The regional finalists in CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition for 2024 have been announced. This year, for the first time, there are separate winners for Northern Ireland and Scotland, so there are now 17 pubs in contention. The pubs are judged principally on the quality of their beer and cider/perry but atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, inclusivity and overall impression are also taken into consideration. This list of 17 will be shortened to just four finalists by the end of September, with the overall winner being announced in January 2025.
As announced in the last edition, Greater London’s entry is the Little Green Dragon in Winchmore Hill. A feature on the LGD appeared in our June/July edition. There is another London connection in that the West Midlands winner, the Bailey Head, is run by Duncan Borrowman and Grace Goodlad who, I’m sure many readers will remember, previously managed the Orpington Liberal Club. They deposed the Tamworth Arms, the overall winner in the last two years, which is quite an achievement.
The other 16 pubs, in alphabetic order of CAMRA region, are as follows:
Central Southern: Bell Inn, Aldworth.
Village pub run by the same family since the 18th century and a previous overall winner in 1990 and 2019.
East Anglia: Blackfriars Tavern, Great Yarmouth.
Independently run Victorian corner pub.
East Midlands: Horse and Jockey, Stapleford.
A finalist in 2013 and 2022. Dog friendly and a popular destination for walkers and cyclists.
Greater Manchester: Northumberland Arms, Marple Bridge. A community owned pub, saved from closure in 2017 and restored to its former glory.
Kent: Nelson Arms, Tonbridge.
Independent pub close to the station. A finalist last year.
Merseyside and Cheshire: Turks Head, St Helens. Distinctive Tudor style town centre pub with a tower, dating from the 1870s.
North East: Grey Horse, Consett.
One of the oldest public houses in the region, dating from 1848. Brewery at the rear of the premises.
Northern Ireland: Dog and Duck, Lisbellaw.
A rural village pub near Enniskillen, specialising in independent beers and ciders. Has its own micro-distillery.
Scotland: Hillend Tavern, Dalgety Bay.
Community-focused village pub.
South West: Crossways Inn, West Huntspill.
Independently run 17th century inn on the Somerset Levels.
Surrey and Sussex: Brickmakers Alehouse, Bexhill on Sea. The town’s first micropub, opened in 2019. Won an award in 2021 for Conversion to Pub Use in CAMRA’s Pub Design Awards.
Wales: Cresselly Arms, Cressell Quay.
A Grade II-listed riverside pub, dating from the 1880s. The interior is rated two stars on CAMRA’s register of historic pub interiors.
Wessex: Woodman Inn, Bridport.
A single bar community pub which always has at least one dark beer available.
West Midlands: Bailey Head, Oswestry.
Named after the thoroughfare on which it stands. Named by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) as the UK’s Best Rural Independent Craft Beer Pub or Bar in 2020. Dog friendly.
West Pennines: Black Horse, Preston.
A Grade II-listed Victorian pub which merits three stars on CAMRA’s register of historic pub interiors. It has a beautiful semi-circular ceramic bar plus tiled walls and meticulous mosaic flooring. A Robinson’s tied house.
Yorkshire: Three B’s Micropub, Bridlington.
Opened in 2020, the pub aims to never sell the same beer twice. Features beers from Yorkshire microbreweries.