Love The Shovel

Iwas saddened, but not really surprised to hear that OneUnion (who also run The Commercial among other great pubs), had pulled out of running The Malt Shovel, and it was closing down. The perfect storm of rising costs due to inflation, combined with the cost-of-living crisis meaning less people are going out was bound to have an effect on the pubs in Beeston. I for one was amazed they all survived the lockdowns. The Malt Shovel always seemed the most vulnerable to me, hidden away from view behind the High Road. If you've lived in Beeston all your life, it's understandable why you take for granted good pubs on your doorstep. There are loads of them. Although I've now lived in Beeston for over 20 of my 47 years, I still love living in the thick of so many of them, old and new alike.

Pubs are actually the reason I moved to Beeston. I used to work on Padge Road near the sorting office, and lived in the north of the city. Every year, we would have a work outing on the last Friday before Christmas (aka Black Eye Friday), which involved trying to drink in as many of the pubs in Beeston as possible before we were full or last orders were called.

My memories of those all-day sessions are a bit hazy, but I do recall that there were many pubs very close together, so even if the weather was awful, it wasn't long before you were back in the warm and dry with another pint. They were also all very welcoming, with a varied mix of clientele laid back enough not to mind their locals filling up with once-ayearers like me and my colleagues.

I was looking to move from where I was living, and looked at a few different areas - Carlton, Sherwood, West Bridgford etc. But Beeston won the day thanks to 1) the number of great pubs and 2) a nice short journey to work on Padge Road. Obviously when I actually moved here, I realised there was loads more great things about the town, but it was the pubs that hooked me in.

back, and our first stop was the Hop Pole. He fell in love with the place, remarking that he wished he had a local like it so close. He didn't quite believe me when I told him that it was just one of many superb pubs in the town, but over the day he was marvelling at them all, constantly remarking on the choice and quality.

I can't really pinpoint when it happened, but the swap from favouring a night out in Beeston rather than the city occurred for me and a group of friends a while back. We would all meet somewhere near Market Square, most of us travelling from Beeston/Chilwell, but others from Long Eaton and Derby. Nowadays a trip to the city is rare for us, as there is everything a pubgoer could want in Beeston.

In December last year I think it must have been a full moon or something, as me and my wife and kids were all squabbling with each other quite severely. Even after we'd had our tea, which usually puts a stop to any 'hangry' behaviour. I decided to go out for a couple of quiet solitary pints to escape.

I had a quick one in The Pottle, which was quiet, then headed for another excellent Beeston micropub, Totally Tapped. However, when I arrived, they were empty and just closing up. At 9.30pm on a Thursday! Next stop was the almost deserted Hop Pole, where the bell for last orders rang out at 10.15pm!

As someone only really used to the busy Friday and Saturday nights, this was a bit of a revelation to me. There isn't any point in pubs being open if there is little or no trade to make it worth their while. Covid definitely changed people's drinking habits, but I still just assumed everywhere would be open until 11pm at least.

It was then that I decided what my New Year's resolution would be - I would aim to spread my drinking around more of the pubs in Beeston rather than just the same 3 or 4 me and my mates would default to. I set myself a challenge of drinking at least one pint a month in the following places that had a good selection of proper beer during 2022: THE HOP POLE TOTALLY TAPPED THE CROWN THE STAR THE VICTORIA THE POTTLE THE COMMERCIAL THE MALT SHOVEL

Sadly, I didn't manage to stick to it - a combination of work, kids, and all the other stuff that life throws out got in the way. The news about The Malt Shovel closing has made me even more determined to do it properly during 2023 though. Plus visit a couple of those a bit further out every few months, such as The Boat and Horses and The Bird Hide

If we don't use them, we will lose them. If you've picked this magazine up in one of the bigger, busier pubs, think about paying a visit to one of the others you rarely go to. Spread the love around!

Until about 10 years ago there were 3 butchers in Beeston, and now we're down to one. It would be a crying shame if the number of pubs reduced. Every time I pass The White Lion, I think about the potential of it as it slowly decays (personally I reckon it would do well as a 'carvery/Sunday dinner' type place, with bands on in the evening).

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Some of those pubs I visited on the festive crawl are sadly no longer with us, but in recent years Beeston has really bucked the trend with several brand-new pubs and bars opening. And with the cinema drawing people in from near and far, hopefully there will be enough people to sustain them in the longer term through the current economic downturn.

One of my mates who lives down south came up for a boozy weekend a few years

Since writing this article I'm really pleased to learn that the Malt Shovel won't be going the way of so many other pubs in this country, converted into housing or a shop or simply boarded up. Reunion Pub Co, which I've been told is part of Shipstones, are lined up to breathe new life into it. They have 'rescued' other Notts pubs in recent times, including the brilliant Johnson Arms in Dunkirk.

When the bells chime on New Year's Eve, don't delude yourself into thinking you will attempt Dry January - make a resolution to visit more of the pubs in the area more regularly, especially the Malt Shovel.