I’ve been brought to book by the blog police for shameless use of pub cat imagery as clickbait, which is spot on. Of course, I could just walk past the little kittens and resist the urge to snap them for you; think about that.
Let’s hope no-one complains about today’s headline image from the King’s Arms in Market Drayton. Quite why I took that I can’t explain; there must have been a Caffreys sign somewhere.
Following my success in Chorley, I would have liked to bring you a picture of the local products, but the gingerbread was sold out and Muller Corner is hardly unique to Drayton.
When a mate and I visited MD (as the kids from Wem call it) a year ago we somehow resisted the charms of this authentic looking boozer.
Though to be fair there was plenty of competition, and not just from the three Joules houses. If it had been in Tenbury we’d have been straight in there. So it was inevitable the one we missed would be the new entry in the Guide this year, and that it would have restricted opening hours.
Inevitably, and defying some savage looking roadworks at the entrance, it was open when it should have been shut. That’s what I like to see.
A rather classic looking interior revealed the foolishness of my walk-past a year ago.
A pub packed full of character and humour. Disappointingly, much of the humour seems to be directed against those good folk across the border…
On safer ground, some very high quality debate about “lunch” (“a light snack“), tea and brunch ( “wtf is that ?”).
Decent (NBSS 3) cool beer too, though 6X at only £2.60 a pint still not dragging the punters away from the lager (and why should it ?). The absence of the Top Totty promised by WhatPub is duly noted, replaced by Everards (boo !).
And then at 3.30pm in came the Carling drinkers, sparking (pun intended) some very high quality/immature banter from the tradesmen of the town.
Probably not a pub for the sensitive amongst you (Dick & Dave), but as unmissable in it’s way as the Red Lion.
retiredmartin 
We fully endorse the new Sam Smith rules.
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I try to never walk past an open pub when on pub crawl,so i always get to see what it as to offer inside.
I did Market Drayton on the 15th June 2013 and went there on bus from Stoke,i did all open pubs in the town 15 and the Kings Arms had the most unusual beers on the bar,i had a half of McMullens AK,there was also Tolly Cobbold Phoenix and Wadworth 6X on the bar.
I thought it was a very pleasant town with a decent number of pubs.
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Good attitude Alan. Market Drayton even better now.
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I like the OS map photos Martin,when you are talking about places i have never heard of,they give me a good idea as to where they are.
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Thanks Alan. My son showed be something called Snipping Tool that allows me to take a picture of the Ordnance Survey map in posts.
By the way, you’ll be pleased with my post from Draycott in a few days time ! 2 great places.
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I would like to bet you went in the Draycott Tap House or my favourite Draycott pub the Victoria which is know locally as the middle house,but now the Travellers Rest as closed down,it is not really the middle house.
I was going to do the Draycott Tap House a couple of weeks ago and then found out it does’nt open till 4 on a Saturday,so a quick trip to Long Eaton and straight back home then onto Scum to take photos of pubs on the Mackworth estate that i did back in the 80s,all three still open so i had to go in them and i had a very nice drink of Purity UBU in one,also did Mackworth Village,two pubs and both very expensive,then a lot more in Scum city centre that i have been in before.
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Nothing wrong with clickbait – we want more pub cat pics >^..^<
It will draw more traffic to your blog 😀
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I often think that, nowadays, some of the finest proper pubs are to be found in market towns.
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Are market towns all designated by the word “market” in the name? Not joking.
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I was waiting for Mudge to say No.
So, No. No idea why/not.
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No – officially it depends on getting a Royal Charter for a market, which was a big deal back in the 14th century. Nowadays it is used informally to refer to any town of say 10k-30k in rural Britain – as has been noted here before, Cheshire has a lot, whereas Shropshire has relatively few. I guess the geography is a factor – Shrewsbury is central whereas Chester is up one end of Cheshire so not convenient when travelling by horse or driving cattle.
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Some towns with market in their names dont even have a market anymore,it would also sound daft calling Newark Market Newark or Scum Market Scum.
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