TOP 100 PUBS – THE RAILWAY INN, MANSFIELD

February 2025. Mansfield.

A lot of posts from my First Big Post Funeral Trip to Mansfield coming up.

“We just need to get away somewhere nice like Bath for a few nights and recover” said Mrs RM, but in truth I needed a 25,000 step slog exploring one of the UK’s least loved towns visiting new pubs and an old classic.

A nice chap just wrote this on personal finance blog Lemon Fool,

and Mansfield is certainly small-town Britain.

Still a thrill arriving via Worksop at Mansfield’s station; closed by Beeching (why ?), only re-opened in 1995 to coincide with the first of the town’s three (3) Spoons.

What views from the platform !

My two new Guide entries have typical micropub hours (4 and 5), but I wanted sunshine and a museum that’s closed by 3, so I’ve time for lunch.

Back in 1995 I raved about a string of GBG newbies but declared the “cosy” Railway Inn the town’s classic,

and, 20 years after my 1st visit, it still is.

I just spent ages thinking of a comparable pub, simple with proper lunches . The Blue Mugge in Leek?

Multi-roomed, proper seating, seemingly existing for the benefits of gentlefolk couples.

Bass here, too,

though sadly only the glass. But that Lincoln Green Arrow was a cool, rich NBSS 3.5.

And the seat in the corner (“Is that number seven, m’duck ?“) is absolutely perfect,

with a view of both gentlefolk “action” and a tree growing into the pub that reminds me of a Low album cover;

Mansfield is a town in eternal rival with Chesterfield. You get more “m’duck” for your money here, that’s for sure.

“Do you want the pie as a dinner or with chips. m’duck“

“What’s a dinner ?“

“It comes with mash and veg, m’duck“

“Oh, that then, please“

“Just putting it through, m’duck“

Lovely, lovely, service. And a steak and stilton (proper) pie dinner for a tenner that is warming and hearty and almost healthy, if you ignore the pie.

Banter about underground streams is competing with Boy George for attention,

and then “Club Tropicana” is fighting a losing battle against the sound of carrots being chopped.

If that’s not the sign of a Top 100 pub, I don’t know what is.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

20 thoughts on “TOP 100 PUBS – THE RAILWAY INN, MANSFIELD”

  1. “Mansfield’s station; closed by Beeching (why ?)”.

    Why indeed. The South Manchester line of the Metrolink is essentially a rebuilding of stations shut by him in the sixties which will eventually extend to Stockport, although exactly when is anyone’s guess.

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    2. Why?

      The same reason as ever I’d guess – to warrant the bung he and/or his mates got from an interest competing with that which he closed, in this case road haulage and the roadbuilding companies?

      Nothing like that ever happens now, of course.

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    1. Yes, I guess that’s their only purpose. I think the English really do believe a giant carvery is healthy.

      Have you eaten well so far ? Those pies in the Bath Raven were great.

      I’m really positive about our pub food.

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      1. The food has been very good. I think the old canard about pub food needs to be left behind. If you look a little bit, you can find very good pub food. The Ravens’ pies were excellent.

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  4. I liked your fan mail.
    “…his blog is worth a read as a chronicle of small-town Britain going about its business, he’s a nice writer”.
    Of course, that’s what all your regulars here below the line think about you, too. But we’re just too embarrassed to say so.

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      2. **Praiseyou.com** is for sale
        Domain age: 21 years old; Description: PraiseYourBrand with PraiseYou.com –

        **Praise You (@praiseyou.co)**
        “Praise You was originally created to raise more awareness for The Butterfly Foundation”

        Well, who’d have thought it!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I’ve been in Tewkesbury, did eight pubs on Thursday day and the beer festival Friday. So I’m taking a well-deserved day off.

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    2. I’m glad fellow folksonomy pedant Mr Lemon Fool brought up the sensitive subject of the erratic tagging. Realising not all Stafford posts are tagged as Stafford meant putting ‘Stafford’ the search box. No biggie until you realise that Stafford [Paul] is mentioned in every other post. Pure anarchy!

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    1. Well spotted, Andy!

      I think that’s just Martin refusing to accept that 30 years have passed since 1995. 🤔😜

      Now, having followed the link (which is labelled “back in 1995”) I realise that it leads to a post dated 2015, which would indeed have been 20 years after.

      All this time travel plays havoc with your memories, doesn’t it

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