Bit of a shamless plug but nevertheless I thought the good people of this board might be interested. :D

Anyway after being mothballed for about 6/7 weeks for a refurbishment, the Albert on Smithfield Road will be back open for business this Friday evening. The bar will be have a music based theme and the upstairs function room will be back up hosting live music.

The official opening gig will be on the the 29th of Feb when Tom Hingley (lead vocalists of the Inspiral Carpets) will be performing a solo acoustic set.

Pop in and give it a try!!

Cheers

Quick questions about pubs in town - is the Station Hotel open or has it been closed for good? I don't seem to remember what's happened to it?

And has Rowley's on Barker Street (which has had 100s of different names in the past few years) changed its name again?

It is due to become the New Town Council Folly I believe! ;)

Yes, quite... ;)

the Station is now a Mediterranean themed restaurant and Rowley's is a Source Vodka Bar.

s.g.d.

Oh dear - well at least a new pub (although sadly a national chain - Wetherspoons) will soon be open at the old C&A on Roushill Bank.

Still, shocking how few proper pubs are left in the town centre.

Despite the changes we still like to think that the Albert will be a proper pub. Its being run by Shrewsbury people as well. :D

The Station Hotel is now Castelo, a mediterranean restaurant which i had the pleasure of visiting at the beginning of January and i have to say the food was fantastic and definately worth a visit. My only concern is that i don't think it will get much business at its' current location with not much passing trade!

Rowleys is now the Vodka Source Bar, which has previously been The Slipper, Jacksons, Rowleys amongst many other names in my lifetime alone!!

Castelo has been for sale for months:
http://uk.businessesforsale.com/uk/Restaur...l-For-Sale.aspx
As you say, poor location unfortunately.

That is such a shame, it has the potential to be a thriving business just a shame about the poor location.

I would definately recommend people try it then before it closes!!! ;)

My list of pubs currently in the town centre:

Admiral Benbow, Swan Hill
The Albert, Smithfield Road
Albion Vaults, Castle Foregate
The Armoury, Victoria Quay
The Bull, Butcher Row
Bull's Head, Castle Gates
Coach & Horses, Swan Hill
The Exchange, Bellstone
Golden Cross, Princess Street
Hole in the Wall, Shoplatch
Hop & Friar, St Julian's Friars
King's Head, Mardol
Lion & Pheasant, Wyle Cop
Lloyds in the Town, Hill's Lane
Loggerheads, Church Street
Nags Head, Wyle Cop
Old Lion Tap, Barracks Passage
Old Post Office, Milk Street
Salopian Bar, Smithfield Road
Shrewsbury Hotel, Bridge Place
Three Fishes, Fish Street
The Vaults, Castle Gates
Wheatsheaf, High Street
Yorkshire House, St Mary's Place

Recently closed pubs include the Plough on The Square and the Elephant & Castle on Mardol.

And there is also Baileys Bar, Yates' wine bar, The Bedroom, Vodka Source Bar + i'm sure there's a few more than that now!!!

They're not pubs though.

Of course they are pubs, they are called pubs and bars and you can go in and buy a pint!! What else are they? Oh and the Exchange has been shut for months!!!

No, they are bars which are not the same thing as pubs. Yes both sell alcohol but that does not make somewhere a pub.

A bar -



A pub -



You get the point.. :rolleyes:

Slighty going off subject but what do people think about the new hotel and apartments on the former telephone house? I see planning permission is currently being considered by SABC.

From our perspective at the Albert this will be a great development. At 10 storeys high its big building for the town centre though.

Dear dear why are some people so petty? I'm sorry but if you can buy a pint and sit and drink it (which you can) then it's a pub. And for the record, you listed Lloyds as a pub but it's a bar!! Get the point! <_<

I can buy and drink a pint in the Ramna Balti House at the bottom of Wyle Cop. Though I always assumed it was an Indian restaurant rather than a pub :)

Not quite the same atmosphere somehow though is it? And technically most of the "pubs" that have been previously listed serve good food but they are not classed as restaurants are they?

I've always thought that a pub is a place where beer and alcohol are sold for consumption on the premises in a social atmosphere. Food is usually available as well but as a secondary attraction. True, a bar would fit the same definition. I suppose the acid taste of a traditional pub would be can you play darts or dominoes? :D

Having foolishly taken a shortcut through Mardol last Saturday night, and been reminded of just why I had vowed to avoid it in the first place, I can bring you TW's definitive guide to pus and bars.

As I understand it, the essential features of a pub are...

- Walls painted a light biscuit colour
- Chairs arranged in groups of 3-6 around ridiculously small tables
- Close proximity of toilets immediately and persistently obvious

Whereas a bar is quite a different establishment...

- Walls not painted a light biscuit colour, normally white instead
- Very little seating available, and generally all occupied from around 3pm onwards
- Extremely long serving bar, unfortunately not disguising the fact that there is only near-frozen weak lager and something labelled 'Smoothflow' available

Apparently there is also something called a 'gastropub', which means that it serves microwave meals with fancy chilled lettuce and chips that have been reheated at least twice.

Yeah most venues in the "West End" of the town centre (ie around Barker Street, Mardol and Roushill) are bars rather than pubs. Even the Proud Salopian has become the Salopian Bar (though they do serve real ales, so they are reprieved slightly after removing the "Proud" from their name). The last pub on Mardol is of course the King's Head.

Lloyds in the Town is still more pub-like than a bar, though I suspect on a Friday or Saturday night it becomes very bar-like.

Then there is the difficulty between what is a pub and what is a restaurant - for instance The Armoury on Victoria Quay is a pub and a restaurant, though primarily a restaurant. Ditto for the Golden Cross on Princess Street/Golden Cross Passage (a very nice place, if you like old pubs and Salopian ale). Many restaurant/pub places are actually part of a hotel (such as the Golden Cross, the Lion Hotel and the Lion & Pheasant).

So pubs, bars and restaurants (and yes, gastropubs) all have their differences. When you step into a place you should be able to say what category you can put it in. Otherwise, it has a identity crises!

Anyone want to stab at a guess for the name of the new Wetherspoons pub on Roushill Bank?

I reckon it will be named after a famous Salopian or something to do with the history of the town. That follows from what the company does with new pub names in Manchester anyway.

Now, it can't be Charles Darwin, as that already exists (in Sutton Farm). So my guess will be Robert Clive. Well, why not.. :rolleyes:

Robert Clive is not very politically acceptable, much like General Havelock who was quite rightly, IMHO, knocked off his perch in Trafalgar Square. <_<

Many pubs were literally someones front room at one time, and not that long ago either!

Perhaps the history of C&A should have a relevance?

Robert Clive "not very politically acceptable"? Sod that! <_<

What about Sir Phillip Sidney?

They seem to like calling their pubs 'The Moon Under Water', presumably because George Orwell's ideal pub had the same name.

What about the 'Percy Thrower'? Perhaps the 'Robin Hooper'? Or even 'That woman out of t'Pau'?

I quite like the idea of a pub called 'Man at C&A'. All the seats could be in beige acrylic.

The Robin Hooper!! :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

What about Robin Hooper's Back Passage?

It would join all the famous passages and shuts of Shrewsbury!

You enter Pride Hill Shopping Centre (though I believe that is to be renamed when it is joined with The Darwin Centre) and exit several pints/£s later into Roushill! ! :D

In other words poorer but non the wiser! <_<

Just to let eveyone know that we have also reopened the upstairs function room of the Albert and renamed it the B-Side with the aim of establishing a new live music venue to the town.

On Saturday we have a solo acoustic set from Inspiral Carpets front man Tom Hingley (entry is a fiver for this).

On Saturday night we have The Park Bench Social Club who are one of the folk scenes hottest young bands. They play a heady mixture of traditional Celtic fiddle, bluegrass, gypsy jazz, bhangra and old time Americana.

Here's to the weekend :P

We'll be there next Thursday (20th March)..... I popped in today with some posters

I must say, the pub looks absolutely fantastic!

It's a shame I can't smoke anywhere thesedays (for that real pub atmosphere) :huh:

the station hotel is now a med restaurant,

if you called the new wetherspoons after carol decker you wouldnt get mush trade,,,she is not well liked by her fellow shropshire lasses.

is castelo really up for sale already?
we went there a few weeks ago on a reccmendation and thought it was great!
really nice theme to it, great food and selection and good service-we thought it was much better than the ultra modern and expensive for what it is greek place just up from it.
we would reccomendthis reataurant to anyone and we were thinking of taking some friends there soon-when we next get chance of a babysitter.
the location isnt that bad cos it is within walking distance of the other pubs in the town , it just maybe doesnt get noticed enough there?