There are 12 new entries from around the county
The guide includes the best pubs around the county(Image: Getty Images)
The new CAMRA Good Beer Guidewill include 12 new Leicestershire entries. The guide is referred to as a go-to guide for beer enthusiasts.
The 53rd edition of the guide features 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK. The new additions range from the Real Ale Classroom, located in Rutland Street, in the city centre, to The Navigation Inn, situated in Mill Lane, in Barrow.
The new guide also includes three new Wetherspoon entries. The decision on which venues to include in the guide is based on scores collected by CAMRA members who rate the quality of cask beer in a pub they visit.
Here are all 12 of Leicestershire’s new entries, along with what CAMRA has to say about each.
The Navigation Inn
87 Mill Lane, Barrow
Warm and friendly pub, welcoming children until 9pm, dogs and muddy boots. Open plan main bar with distinct seating areas, and a warming log burner. There is a small snug at the front. Note the bar top incorporating old penny coins. The canalside patio is popular in summer, and moorings are available for passing pleasure boats.
Two changing beers and one regular.
Burbage & District Constitutional Club
64 Church Street, Burbage
This is a club, which means that the bar may be only open to members. CAMRA members are welcome. Smart Grade II Listed Club in centre of village with comfortable panelled Lounge. Long Alley Skittles, Snooker tables, Dominoes, bingo and Bowling Green.
Three changing beers and one regular.
Langton Arms
Main Street, Market Harborough
Two traditional style rooms at the front with floorboards: bar with servery on the left and small separate lounge on the right. Extended at the rear to form a large restaurant. At the back is a small patio and garden. The RedCat Pub Company acquired the pub in 2021. The range of local beers usually includes a Langton beer, and the pub is popular for food. No scheduled bus service to the village.
Two changing beers and one regular.
Black Horse
3 Main Street, Grimston
Standing above the village green, the Black Horse is well located close to the edge of the Vale of Belvoir with pleasant footpaths providing ample walking opportunities. The pub is single roomed but divided into three sections on two separate levels. The pub had been closed since January 2020 and a planning application was subsequently submitted to convert the pub into flats and a smaller micropub venue. The local community opposed this and an ACV was secured on the pub and the local community eventually purchased it now being run as a community pub. A full refurbishment programme has taken place inside the building over the last year and work is ongoing to upgrade the gardens and yard area.
Two changing beers and one regular.
Stamford Arms
2 Leicester Road, Groby
At the heart of the community since conversion from William Everard’s house in 1921, the Stamford Arms is a very popular pub and restaurant offering up to six cask ales, real ciders, craft beers and a wide gin selection. Awarded Leicester CAMRA Country Pub of the Year in 2020. The food is traditional with daily specials and there is also a pizza oven. Ideally located for Bradgate Park, the National Forest and Charnwood Forest.
Four changing beers and two regulars.
The Clarendon
7 West Avenue, Leicester
The Clarendon reopened in summer 2019 after a refurbishment. Originally three rooms, the interior has been modernised and you can now walk through between the bar and the lounge. The decor now includes floorboards and ‘butchers’ block’ tables. There is aso a modern conservatory and courtyard at rear. The pub retains a relaxed and traditional locals’ character. Sports TVs are evident in both rooms, and the pub is popular on match days.
One changing beer and four regulars.
Corn Exchange
Market Place, Leicester
The pub consists of one enormous room with a central bar and a mezzanine first floor. There are TVs and recorded music, which tend to be relatively quiet during the day, when the pub is popular with market shoppers. In the evening, the music volume is turned up, and a younger clientele is attracted.
Four changing beers and three regulars.
The High Cross
103 High Street, Leicester
Named after the cross marking the centre of medieval Leicester which has been resited in Jubilee Square nearby, this is a Wetherspoon conversion of a former shop. The room is a large L-shaped area with some changes of level to split it into different areas. The range of guest beers often includes beers from local breweries. There are twice yearly beer festivals as part of national company events. There is an attractive non-smoking enclosed yard at the back.
Six changing beers and three regulars.
Real Ale Classroom
Rutland Street, Leicester
The former retail premises opened as ‘Manhattan 34’, a cafe-bar in ‘wine bar’ style in about 2012, but closed in about 2022. In November 2023, it reopened as a new venture from the owners of the similarly named micropub in Stoneygate. The interior has an educational theme, using old school furniture. Real ales and ciders are served by gravity from containers in a chiller cabinet behind the counter, and there is a range of ‘craft’ kegs and cans, the beers being listed on an old school blackboard. Downstairs is a room with a stage, suitable for events. Bar snacks but no meals. Note: card payments only.
Four changing beers and no regulars.
The Unicorn Inn
29 Church Street, Lutterworth
Recently refurbished traditional town-centre, street corner local with a black and white frontage, built in 1919 on the site of an 18th-century coach house. The large lounge, with its open fire, shows TV sports. The public bar is divided by a central fireplace. Darts and dominoes teams are hosted. A small garden with a mural has been added to the rear of the pub.
No changing beers and three regulars.
The Boat Inn
57 Burton Street, Melton
A traditional single roomed pub that takes its name from a canal basin that was once adjacent. The walls are decorated with old pictures of the town and a map of the old Melton – Oakham canal whose workers this establishment once served. The pub is always busy with mature drinkers and the local darts teams who enjoy good conversation with their pint. Branch pub of the year 2012 and 2013.
Two changing beers and two regulars.
William Wygston
84 Leicester Road, Wigston
A typical Wetherspoon establishment named after a former Mayor of Leicester and located on the main shopping street in Wigston. The pub underwent extensive refurbishment throughout in 2015. A large open-plan lounge with large windows which open out facing the street.
Three changings beers and three regulars.
With this year seeing an additional 12 pubs added to the guide, the county has now reached a total of 79 mentions in the book. People can buy a copy of the guide from their website or by following this link.
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