Chelmsford – Railway Tavern

Located near to the railway station and the Ale House is this pub which looks quite small from the front, but is suitably long and sizeable when looked at from the side. It’s listed in the Good Beer Guide and so I felt that it deserved a quick visit.

There was a friendly welcome from the barman and there was a traditional feel to the interior, a proper pub. There’s a railway theme, which isn’t a surprise, and there were plenty of locals drinking (I took the photo during a brief quiet spell) but it wasn’t cliquey.

Some of the railway decor.

The barman apologised that there were no stouts or porters, he explained that they didn’t have the trade for them at the moment. Most of the customers seemed to be ordering lagers, so I can understand his difficulty here. He did though have a mild, which I think is a decent compromise, which was the Black Prince from Wantsum Brewery. The beer was better than I had anticipated, smooth and with a pleasant aftertaste. Wantsum are a brewery from Kent and their beers are named after historical events or people, which is a quite marvellous idea.

I liked this pub, all a little understated perhaps, but it was what a pub needed to be, which was welcoming and homely. The beer selection isn’t exceptional at the moment, but these are troubled times and I liked that the barman explained that there’s normally more. This seems to be a worthwhile addition to the Good Beer Guide in my view, a little treat for those who need a drink before getting their train.