http://www.instagram.com/shropshire_swillers

The Shropshire Swillers, Ironbridge (2026)

28/10/2026

Titterstone Clee might not be the county top, but in terms of the pub county top she certainly holds that distinction as the home to the Golden Cross in Cleehill, the last pub in this mining village that inherited the crown from the nearby Kremlin when it closed in 2015.

Number 465 dates to the late 18th or early 19th century and stands in the dead centre of the village on the old turnpike road. Joining her on the roadside were the Angel, Royal Oak and Victoria, whilst up the hill stood the Dhustone and the Kremlin/Craven Arms. A little further south there was the Lion, Colliers, Penny Black and the Bennett's End, only the latter of which remains open, and altogether it's fair to say the area was blessed with a remarkable number of pubs that largely opened thanks to the mining boom that brought thousands to the hillside to claw for coal and stone.

For a short while 3 years ago Cleehill was without a pub full stop after a 6 month closure at the Cross, which has resurrected itself with a bit of a thing for karaoke but altogether remains a work in progress with improvements continuing both inside and out. As a case in point, a few bikers from the Black Country stopped by looking for a bite to eat during our visit; this is one of the missing pieces of the puzzle they're looking to address in due course.

Finding an ale from the Scottish Highlands in the Shropshire Highlands was a surprise but a pleasant one at that and Black Isle's Goldfinch delivered on every level...we'll keep our eye out for it if our plans for Scotland next year come to fruition! Much to do, yes, but much to envisage, and that's the really exciting part.

26/10/2026

Despite the weather it was nice to cross the bridge into Frankwell on Saturday to visit a couple of great pubs we haven't been to for a while at the Wheatsheaf pub Frankwell (Three Tuns ###) and the The Anchor Inn (Laine Mango Pale). Also visited Lucky Shot (Allsopps IPA and Double Diamond), The Armoury (Hobsons Champion Mild ) and the Cross Foxes (M&B Mild) before getting the bus back home, steady little day out that I'll be repeating tomorrow while Charlotte's working 😁🍻

21/10/2026

I dunno if I ended up with saag paneer or paneer karahi but our takeaway from The Shakespeare Inn in Newport was absolutely bob on, a complete relief for us both after a torrid run of deeply average takeaways from various curryhouses over the last few months. I've found it difficult to draw the line between Desi pub and Indian bar and grill, and there's definitely a distinct difference, but for all intents and purposes we're calling this one a pub, if anything for the history and look of the place alone!

The Shakespeare stands on the site of a private house named Hoarwithy, which burned down in the late 18th century. By 1822 it was rebuilt as a licensed premises, then remodelled to the present form in the late 1800's after a successful half century as a well-renowned posting house complete with storage warehousing and in-house ostlers. The sandstone walls of the cellar provide a glimpse into the past, as these are the foundation stones of Hoarwithy, and above ground this cuts a particularly handsome inn featuring retained early 20th century stained glass and the iconic bust of Shakespeare looking down on Upper Bar.

I think what sets our experience of the Shakespeare apart is how genuinely welcome we felt, particularly thanks to the jolly chap in a doo-rag whose name I regretfully didn't acquire. He's just a nice guy, I don't know how else to put it. He didn't have to offer Darcy a bowl of water, dogs aren't even allowed inside, but he still did. Good guy. The inside's nice too, pretty much all laid out for dining as you'd expect but sort of halfway between traditional and neoindustrial - a pleasant gaff all in all. Curry was class and came out so quickly we had to down our halves of Brixton Reliance. Naan was class, pilau was class, chips were standard, no poppadoms but to be honest I only order them for the lime pickle anyway. You pay a bit more than your usual but it's well worth paying the extra for and we will one HUNDRED percent be back for more. Fair play Newport, you've got a banging Desi pub here at number 464.

18/10/2026

Oh yeah, now we're farming. A warm welcome back into the fold goes to The Bridge Inn in Newport, recently reopened by Rowton Brewery as their fifth pub in the TF area. And before you start, no, postcodes and phone numbers don't mean anything, Newport is a town in its own right 🐟🐟🐟

While much of the present structure dates to the late 18th century, a licensed premises has stood on this site since 1747. By 1790 it was advertised as the Cross Keys, but this had changed to the Bridge by 1835 in reference to the nearby road crossing over the Shrewsbury & Newport canal which opened in 1797.

From what I've been told this took a significant investment in both time and money from Rowton, who inherited, essentially, a structure on the brink. Now secured, and the exterior returned to black and white after years painted in a horrid brownish burgundy, the breaking in and expansion of the interior decoration can begin in earnest, hopefully with more of the Roses & Castles theme that adorns some of the signage inside of the pub which we absolutely love!

Even with a selection of 7 handpulls to choose from our philosophy remains the same - we see a mild, we drink a mild. This time it's a new one for us from Blue Bee Brewery in Sheffield and it went down just grand, enjoyed from the last free seats in a house which seems to go on and on through the front room, the public bar and terminating in the old stable block. A big congratulations to everyone at Rowton Brewery, who march on yet again with another great pub in their roster.

15/10/2026

Dear, dear me. As far as I can tell, this is our final pub in Shrewsbury but there was little to celebrate at the Featherbed in Battlefield. This new build Marstons opened in 2014 and was named for the nearby Featherbed Lane, itself thought to have been named for the soft, marshy ground it was laid upon.

I remember coming here fairly shortly after the Featherbed opened and it was just fine, you know, average new Marstons like the Grazing Cow etc etc, but good lord the decline is real. Scribbles all over the streak-stained render, plant pots serving as ashtrays, decade old chewing gum in the carpet, dated furniture, grim, sticky wooden flooring around the bar and, worst of all, two halves of Estrella for SEVEN POUNDS TEN PENCE. I'm not having it. What's the point? Why is anyone here? That's the worst part of it all; the place was 75% full. If the NPC crowd spent 20% of their brainpower they'd head to a decent local independent, spend half as much money, enjoy themselves twice as much and probably go back for more another day. We can't even blame the staff, it's not really their fault, this one's on the Marstons management who've evidently allowed the managed decline to happen for some time now. Anyway, adios number 462, that's Shrewsbury done and dusted 🤟

14/10/2026

Back to Baschurch we go to The Admiral Duncan Baschurch, a pub we missed initially as it's listed as an Indian takeaway on Google Maps! They're half right at least: the Duncan is split down the middle, with the pub to the left and the curryhouse to the right. It definitely deserves to stand out in it's own right though, after two centuries serving Baschurch's rich, poor, and everyone else inbetween.

Active as a public house by at least 1832, number 461 was built atop a medieval burgage plot in the late 18th century and was named for the Admiral Adam Duncan, who led his fleet to victory at Camperdown in 1797 from his flagship HMS Venerable, a ship of the line alleged to have been partially constructed with timbers from the Baschurch area.

The Duncan developed into a small but industrious coaching inn equipped with a paddock, coachouse, a bowling green, a jail cell for holding prisoners in transit and a little stable with four stalls, an area now converted into the games room whose original use was more than obvious to me with one look! In 1849 the Duncan held the coming-of-age party for Rowland Hunt Esq. of Boreatton Hall on his 21st birthday, an event indicative of the esteem that this pub was held in given the larger and grander Station/Boreatton Arms stood just half a mile away.

Now owned by Punch as a sporty village pub, the Duncan may not be as genteel as it once was but when you see the brasso coming out for the hand pumps you know there's still love being poured into it ahead of a renovation next year. We've had every standard of Landlord going by now and our halves were among the best, served by a friendly member of staff who made us feel very welcome! Between the Duncan and the New there's a pretty decent balance of pubs in Baschurch with something for everyone and, lucky for me, an absolute mountain of history 🍻

13/10/2026

A little down the road from the Queen's Head is the Punch Bowl in West Felton, which we found decked out for a well attended party whose numbers were bolstered by the local football team after their 7-1 loss against Shawbury United. As I'm sure someone probably once said, the cure for a battering is to just get battered yourself.

West Felton is bisected by the modern A5 but now incorporates the Twyford Cross area, which developed significantly in response to Telford's new Holyhead Road in the early 19th century. Number 460 was established at the Cross during this era, and was perhaps named in reference to the local Whig politician, naturalist and landowner John Dovaston of The Nursery, whose party supporters claimed the punch bowl as one of their symbols.

After the closure of the Lion/Plough around 1865, now Old Plough Cottage, the post office moved from the Jacobean pub some 150 yards north to the Cross, which became the commercial centre of the village. A barn or stable was subsequently added to the Punch Bowl in 1868, the red brick of which is far more becoming than the outmoded render of the main section, and the Punch Bowl now stands as the only pub in West Felton after the further closure and demolition of the Fox & Hounds in more recent years.

This is another one that was too busy to get many photos of, but in essence it's a two-roomed l***ry village pub in the same vein as the Foresters in Horsehay, a surprise for me given I expected this one to be a gastro for some reason. We each had half a Murphy's, watching the football lads to and fro from the bar knowing full well we stood out like sore thumbs, not least for our lack of that borderland twang in our voices. Best of luck to West Felton for the season ahead, you're still doing miles better than Preston North End whose owners also own the Punch Bowl!

12/10/2026

Still in the Oswestry area, we carry on to the Queen's Head in...Queen's Head! Not many places in Shropshire are named after a pub, Craven Arms being another, but unlike ~the~ Craven Arms this old inn is still going.

In it's heyday Queen's Head was a busy little place, where Thomas Telford's Holyhead Road bisected the canal bringing trade from all angles. Two wharves stood on the eastern bank either side of the bridge, one of which was dedicated to the movement of sand quarried a short distance away and transported by donkey to the barges. Also on the eastern bank opposite the Queen's Head Hotel was a sizeable mill complex, some of which remains, as well as a tollhouse and the Union Inn which is now long demolished.

The b**rhouse era Union was far smaller than the Georgian Queen's Head Hotel, which in WW2 was the headquarters for No. 5 Co. 2nd Bn. Shropshire Home Guard, who provided sentry duty for this vital crossing. I believe the old road was bypassed in the 80's, leaving the Queen's Head out of view from passing traffic. The dark green colourway grabs the attention at least, but the Arial signage doesn't quite suit a coaching inn.

The bypass hasn't deterred the crowds though, and on the day number 459 was far too full for me to get any real interior photos; a shame as the inside is far more handsome and traditional than the exterior. Surprisingly little is made of the canalside setting, especially compared to the Navigation down the water in Maesbury Marsh, whereas here the car park takes up the pub's share of the bank. It's fine, you know, our halves of Station Bitter were sound and they evidently do a roaring trade, but for pinting on the Monty the Navvy takes top spot for us.

10/10/2026

In this economic climate, how on earth can a pub survive on opening one day a week with no website, no social media and no phone number on Google? The power of a good carvery evidently knows no bounds, keeping the Black Horse in Maesbrook ticking over on a mad 4 and a half hours every Sunday that was well worth breaking my month long fast on meat for, if you'll excuse the presentation - you know how it is when you pile a few more bits and bobs on top.

This 18th century pub, once the home of the village animal pound, has kept a nice mix of old and new in the bar area despite several redesigns and extensions over the course of 200 years, the youngest and most significant of which has been the dining rooms to the rear. I have to admit that I'd probably be a big aggravated if my local was only open once a week, and I hope that there aren't too many in Maesbrook who struggle to get to and from their next nearest pub as a result.

Having not been for a carvery since visiting the Down in Bridgnorth a few years back I can't say we're aware of the going rate these days, but for quantity, quality and sheer satisfaction £19 was complete value for money overall in our opinion. There wasn't a single element we didn't enjoy, from the soft, tender Irish beef, crispy roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnips and a lovely pint of Stonehouse Flipside to wash it all down with. Flipside was the only draught option here, with l***r and c***r available in bottles, and we love that they prioritise cask ale ahead of keg! Even Darcy got to enjoy some spare slices of turkey generously gifted to her by the staff, who we found welcoming, gracious and enthusiastic.

We'd much sooner eat at a pub that serves one meal really well than a pub that serves twenty average ones and number 458 exemplifies this best. We rolled out with a reinvigorated appreciation for a pub carvery, and despite the unusual opening hours we give the Black Horse top marks for a Sunday well enjoyed.

08/10/2026

Completing the set from a long day in Ellesmere is the eclectically decorated Vault, a surprisingly spacious pub/bar occupying the cellar of the old town hall that was built in 1833 at the charitable expense of the Countess of Bridgwater for the benefit of the growing market town.

I can't help but feel like I've been terribly misinformed about number 457, which I was led to believe was some sort of craft b**r bar. I'd like to curse whoever told me this as I'd gained quite an unfair set of expectations as a result, and was disappointed to find our ale options limited to a rebadged Beartown cask pale, Beartown keg IPA and Hobgoblin IPA.

This is entirely my fault, of course, for being too lax in my pre-crawl research, but this is still a pretty cool and quirky town centre hangout and given the half eight crowd was the busiest we saw on the night it's evident that this is one of Ellesmere's most popular spots, with live music most Saturdays and a welcome for all including a hen party at one point, which I'd anticipate is a rare sight in Ellesmere given Chester and Liverpool are on the doorstep!

Two pints of Holstens later we were on our way back to the White Hart, with Charlotte full of inspiration for our own cellar back home which houses our bathroom. Hopefully this vision has something to do with installing our own Holstens tap next to the bathtub, but for some reason I feel as though this won't be the case. Thanks again to mum, dad, Rod, Jo and Layla for joining us, and to Ellesmere in general for the pints, memories and friendliness throughout the day!