Wanderings in Wollaton

With my first few blogs being mostly centred around Nottingham City Centre and its environs, I thought the time was right to visit some places that were slightly further afield, yet close enough to get to easily. With that in mind, I made the short walk into town and hopped onto the Trent Barton Rainbow 2, headed for the Nottingham suburb of Wollaton. The suburb has Wollaton Village at its centre, unchanged for several hundred years with the Admiral Rodney pub at its centre (more on that later). The surrounding area is known for its proximity to Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan mansion house and museum with its own deer park, which recently found fame for its portrayal as Wayne Manor in the latest Christopher Nolan Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. There are several fine pubs in the immediate vicinity and it is these which are the focus of my trip on a relatively mild, but significantly overcast, Tuesday afternoon.

My first destination was The Wollaton Pub & Kitchen.

Situated on the main Wollaton Road, with its main entrance on the adjacent Lambourne Drive, The Wollaton occupies a premises that was previously known as The Willoughby Arms after the family that built, owned and occupied the nearby Wollaton Hall. The pub takes the form of a modern bar/restaurant combo with brick exterior and green and cream paint my initial introduction to the place. The pub is owned by Moleface Pub Co., who also own Larwood & Voce in West Bridgford amongst their small portfolio. The interior of the pub is split into designated drinking and dining areas. The restaurant is modelled loosely on the design of an orangery with a decidedly open appearance. The bar area is more enclosed without feeling claustrophobic, and features several classic touches including leather sofas, bare floors, an abundance of wooden furniture, gilt mirrors and exposed brickwork on the wall towards the rear car park. The pub is very nice to look at, with a significant emphasis on food but definitely not lacking in the drink department. There are 6 hand pulls on show, 2 each of Timothy Taylor Landlord and Black Sheep Bitter and guest appearances of Castle Rock Harvest Pale and Navigation Pale, which I decide upon. The beer is in excellent condition and I take a seat at a nearby table, the legs of which are constructed from the stand of an old Singer sewing machine. There are several pieces of promo material advertising their food offers around the walls and I shall definitely be returning to sample the food in the near future. The only slightly strange thing about this otherwise fantastic place is the toilets. The urinals remind me distinctly of the toilets at most football grounds, consisting of a long, porcelain, trough-like structure. The whole experience is made more unnerving by the varying close ups of a woman's face that adorn the walls in the gents. Thankfully, I'd only had one pint by this stage or it might have been more than a little disconcerting. Overall though, this is an excellent venue to which I hope to return soon.   

My next destination is a somewhat different story. Situated literally a few yards down the road from The Wollaton, The Wheelhouse is situated on the same main road, at this point designated as Russell Drive, opposite the local police station.

 The unusual name is essentially a description of the building's layout as it is basically circular in shape, having been originally constructed in the 1960s. It is currently run by Greene King, under its food-driven Hungry Horse brand name and this is reflected in the general layout of the interior. The bar is central and roughly semi-circular, with an abundance of seating throughout reflecting the strength of the food sales. The pub is marketed is a family friendly establishment, with its large seating areas, pool table and food deals. There is still ale on offer, although the selection is fairly bog standard Greene King fare. The 3 hand pumps feature Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Hardy & Hansons (a Greene King subsidiary) Kimberley Bitter. I opt for the latter and whilst I'm not disappointed, I always find it a shame that Greene King have such an obstructed vision of which ale they should supply to their managed outlets. Kimberley Bitter is a 3.9% brew with a nose of hops and flowers, a fruity finish and a consistent bitterness that compliments its copper colour. The beer itself is fine, as evidenced by the Cask Marque plaques throughout the bar area and, whilst I appreciate that this particular part of the Greene King stable is food-centric, I feel that the casual drinker is missing out. The food on offer sounds delicious though, enhanced somewhat by the revolving dessert cabinet near to where I'm sitting, crammed full of delicious cake products. After a few minutes of enjoying my pint, I decide to move on to my next venue, not before being accosted by a very cute Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the outdoor seating area though.

The convenient thing about this area of the greater Nottingham region is its proximity to Wollaton Hall. The outer walls of the park are situated opposite both of the pubs I've just visited and this creates an attractive panorama as I leave the main road and start towards the village proper. My next visit is the Admiral Rodney which sits directly in the centre of the village, where the main road through the village transects nearby Bramcote Lane at a small roundabout, close to the neighbouring Anglican church of St. Leonard.

 The building is very old, with lots of very nice character features, including original wooden beams and flagstone flooring, all made slightly crooked by the layout of the building's foundations. Named after the head of the Admiralty at the time of Lord Nelson, the overall impression is one of olde worlde charm with the interior evoking images of bygone times with its pictures of old houses from around the local area. There are 2 entrances to the pub, the main entrance which leads to the central lounge, and the side door, which I enter through, which leads to a smaller bar area and a very nice snug complete with dart board. The bar is L-shaped, with 6 hand pumps, 5 of which are in use at the time of my visit. There is an interesting variety of beers on offer, in this case Harvest Pale; Sharp's Doom Bar; Bateman's XXXB; Courage Director's and London Pride. I'm quite partial to a pint of Director's (as I've mentioned before), so this was my tipple of choice on this particular occasion. This is a pub of considerable charm and character. As I sit enjoying my pint, my eyes drift to the menu, which includes amongst it's offerings Venison Pie and Wild Boar Pie, all of which sounds wonderful. This is the kind of pub that I love, one which has retained it's period features, more or less unchanged, for a very long time. In a village of this kind, it only serves to add to the atmosphere as well as reflecting its status as a hub of the community. With all of it's intact décor comes a cautionary tale, one the I feel is specific to visiting unfamiliar pubs without company. On a journey to the bathroom, the myriad of internal doors confused me to such an extent that I almost ended up behind the bar. Thankfully, I don't think anyone noticed.

Upon leaving the Admiral Rodney, I head straight down Bramcote Lane which is directly opposite the door I entered the pub through. This leads directly to my final destination for this afternoon, The Hemlock Stone & Dragon on the junction of Bramcote Lane and Wollaton Vale.

Originally just known as The Hemlock Stone until the addition of a Thai restaurant in the premises a few years ago, the pub is named after an unusual standing rock information on nearby Stapleford Hill. The pub is another that fits in with the picturesque charm of the area, with a traditional English pub feel upon entering and the Thai restaurant tucked away to the right. The décor is plush with a very nice pale green as the overriding wall colour and an abundance of comfortable leather seating. I've visited this premises before, not long after the Thai infusion and the food was excellent then. Although this is one of those pubs that seems to place a greater emphasis on its food menu, it has received Cask Marque accreditation, which means that, despite a limited selection, the beer you get will still be properly served. Of the 3 hand pumps on the bar, 1 is not in use and the other 2 host Director's (again) and Doom Bar. As much as I like Director's, I don't feel like sampling it twice in a row so I opt for Doom Bar. The quality of this ale has noticeably declined in recent years, although there is nothing obvious to complain about with this pint. The pubs on this particular trip to what is a very nice, and decidedly upper class, part of Nottingham are certainly in keeping with the surrounding area. Of the 4 I visited, The Hemlock Stone has an interesting legend associated with the stone formation after which it is named. The Hemlock or Himlack Stone is located on Stapleford Hill and opinion varies as to whether it was carved by ancient human occupants of the site or deposited naturally as a result of geological erosion. The most interesting theory about its origin is that it was deposited by the Devil after a failed attempt to destroy Lenton Priory with a stone thrown from his cave at Castleton. It is alleged that the missile missed its target and landed on the hill where it remains to this day. Certainly an interesting anecdote, whether you believe in the story or not.

My tour of Wollaton complete, I ventured back to the bus stop before the inevitable opening of the heavens (it's May in England after all), after an interesting and very enjoyable journey around an area that, myself, has not been explored nearly enough. I admit I did miss out at least one pub (Middleton's, formerly The Roebuck on Trowell Road, which I intend to feature in a tour of Trowell and surrounding areas) but all in all, I feel like I have a better idea of what pubs in Wollaton have to offer with regard to their real ale scene. There are certainly many places worthy of visiting for their food menus alone and this will definitely ensure that I make a return to this most pleasant of places in the foreseeable future.