Sir Robert Peel

 

'A real pub, for real people, who enjoy real beer' is the proud mantra of the Sir Robert Peel pub. The place is named after the legendary former Prime Minister who was Tamworth MP for 20 years and the one time owner of nearby Drayton Manor. Peel is best known for being both the founder of the modern day police force and the inventor of the Tamworth pig. Readers can insert their own pork related punchline at this point !!

Once an unloved Irish themed pub the current owners have focused on the quality and choice of their beers. It must have worked, the Sir Robert Peel has been included in the Good Beer Guide every year for almost two decades and has won numerous awards. 

Sir Robert should be justifiably proud of the fact that food at the pub doesn't stretch much further than a bag of pork scratchings from behind the bar. Even better news is that, whilst children aren't barred, this isn't really a pub for kids so if you want colouring books, turkey twizzlers with alphabet spaghetti and Fruit Shoots then jog on to Spoons up the road especially as the 2020 version of the Good Beer Guide version amusingly stated that the pub 'can get lively at weekends'.

Whilst many venues are sadly over powered by TV's showing constant sport this is a pub where the jukebox is the dominating feature and thankfully the good folk of the ancient capital of Mercia usually have impeccable musical taste. A poster for the 1981 Monsters of Rock festival proudly adorns the pub's wall and this gives an indication of the type of music you will more often hear as the soundtrack to your visit and this is normally all that is required to scare off any stray kids !! Look carefully and some days (and often on a story teller's night) you will spot the lead singer of a famous Midland's rock band propping up the bar.

Sadly the family that own this pub have claret and blue tendencies but don't let that put you off, this is a great pub despite this. The choice of beer is very impressive, don't worry Carling fans your dubious taste is catered for, the bearded weirdos can stroke their facial hair whilst contemplating the hopiness of one of the ever changing real ales that the pub offers, and those who like their tipple from across the channel can scare themselves checking out the ABV strength on label of the bottle of a variety of different beers from Belgium and beyond.

A relatively recent addition is a peaceful beer garden to the rear of the pub (well not everyone appreciates Ozzy, Lemmy et al) which is in the shadow of the historic St Editha's church. The ancient stone wall (believed to be from a time when villa won most of their trophies) is certainly worthy of a mention. 

Back indoors and I'd best warn you that you may need to call on the assistance of a sherpa if you need to visit the toilets which are situated upstairs. The staircase is that steep that I'm sure that St Bernard's dogs are on stand by to rescue any stranded punters. Gents that do make it to the summit from base camp will undoubtedly be amused by the fact that there is a photo of Slash above the urinals. 

I could go on and on but the quality of this pub speaks for itself, it makes such a refreshing change to see a successful non food pub which takes a pride in how good their beer is. The fact that you will always find this pub busy is testament to this. If you are visiting Tamworth make sure that the Sir Robert Peel is on your agenda.