New Engine House, Carlton, Nottingham

The steam engine that gave the pub its name in situ in the 1970's

It's perhaps some measure of the lack of ambition in much of the pub trade, that on those rare occasions when the larger brewers and pub owning companies spot an opportunity to build a new pub, they invariably settle for such dull, utterly characterless, off-the-peg designs. Functional, single-room family dining venues, safe and similar, almost entirely lacking in charm, let alone the kind of local distinctiveness that makes pubs at their best so special. Hasn't it always been this way though?

Certainly breweries have always had their 'house styles' when it comes to new pubs, and it's true that many of the later 20th century estate builds were far from attractive, even by the standards of the most innexpensive post-war architecture and design. But they were always essentially 'pubs' at heart, usually multi-room, and designed to encourage social interaction on many different levels including provision for games and sport of course. Also, there would always be space in the pub for locals to stamp their own identities, interests and personal tastes on, even if it was just a noticeboard for local leagues and societies.

When Nottingham's Shipstone Brewery commissioned The Engine House pub back in the late 60's, a new-build on the site of the former brickworks at Carlton, they clearly followed what was then the house style for many Midlands estate pubs. Red brick, flat-roof, very plain, very functional. But somewhere along the line it was decided that several tons of horizontal steam engine from the defunct brickworks would make a fine and fitting addition to the front of the building, because breweries did that sort of thing back then! The engine was a major feature of the pub that reflected the areas recent industrial past, and was such an ambitious installation that in 1982 when it was eventually removed to the Industrial Museum at Wollaton Hall, it had to be lifted by crane through the roof. These days, a few historical prints on the wall and a plastic ball-pit for the kids seems to be the limit of the architects imagination!

In all honesty, the pub itself is fairly typical of the time, and I've little doubt it would have been regarded as somewhat lacking in character by most pub-goers back then, this at a time when there was still plenty of Victorian and Edwardian splendour to be found in nearby pubs and clubs. A brick-built estate pub like the Engine House would have been entirely unremarkable if it wasn't for the massive steam engine on prominent display. But today, with every closure and subsequent demolition or redevelopment, utilitarian multi-room estate pubs like the New Engine House are becoming rarer, and perhaps that little bit more appreciated by some of us.

Of all the pubs we've lost in recent years, classic 1960's estate pubs have suffered more than most. Victims of a general decline in the pub trade, widespread indifference to their social (and sometimes architectural) importance, and the fact that most were built on substantial plots to accommodate the new trend for car ownership making them prime sites for residential development or conversion to neighbourhood supermarkets. Very few if any from this era of pub building have been granted listed status. Even the nearby March Hare, a wonderful unspoilt boozer recognised as having important heritage status, as well as being an Asset of Community Value by the local CAMRA branch, has no listed building protection. Sadly there's very little, other than strong local opposition, to stop rapacious pubcos from destroying these post-war boozers, so do enjoy and support them while you still can.

The New Engine House has certainly been altered and refurbished over the years, the most recent makeover giving the pub a smarter, brighter, and more attractive interior than has previously been the case. The pub retains a separate room to the left of the entrance for Pool and Darts, a multi-level L-shaped bar where the Wimbledon tennis held customer attention when I visited, as well as another room toward the rear of the pub with Dartboard and older formica-topped tables which would have been used for Cards and Dominoes. Off this room is that rarest of pub-games assets within the urban confines of Nottingham, a fully functioning alley for the local game of Long Alley Skittles.

Whilst Long Alley Skittles is still played throughout much of the East Midlands, in common with many traditional games and particularly those which take up a bit of space at the pub, skittles has practically disappeared from city centre locations. In Nottingham there are perhaps three remaining pub skittle alleys within the wider suburban area, of which the one at the New Engine House is probably the closest to the town centre that's still in regular league use (the Embankment has a recently refurbished skittle alley in the basement which is available for functions, but this hasn't been used for league play for several years now).

The alley is something of a rarity then, and one of only two that I'm aware of in the local league at pubs, most being located at clubs. There were originally two alleys at the Engine House, one located on the upper section of the bar area which has now been removed (I guess it's still there, just covered in carpet and seating), and another which when I first visited the pub some six years ago was an outdoor alley at the rear of the pub. Within a few months of that first visit, the outdoor alley had been covered over and effectively brought indoors in an extension to the rear of the main pub building. Whether one or both of these alleys were included in the original layout of the pub is unclear, but it's highly likely. Another local brewer, Hardys & Hansons, tended to include a skittle alley as standard in their late-20th century pub designs, and skittles would have been very popular at the time the Engine House was built with alleys at several pubs in the area, all of which are now gone of course.

So the pub has changed in many ways, yet remains essentially how it's always been. Skittles is played on Monday nights in Division 'A' of the Nottingham Summer Skittles League, as well as in the smaller Graham Broen Sunday League. Pool and Darts are also played in local leagues, and needless to say the New Engine House is a focal point for televised sport of all kinds.

Perhaps what's helped the New Engine House survive where other similar community locals have been lost is the pub has no car park of its own and occupies a fairly compact site for the size of pub making it less of a development opportunity. The pub would have drawn its custom from a very local area, a walking destination boozer for the residents of the estate which is how it remains today. I doubt whether too many pub or beer enthusiasts take the trouble to visit the New Engine House. It's hidden away off the main road to Carlton, and real ale plays no part in its day-to-day business. I found it friendly, welcoming, and very well-maintained, with plenty of interest for those of us who prefer to drink in proper locals pubs rather than the glorified restaurants that the larger pub owning companies see as the future.

Wheel Inn, Ashbourne, Derbyshire

I think it's safe to say that Ashbourne, along with near neighbours Bakewell and Buxton, is one of the Derbyshire Peaks and Dales more upmarket destinations. A thriving market town that has commanded a position of importance for local traders and travellers for hundreds of years, the towns modern-day prosperity can be attributed in the main to its appeal as a tourist destination, because it goes without saying that this is a particularly beautiful part of the English countryside. A compact market town in an area of outstanding natural beauty, littered with historic buildings, smart tea shops and cafes, and some surprisingly high-end shopping. All this, and a very good town for pubs and drinking too...

Alongside the hugely popular 'Beer Town' that Buxton has developed into in recent years, Ashbourne has also become something of a destination for beer and cider enthusiasts. The town punches well above its weight in terms of speciality beer pubs, bars and micropubs, with numerous outlets for locally produced beer and cider, all within easy walking distance of the central market place.

So Ashbourne comes highly recommended for a boozy day out in the Dales, but one possible drawback when visiting a place as touristy as this is the likelihood that the more traditional pubs and community locals, the ones that are of particular interest to me, may be in short supply. Thankfully this is not the case in Ashbourne, although it certainly is the case that the direction of travel for most of the towns pubs is toward a more upmarket food and drink offering than the traditional staples of Darts, Dominoes, and a few pints.

The direction of travel at the Wheel Inn remains pretty-much the same as it's always been, a seriously traditional locals pub on the fringe of the town centre. No food, just drinks, and the serious business of conversation and competition in all its myriad forms.

Landlord Steve Bull has been at the Wheel for over 25 years now, which is a rare and very welcome example of continuity in a trade which seems hell-bent on constant, often unnecessary change. Promoted as the towns premier sport and games venue, the Wheel covers pretty-much all bases in this regard. When I popped in on a warm Summer Sunday afternoon, the main focus in the bar was on what would prove to be a very successful innings by the England Cricket team in their World Cup match against India. If there's a major sporting event on the telly, chances are it'll be on here, and I doubt there's a better place to watch a sporting occasion than in the bar of the Wheel, chewing the fat with the locals over a pint or two of the excellent Draught Bass.

So sport is taken very seriously at the Wheel, and none more so than during the two days of a unique local football game for which the town has become internationally famous.

The Royal Shrovetide Football match is an ancient tradition that engulfs the town of Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday every year. A massive scrum between the towns Up'ards (those born North of Henmore Brook) and Down'ards (those to the south), the aim being to touch a stitched leather ball to your own sides goal post. The position of the two scoring points is a mere three miles apart, and a ball can only be 'goaled' by standing in the river!

The large leather balls used in the game are traditionally decorated ahead of being 'turned-up' for a game, and can often be seen displayed in prominent positions around the town. Indeed one can be seen hanging above the bar of the Wheel Inn in the photo above. Crucially, the pub is located to the south of the brook, and it's therefore no surprise that the Wheel is regarded as the spiritual home of the towns Down'ards. The 2019 match finished 1-0 to the Down'ards, an appropriate scoreline for a game of 'football', where a whole days play can finish without a hint of a ball being 'goaled' by either side, such is the passion that locals bring to the game. It must have been quite a night in the Wheel when victory was finally secured on the second day of the event.

When not involved in the push and shove of ancient football games, locals at the Wheel are busy competing at Darts, Dominoes, Long Alley Skittles, and Pool in their respective leagues. Sunday is presumably a day of rest at the pub as there can't be many gaps in the weekly schedule to squeeze this level of competitive games play in.

The Long Alley Skittles team compete a little further afield than most, playing in the Second Division of the Belper & District Skittles League. The Wheel is something of an outlier to the core of venues in the Belper league, and this means an away match can involve a 25-30 mile round-trip, which represents quite a commitment to the game at what is currently the only venue for skittles in the town. The alley is a pretty basic outdoor affair at the rear of the pub, albeit with one of the most robust horseshoe 'chock holes' I've come across (above), and an increasingly rare uncovered alley at that. I've noticed that over the last few years, more and more alleys are being partially or fully covered against the weather, yet oddly enough, most of those which remain uncovered tend to be located in the Peaks and Dales, an area noted for its higher than average rainfall!

Foresters Arms, Newthorpe, Nottinghamshire

What to do on a wet Tuesday afternoon when you're free of work, and the garden is having a long luxurious soak? The pub of course! Several for preference, which is why I found myself thirsty and dripping at Langley Mill station recently, and with a bit of a walk in mind. A walk that got so wet I eventually decided the bus was the only sensible walking option, and in so doing I unwittingly joined the ranks of a growing number of pub and beer enthusiasts doing what's become known as the Rainbow One Route. And I thought I was just out for a stroll and a few pints...

Turns out the 'Rainbow One' is a bus route that runs in a north/westerly direction from Nottingham along the A610, stopping at a number of sizeable settlements before eventually depositing passengers into the Derbyshire towns of Ripley or Alfreton. What turned a standard county bus route into something of a big-day-out for those of us with an interest in beer and pubs is the transformation that the areas drinking scene has undergone in recent years, particularly with regard to those new-fangled Micropubs.

Now I couldn't begin to guess how many micropubs are trading along or near the bus route, suffice to say that just one of the stopping points, the former coal mining town of Eastwood, has no less than five of them! That's an awful lot of speciality beer venues for one small area, and a good clue as to why you'll find the area thick with beer enthusiasts whenever buses are running and pubs are open.

But I wasn't there for the micropubs, which is just as well because many of them are not open on a Tuesday afternoon! No, my interest was in the older, more traditional boozers in the area, and particularly those which maintain the traditions of games play, still relatively common despite the efforts of some of the less 'local' pub-owning companies. Because whilst enterprising individuals and imaginative local brewers are doing their best to create a thriving beer and pub scene in the area, the lumbering national brewers and pubcos seem hell-bent on doing precisely the opposite. Closing, or repurposing pubs with off-the-peg refurbishments that have little regard for individuality or local distinctiveness.

Greene King are now one of the major pub-owning concern in the area, the unfortunate result of Hardys & Hansons, the local brewery based at nearby Kimberley, selling out to them in 2006. When Greene King bought-up and subsequently closed the Kimberley Brewery, they inherited a substantial pub estate made-up predominantly of the kind of solid traditional community locals that national pub companies have little interest in these days. Since day-one of the takeover, the more traditional boozers in the area have been under threat. The New White Bull in nearby Giltbrook is a classic example, a pub that was well-loved by its locals, but despite strong opposition is now yet another pub-shaped Co-operative store. A similar fate was proposed by Greene King for the Foresters Arms in Newthorpe, but thankfully local opposition prevailed this time around, and the pub survives to take its place on the Rainbow One Route.

The Foresters Arms is tucked away in a residential area at the heart of Newthorpe village. Just a short walk from the bus route but well worth the detour (there were beers from Castle Rock, Dancing Duck, and Oakham Ales when I popped in). Under threat of demolition, villagers and locals of the pub rallied round and formed a campaigning group (Save Our Foresters Arms - SOFA), garnering 700 signatures for a petition in very short-order. Clearly Greene King had underestimated the genuine local support for the pub and promptly backed down. Since then, the Foresters has gone from strength to strength, revitalised by a community who clearly value their local pub, under new ownership, and with a much improved beer range. The pub is a smart but traditional two-room pub with a beautifully maintained garden to the rear, which is where you'll also find the pubs well-used traditional Skittle Alley.

As you can see in the images above, Long Alley Skittles in the area north of Derby and Nottingham is distinguished by alleys that are more often than not located outdoors, and sometimes entirely uncovered. The alley at the Foresters is partially covered, only the unfortunate thrower has to brave whatever the English weather is throwing at them on the evening of a match. A good compromise for venues in the local Ilkeston & District and Border Skittles Leagues where some alleys remain entirely uncovered. With skittles often a wet-weather game in the north Midlands, the pins are given a wipe-over with Linseed Oil between games (above). A full set of skittles and balls comes in at around £250, so it's important to keep them in good shape throughout the season.

A wooden return chute for the balls, like the one shown above, is becoming an increasingly rare sight at outdoor alleys now. This one is painted and well-maintained, others have been allowed to rot through neglect or lack of use. Whilst I've seen one or two steel constructions for the job in the Newark area, most have had the wood replaced with a functional, but not exactly attractive plastic pipe, so it's nice to see an older one like this still in use at the pub.

You know you're in a pub where the locals take their Darts seriously when the board comes complete with a deeply-grooved sharpening stone like the one shown above. Darts and Dominoes are played at the Foresters in the Eastwood & Distict Darts & Dominoes League, and with some success judging by the number of trophies and shields on display in the bar.

Dominoes - A Great British Pub Game

This illustration from the 1955 book 'Know The Game - Inn Games' helps explain why Dominoes was so popular in the mid-late 20th century. No matter how competitive the players,  how serious the game, Dominoes never interferes with the far more serious business of smoking, drinking, and socialising that's at the heart of all great pub pursuits.

When the Dartboard was elevated from its humble position in the public bar to prime-time television in the 1970's, it helped secure Darts as the most high-profile and popular of all traditional pub games (albeit that Pool gave it a run for its money in the 90's). It's slipped-back a little in the public eye since then, but nevertheless I'd suggest that Darts remains the game most strongly associated with the pub. Not for me though! Whilst I fully appreciate the skills on show in the game, even in the humble public bar, I'm literally rubbish at Darts and rarely give it more than a passing glance if I'm honest.

Dominoes is the game I play most of all in the pub, and the one that I most strongly associate with pubs and clubs, certainly the more traditional ones which are the pubs I like the most. As a game it's not necessarily my favourite. I have more of an 'interest' in games of skill and dexterity like Shove Ha'penny, and regional specialities like Indoor Quoits and the various local Skittles variants. But Dominoes for me is the pub game I get the most pleasure from playing, and the one I enjoy seeing others play more than most, certainly more than Darts anyway. That's because Dominoes is, at heart, a highly sociable pub pastime. In fact I often describe a game of Dominoes as being little more than something to do with your hands whilst drinking beer and chatting. At least that's how I play it anyway...

Domino sets (and cards) remain relatively common in pubs, even if the game is not nearly as popular as it once was. Even upmarket hotels and gastro-pubs tend to have a box of Dominoes tucked away somewhere, and it's one of the few traditional pub games that are ideally-suited to micropubs where space is often at a premium.

That there are still plenty of old Domino sets around, including antique bone and vintage bakelite examples, is largely down to the fact that Dominoes was hugely popular in pubs and clubs until relatively recently. It's only in the last few decades that the game has struggled for the kind of patronage it enjoyed in the latter half of the 20th century, a time when league play was ubiquitous in all parts of the country, as it still is in some areas.

Dominoes in Britain is very much a local, or at most regional game these days, but in the late 1970's a national competition based on the popular game of Fives and Threes was devised, sponsored initially by Mann's Brewery. Seven regional heats led to the national finals, and by 1980 this had been expanded to eight heats with the Sunday People joining the sponsorship. This nascent competition seems to have been short-lived, but the idea stuck and a national Dominoes event was resurrected in 1985. This competition ran very successfully for around 20 years, with the finals eventually settling in the seaside town of Bridlington, the local council sponsoring the event in its final years. Though Fives and Threes might still be regarded as the national game, the British National Domino Championship finally folded in 2007. Though there are a number of International/World Domino competitions currently running, the only national Championships still in existence in Britain is the one run by the Club & Institute Union (CIU), a long-standing competition open only to members of affiliated clubs.

Wherever the game of Dominoes is played with any degree of seriousness, weekend play often takes the form of the lunchtime 'Domino School'. This takes the form of one or more games of doubles, open to anyone that's keen to play and with the patience to wait their turn for a place at the table(s). In one of my regular weekend drinking pubs, a highly sociable Sunday game has been observed for decades, and a simple knock on the bar counter signals your desire to join the table for a game. I recall the licensee of the White Lion in Oakham (now closed) telling me how the Sunday 'school' was so popular at his pub in the 80's that customers would effectively queue up for a game, sometimes in vain given the strictly limited opening hours that pubs observed in those days. The Domino School was both practice for the serious league players, and an opportunity for novices like myself to learn or improve their game, and maybe even progress to the pub team when the old-guard deemed that you'd 'graduated'.

Dominoes remains popular throughout the county of Shropshire, and none more so than at the excellent Cross Foxes in the Belle Vue area of Shrewsbury. Table-toppers drilled with a Crib Board for scoring are available, and the walls are richly decorated with shields and trophies testifying to success for the pubs Darts and Dominoes teams.

There are of course a great many different games that can be played with a standard 6-spot set of Dominoes, some of which remain staples of the pub and club scene. The standard 'block' game, where the aim is simply to get rid of your own tiles first whilst blocking your opponents, is often the game played by friends out for a social drink. As a youthful apprentice in the 80's, the Friday lunchtime drinks session at the Royal Oak in Wigston, Leics (now closed) was often accompanied by a lengthy game of Dominoes. This was played as a 'block' game where the losing players would throw in a penny-a-spot, modest winnings even by the standards of the early 80's! The block game is also the one favoured by the West Indian community, though I've yet to see it played in a pub on my travels, serious competition now more likely to be played in the social clubs and conference facilities of hotels. I've also seen Matador played in the pub.

The game that pubs and clubs are most strongly associated with, and the basis of league play in most parts of the country as far as I can tell, is Fives and Threes. In this game, players lay tiles to match in the same way as the block game, but with the aim of achieving multiples of five and/or three on the open ends of the dominoes. Scoring is usually on a standard Cribbage Board, the winning player or pair being the first to finish exactly on 61 (or 121). A leagues match will often consist of both singles and doubles matches, with various knockout and cup matches played throughout the season too. Fives and Threes is the game that I play, and whilst there's obviously a big element of luck in which tiles you initially draw, meaning even a newcomer can win games, it's also true to say that the better players, the ones who count the spots and even exercise a little bit of bluff in play, tend to come out on top more often. Which is of course the whole basis of league play, you're in it for the long-haul, playing the averages rather than settling for the occasional lucky win.

Winners medals are still sometimes awarded at the end of the league season, though trophies and shields are now much more common. Solid silver medals like the one above (Fattorini & Sons, Birmingham 1959) are now very much a thing of the past. Sadly this one doesn't appear to have been used so there are no league or winners details engraved on the back. The choice of tiles on this medal is suggestive of the game it was designed for. In Fives and Threes, two of the most important tiles are the double five, and six-three, one or other of which is needed to create the highest scoring combination of fifteen spots which scores eight points (fifteen is a multiple of three fives and five threes, so 5+3=8).

Practically every aspect of games play at the pub has provided an opportunity for drinks and tobacco companies to advertise their wares. Blue Bell Tobacco on this Cribbage Board, and Leicester (more probably Burton-on-Trent at this time) brewers Everards supplying this heavily branded set of Dominoes. Even Everards themselves are not sure when these early plastic Dominoes first saw use in their estate.


This set of Dominoes (above) from the long-closed Bell Inn is on display at the Rutland County Museum in Oakham. Just another small but important aspect of working class social history, an everyday heritage which is being lost every day. I'm not sure how common it was to read your fortune with Dominoes, but this old newspaper cutting (below) reveals the secrets of the tiles should you feel the need...

The Castle Hotel, Wem, Shropshire

In the dark days before the craft beer boom, when massively hopped pale ales were the preserve of homebrewers with faulty scales, and barrel-aged sours an old-fangled Belgian speciality, regional breweries reigned supreme in the sleepy provinces of England. And for the most-part that was a good thing.

The Midlands was pretty well served with regional tastes, with even the larger Burton brewers churning out passable sweetish session beers and classic dark milds. True, the choice of beer styles was abysmal, but for lovers of truly sessionable beers in proper local pubs, hindsight tells us that we'd really never had it so good. Until we went on holiday that is...

North Shropshire was somewhere I visited quite regularly in the 90's, sometimes by barge, one of the most drink-friendly ways of getting around rural pubs. I quickly grew to love the area for it's traditional pubs and green hilly vistas, but not it has to be said its rather dull beer. Back then, the unholy trinity of Whitbread brewed Chesters, Greenall Whitley, and Wem Ales held sway in this neck of the woods, and a blander selection of beers you couldn't hope to find. Dreadfully cheap post-war concoctions, and the very worst 60's keg bitters and milds, begrudgingly casked to cater for the growing demand for real ale.

So the village of Wem hasn't been high on my list of go-to places for the past few decades, stigmatised in my mind by association, which is pretty daft I know but then I 'really' didn't like Wem Ales! All three of these breweries have now passed into the brewing history books, their timely closure creating space locally for newer, far better beers. Salopian of Shrewsbury is the new small regional in Shropshire, and a revived Joule's Brewery has a presence in many of the towns and larger villages around their base in Market Drayton, which happily for me includes Wem where the brewery run not one, but two of the village pubs.

Joule's were a massive Staffordshire brewing concern that eventually fell victim to takeover and subsequent closure by Bass in the 1970's. The brewery was revived in 2010, and has rapidly expanded its pub estate to 40 'Tap Houses', representing a wide cross-section of village and town-centre communities but with a common theme. The house style is very traditional, with plenty of wood on show and retaining as much of the heritage and character of the pub as possible, as it has been at The Castle Hotel in Wem. I've no idea what The Castle was like prior to Joule's acquisition, but chatting with the hospitable locals, the consensus is they've done a marvellous job of refurbishing and revitalising the pub. Multiple rooms serve different functions, including a large dining area and adjoining lounge-bar, and a public bar which manages to be both plainly functional and cosily comfortable. The Joule's Pale Ale was in superb condition, and went a long way to banishing those earlier memories of dull Shropshire beer.

The public bar functions as the space for games play at the pub, Darts and Dominoes the principal games on offer. A good few of the more traditional pubs we visited in Shrewsbury and to the north are conspicuously Dominoes pubs, none more so than the Castle where a game had just finished when we arrived on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Handy, as we had our own mini-tournament running through the week and this gave us the opportunity for a quick game to move things on. The two gentlemen who'd just finished their game are stalwarts of the local Wem Darts & Dominoes League, and were more than happy to answer my questions about the pub and league. Both the Dominoes and Darts teams at The Castle are firmly mid-table in the league, but the Dominoes team are proud holders of the Consolation Knockout Shield (below) for the 2018/19 season.

The Wem league commenced as a competition shortly after the war in 1948, making the current 2018/19 season its 70th anniversary year. 12 teams compete in each of the two sections from pubs and clubs in and around Wem, which is a healthy enough number though down from 14 teams in the 2011/12 season.

"...and the winner of 'Four Best Domino Players In Wem' goes to..."

The equipment for Dominoes play can be found easily enough, a pair of table-toppers and brass Crib Boards located beneath the Domino Clock to the left of the bar counter (below). The Dartboard may be less easy to find, often hidden as it is behind a door that carries the scoreboard (bottom).