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| Crown Inn Market Street Oakengates Telford Shropshire TF2 6EA (01952) 610888 Fax: (01952) 617659 Email. |
The Crown Inn is an independent
freehouse and sits almost
opposite the Duke of York in the small but friendly town of Oakengates. It has three
distinct drinking areas, a public bar and a lounge, though all have no carpet. You can
enter the pub from the bus station at the rear, or from the front - Market Street. The
beers are always varied from local and further afield. The only regular is the Hobson's
Best Bitter. At time of visit they were Wye Valley Crown Anniversary (specially brewed for
the pub), Church End Tinsel Tonsil Tickler, Bunces Pigswill, and Phoenix Thirsty Moon plus
another four. Beers tend to be from those small hard to find micros. The board which tells
you what's waiting in the cellar to come out was full - another 12
beers. The beers
are
keenly priced and some will be surprised if they live their lives in a city. Beer
festivals are held twice a year in May and October
and these specialise in beers from
new and independent breweries. The festivals have 40-60 new
beers, by that we mean haven't been seen anywhere else yet.
This place could become a Mecca for real ale lovers and
it's only 20mins on the train from Wolverhampton, 37 mins from
Birmingham and only 4 minutes walk from Oakengates station, with good road
links all round (just off the M54). Be warned, sometimes they have beers on in the
'public'
bar to the rear that are not always (obviously) available on the
board in
the front bar, so check first. Opening times vary, so be warned also, it gets
progressively later throughout the week. At time of visit there was no food available
(though they do food (rolls) during beer festivals). There are some restaurants
around, and as always there are a selection of takeaways within 20 yards. The Crown
Inn itself has bright decor of whitewashed walls and
decent seating. There is some barrel seating in the smaller third area towards the
toilets. You can also play darts if you wish, but they take it seriously round here. At
time of visit there was a suggestion box for your favourite beer. If your name was picked
you won a gallon of your favourite - sounds good to me. Outside at the rear
there is a picnic table which is really the extent of the beer garden. Access for the disabled is also available at the rear
as there are too many steps at the front (see pic). There is no accommodation at the
Crown
Inn.
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| Additional Notes: |
 The
award-winning Crown Inn in Oakengates is preparing for some of the busiest
weeks in its history. Landlord John Ellis is looking forward to Cask Beer
Week, which runs from this Friday until Sunday 28th September and
is organised to celebrate the large number of tasty British Beers available
today. “Britain has over 400 breweries producing thousands of lip-smacking
ales,” said John “and the Crown Inn is aiming to have as many of them
available as possible.” To add to the fun, John has organised a range of
different events to entertain customers.
MUSIC - To get people in the mood, top Midlands singer/songwriter, Dave Onions, visits this Thursday evening with his own brilliantly quirky songs and amazing guitar playing. Landlord John Ellis said “We believe in being different at the Crown Inn and that includes our entertainment policy. You won’t see many entertainers at the Crown who you would find at other Telford venues. We bring entertainment from all over the country, as well as Europe and North America.” There is no charge for any event. Saturday afternoon sees “Classics and Barbeque”, where you can enjoy and end of Summer munch with classical recordings. The first day of Autumn should see the first autumn ales, while Thursday 25th heralds the monthly Audition Night and Jam Session. This allows anyone to have their 15 minutes of fame in front of a live audience. CHEESE & CONKERS - Saturday 27th sees the start of British Cheese Week and the informal “Oakengates Cheese Club” will be meeting in the afternoon to try some different tastes. Anyone can come along and bring a tasty piece to share. The following day sees two events packed in. The 2nd Annual Oakengates International Conker Competition will start at 2 p.m. and, if the competition is as fierce as last year, could go on for several hours. However, all has to be ready for the quiz at 8.30 p.m. This costs £1 per person to enter and all the entrance fees are re-distributed as prize money. This might sound like enough to keep most pubs busy for months, but John Ellis has to prepare for even more. “We will keep the events moving, because everything has to ready for the 15th Telford Beer Festival, which starts on Thursday 2nd October,” he explained. “It is the World’s largest pub-based hand-pulled beer festival and attracts visitors to Oakengates from all over the country.” It looks like John Ellis is going to be one of the busiest people around for weeks to come! (John Ellis - Landlord, 2003) |
| New opening hours are: Mon - Wed: 12:30-3:00, 5:00-11:00, Thu - Sat: 12:00-11:00, Sun: 12:30-10:30 |
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Real
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Nearest
Accommodation: |
| Duke of York Market Street Oakengates off A442 Telford. |
The Duke of York sits opposite the Crown Inn (which single handedly promotes decent real ale in Oakengates). The Duke is also just a short walk from the BR station at Oakengates (just come out of the station and walk to the bus station opposite the entrance, then turn left just before you get to it). When we arrived the Duke was like a ripping yarn, with the locals staring you out, and those not too engrossed in the football to care. Open all day, it serves Bank's any way you like, frothy head, smooth head and so on. It also serves it in oversized, un-lined glasses, so be prepared for a large head and that's not the 'smoothflow' system either. It also serves the mild which is marginally better than the bitter. The decor is traditional pub, wooden beams, dark carpets, dark walls and Laura Ashley curtains. The bar is a 'small' piece of Spanish kitsch and on a busy night forget being served. Nice to view though is the fish tank where a fireplace used to be. The public bar is different, pool tables and bare floors and darts. Open all day there is no food Sunday evenings, though check for availability at other times. The toilets are well kept, but watch out for the hot tap in the gents, it doesn't work, brrrrr! There is no accommodation here but try Redvers Guest House, Holyhead Rd, Oakengates, TF2 6BE. 01952 615336 Email. Traditional Bed and Breakfast, evening meal by arrangement. Colour television and wash basin. (B. Dicks)
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