With apologies to Devo.
February 2026. Lichfield.
My third GBG pub ticked before five, I actually felt wiped out as a night in Lichfield lay before me. Young BRAPA really needs to finish the Guide before he hits middle age and loses that ticking energy.
But with, er, zero pounds spent on my night’s luxury accommodation I knew I ought to do one revisit, and it would have been the old school Earl if I’d seen a Pedigree pump.
But you can’t come to Lichfield and not do a micro, Stafford Paul will tell you that.
It boils down to a problematic choice between Beerbohm and the Whippet, the other two thirds of the unholy GBG trinity on Tamworth Street.
Are there three Beer Guide pubs closer together than these three anywhere ?
The Whippet has bench seating all the way round so gets the nod,
and it’s a pleasant half hour with soundtrack of Supertramp, the Bee Gees and Fleetwood Mac, and a well-travelled landlord who has to take a long phone call about a gas meter reading.
Add a chewy pint of Shiny Disco Balls (3.5) and you’ve got a decent start to your night,
which ends with crispy beef and Singapore rice (NCTSS 4) from Golden Wok,
a takeaway so good I’m already planning a return to Lichfield, particularly if Stafford Paul can join me in the Horse & Jockey.
retiredmartin 
I was having a similar thought yesterday in Derby, with the Victoria Inn, Brunswick Inn and Alexandra Hotel very close together. But they’re in a stretch rather than a cluster, so maybe Lichfield wins.
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The Victoria is in the GBG now so 3 pubs in a minute walk anyway.
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Thanks a lot for leading me to watching the Devo video for the first time :-S
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That’s as good as it gets with Devo, whose cult popularity rests on some quirky covers of 60s hits.
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I’d argue that “Mongoloid”, despite its now non-PC title is a good ‘un of theirs, with its Joy Division-esque bass intro. That, and the bonkers “Jocko Homo” which spawned the band slogan “Are we not men? We are Devo!”
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“Are we not men? We are Devo!” is the only other line, let alone song of theirs I can name. They weren’t really Peel favourites, were they ?
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Yes, Lichfield is so easy for me to get to, especially with this government having enabled the recent reintroduction of both evening and Sunday buses there. And I usually don’t need much notice.
Manchester’s Kennedy Street has three pubs in a row but I think only Lichfield’s Tamworth Street has that plus a pair of pubs opposite.
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Oh, and the Earl of Lichfield was where I first drank Marstons.
That was 21st December 1972.
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The Vine was in the GBG one year so all 3 pubs on Kennedy Street were in the Guide once.
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Those 3 Wellington (Shropshire) pubs must be in with a shout of nearest trio?
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I’ve lost track of Telford a bit, at least one new micro (Boot) to do.
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“WHEN A PROBLEM COMES ALONG, YOU MUST WHIPPET”
Ah, Devo. Whenever they come up, all I can think of is the movie “Heavy Metal”, even though ‘whip it’ wasn’t in it. Also,
(slow golf clap)
“With apologies to Devo.”
I’m sure they’d understand. 😉
“Young BRAPA really needs to finish the Guide before he hits middle age and loses that ticking energy.”
He needs to finish it more so for his wonky knee (and other assorted bits).
“It boils down to a problematic choice between Beerbohm and the Whippet, the other two thirds of the unholy GBG trinity on Tamworth Street.”
I’m guessing the Whippet, only because of the post title. 😁
“Are there three Beer Guide pubs closer together than these three anywhere ?”
Dunno. You’re the one with the spreadsheet, and the OS maps. 😎
“The Whippet has bench seating all the way round so gets the nod,”
If it’s ‘all the way round’, do you have to climb over it to get in?
“and it’s a pleasant half hour with soundtrack of Supertramp, the Bee Gees and Fleetwood Mac,”
I could live with that whilst having a pint.
“Add a chewy pint of Shiny Disco Balls (3.5) ”
Do you know just how hard it is for me to NOT say anything?
“a takeaway so good I’m already planning a return to Lichfield,”
Blimey! High praise.
“particularly if Stafford Paul can join me in the Horse & Jockey.”
That would be the micro Horse & Jockey on Sandford Road (that used to be Los Angeles rock cafe back in 2009, according to Google Maps), and not the Horse & Jockey on Tamworth Road, the other side of the A38?
Cheers
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Two pubs with the same name ? That’s cheating !
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Who’s going to tell all of the pubs named “The Red Lion”. 😁
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Rarely in the same town, those !
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“Rarely in the same town, those !”
Good point!
(slow golf clap) 😁
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