Shoe In For Woodville’s New Inn

It’s all well and good blogging about obscure Midlands suburbs and Bass boozers but Dave Southworth wants his bread and butter.

He wants to read about new pubs in exotic drinking destinations such as Ashby De La Zouch, Coalville, Whitwick and of course Woodville.

I’ve not been to Swadlincote’s next door suburb for a drink since 2017 and a trip to the Nelson Inn

Not only does Woodville have John Hurt as arguably its most famous son, which they reckon trumps Swadlincote’s Jack Bodell, it also has a fantastic example of art deco which is currently used as a garage.

(filters….but actual sun in Derbyshire)

Wetherspoons missed a trick in Woodville as this has got Spoons potential written all over it. Based on one of the busiest and most chaotic roundabouts in Derbyshire, it would have been perfect for Tim before he started his cull.

Kwik Fit have got if for the time being though and Woodville’s most iconic building is flanked by your archetypal wet led Woodville pub the  472 – New Inn DE11 7EH.

With no Spoons until you reach either Swad or Ashby De La Zouch (just for you Dave) then their only nearby rivals is the aforementioned Nelson Inn, about 100 yards further up the High Street, which probably shares a similar crowd.

It’s a two-roomer with dart boards and apparently there was a former bowling green out the back.  According to CAMRA there are rumours about this being one of the first operating Bass Houses and it was definitely a Bass pub until the late 1990s when it was sold to Punch and is now in Heineken’s hands.

Now I’m not sure if it is because I’ve had a relatively dry spell recently, but the Pedigree (Marston’s) (one choice – two pump clips) was as good a pint of Pedi as I’ve had for a long time.

Sweet, quaffable and absolute nectar.  I could almost hear the late Richard Coldwell in my ear telling me it is brewed by exactly the same people who brew Bass but, either way, it was a corker.

(lacings)

Of course, being 2019, this is Woodville’s craft bar and as I had no cash I had to use their cashless card machine, which meant I needed to spend a fiver for it to work.

Woodville is still East Midlands prices though and £3.30 left me with a shortfall and only crisps and maltesers as a viable option to reach a fiver.

The barmaid was very helpful and suggested I put ‘one behind the bar’ and before I knew it I was £6.60 lighter with a pint of Burton’s finest!

Of course, and purely for research purposes you understand, I had to try the second one to see if it was up to scratch and I can confirm it was top notch.

Eighties hits from MTV were on the TV screen in the background and a cracking conversation between about six locals was in full flow.

One of the lads mistakenly said a plane had landed in Woodville and was under the cosh with barrage of banter that was on a par with anything Ibstock and Whitwick have got to offer.

(Round 2 – spot the difference)

Art Deco buildings, top notch Pedigree and more fast food takeaways than you can shake a stick at…Woodville is the place to be in 2019.

And with the GBG reverting back to proper boozers this year (it must be true, I read it on Martin’s blog) then what odds this being Derbyshire’s new entrant in 2021…..