Loving Lenton Life

You left me contemplating the future of pubs in a big cavernous new build on a retail park in Wednesbury. 

Even Paul WME couldn’t get too excited about a non-descript chain pub but there is still trad pub life alive and kicking in Lenton.

This suburb of Nottingham, next door to Beeston and the University, has some proper old skool pubs amongst its roster and there are still two stonkers backing onto the Nottingham Canal.

773 – The Johnson Arms NG7 2NZ is decorated with those gorgeous tiles that Corby Mark would have found in his previous blog before he started necking lager, watching football and drinking in flat roof estate pubs.

It’s the Shipstones Tap House and has a veritable array on the pumps when I popped in on a midweek afternoon.

You can’t fail to be impressed by the place and it just oozes history whilst also delivering top class drop of IPA (Shipstones).

The barmaid was friendly, the sport was on in the background and it was quiet…not a lot else to report but this is a pub that needs to be preserved….

If you walk about 500 yards round the corner you will stumble across 774 – The Boat Inn NG7 2NX

Even though it was 12.01pm  I was followed in by about four people, which is always a good sign for a backstreet local. 

The gaffer obviously kept a good pub and there were lots of quirks as well as some Home Brewery livery out front.

More top notch tiling and etched windows, bench seating and oak panels all over the place and there was a steady stream of punters as another four lads came in. 

I sat near the naughty corner

and had a very decent pint of Tribute (St Austell) and watched the world go by. 

There’s plenty of student accommodation in Lenton but this had the feel of a locals boozer and is a real classic.

There’s plenty of bad news stories at present with pubs closing at an unprecedented rate of knots. 

However, if gems like this can survive then my faith in pubs will be restored…