The Ship Inn, Thursby

This could be a really top rate pub. It is in a prime location in the beautiful village of Thursby, it has a wonderful historic connection (Sir William Bouch was born here), and it is a very fine building. However, Scottish and Newcastle now known as Heineken UK have consistently refused to invest in the structure of the premises, let alone the basic essentials of beer dispense (the professionalism and expertise of their cellar technicians seems also sadly lacking), and their outdated and narrow minded business policies, especially their attitude to local real ale all mean that The Ship will never attain its true and deserved potential which is very, very sad. The best thing that can happen is for S&N to sell the building and let someone with good entrepreneurial skills take it to the standard it deserves. In fact I look forward to the day when S&N quits the pub business entirely.

23 May 2010 17:40