It seems a very long time ago that a pub with a Northamptonshire Skittles Table featured on this blog. I guess familiarity breeds complacency when it comes to covering your own local pub game, indeed my own village pub has a table that's yet to feature on here. Even then it was an afternoon visit to Rugby and not Northants that led to this post.
Despite a great many trips to Rugby over the years involving numerous good pubs (most of which are still with us I'm pleased to say, though sadly not our old favourite and former Hoskins Brewery house The Peacock), this would be my first visit to the Raglan Arms. A slightly negligent state of affairs you might think given that the Raglan is undoubtedly my kind of pub. But as the current relief landlord explained to me, even though the pub is on the very edge of the town centre, and barely a stone's throw from some of its very best boozers, it seems to get missed by visitors to Rugby, myself included obviously! This is a great shame as the Raglan has an excellent reputation as a friendly and welcoming locals pub, as well as being one of the towns premier destinations for real ale. It's also a pub that opens all-day every-day throughout the week, which as anyone who visits pubs on slow midweek afternoons will know, is an increasingly rare and welcome thing.
The Raglan has recently had a bit of a spruce-up too, reopening in the house style of new owners Black Country Ales, a small West Midlands brewery and pub company that's helped secure the future of many traditional pubs like the Raglan in recent years. In fact the pub very nearly closed for good way back in 2007, with plans submitted to redevelop the site as residential flats. Thankfully the Raglan was rescued on that occasion by local businessman David Hines, revitalising the pub as a popular real ale destination and CAMRA award winner in a town not exactly short of great beer pubs.
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Anyone that's visited one of Black Country Ales more recent acquisitions will recognise the overall look of the pub. Very traditional in appearance with stained wood and brass fittings throughout. It very much reminds me of Black Country Ales pubs the Salmon and Kings Head in Leicester, even down to the televised beer list, a necessary requirement given the number of beers on tap.
The skittles table is a long-term fixture of the pub, although actually owned by the home skittles team and not the brewery. A beautifully maintained WT Black & Son table, it's early history can be found stencilled on the underside (below). Once you realise this information is hidden away underneath the table, it's very hard not to go looking for it, though it's probably wise to explain to the bar staff what you're doing before getting down on hands and knees and crawling around on the carpet for a better view!
The numbers seen here tell us that this would have been the 80th table produced by the Northampton company, and that it was constructed in 1957, probably in September of that year. I believe the other dates refer to a series of refurbishments by WT Black & Son, dated at 1963, 1971, and 1973.
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5 comments:
Mark
When ever you post something new I always get thirsty and want to play a game of skittles.
That is entirely as it should be Al, I just wish more people would follow your excellent example. Cheers, Mark
BCA are an excellent pub company. Keep things traditional and invest well in former struggling boozers.
Fine looking place
Britain Beermat
Agreed. There have been occasions when BCA have taken over venerated beer venues and subsequently altered the beer range. For some the beer is everything in a pub, and presumably they'd rather see it close than become tied to a company like BCA who exercise their entirely sensible right to put their own beers on the bar. The bigger picture of a pub being saved from closure and refurbished to a more attractive state is sadly lost on some...
Despite being in Dorset I am always thrilled to see that 'your version' of skittles is going strong. Keep up the good work everyone!
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