
Real Heritage Pub
Love Cask Beer?
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