Is your local pub Only Ordinary By Name? Nominate your boozer in new John Smith’s £5k competition to find Britain’s most extraordinary pub and you could pocket £200

Whether you're on a night out with friends, relaxing after work or simply enjoying a pint in a beer garden on a sunny Sunday afternoon, nothing beats the great British pub.

But while we all have our favourite local, some boozers are a little bit more out of the ordinary than others.

Like the Don Bar in Stockton on Tees. From the outside, it does not look especially different from thousands of other pubs all over the country.

But like John Smiths, it is Only Ordinary By Name.

Step through the doors and you enter a shrine to Britain’s armed forces heroes.

Landlady Julie Cooper has transformed the bar area, with more than 70,000 poppies glued to the walls and ceiling, as well as pictures of fallen soldiers and banners and flags.

Julie, who also hosts fundraising events for military charities, said: “It started as a small remembrance wall. Mums and dads started sending photos of their sons and daughters - current and ex-servicemen - which I put up.

“Parents asking me to put them up is a honour for us.

What makes your local unique? We’ve teamed up with John Smith’s to find Britain’s most extraordinary boozers, and we want you to tell us about them.

Maybe you know a pub with more ghosts than regulars, or maybe your local has a snug bar where famous faces, past and present, hang out.

Or maybe there’s something remarkable about the building itself.

One pub with a unique claim to fame is the Warren Inn on Dartmoor, where the fire has been burning non-stop since it was first lit by the landlord in 1845.

It even survived the pub being rebuilt on the other side of the road - burning embers were carried across and placed in the new hearth so it could continue.

At 434m above sea level, it is the highest pub in the south, and one of the most remote.

It was originally built to serve thirsty tin miners, and until the 1920s, was surrounded by the Golden Dagger, Vitifer and Birch Tor mines.

Since the last mine closed in 1930, it has become a favourite with tourists who come to find out more about its rich history and local legends including the story of the salted down corpse - according to folklore, when a previous landlady’s father died, the weather was too bad to take him into Tavistock to be buried, so she packed him in salt in a trunk in one of the guest rooms.

That is just one of the tales that has attached itself to the pub over the years - in fact its history is so rich, a book has been written about the pub by two local historians.

COMPETITION

Is your local unique too? Is there something in the look of the pub, or is it the history that makes it Only Ordinary By Name?

Whatever it is, we want to know about it, and the best people to tell us about Britain’s out of the ordinary pubs are you - the people who drink in them.

Launching the competition, comedian and TV presenter Paddy McGuinness revealed that he has been fascinated by Britain’s extraordinary pubs since his mum saw a ghost when she was working as a barmaid in the Man and Scythe in Bolton.

Tell us about your extraordinary local pub, and you could win £200 just by nominating. You’ll be able to read about shortlisted pubs in your area, before voting for your winner.

Regional winners selected by your votes will receive £300 and be entered into the national final for the chance to win £5,000.

The judges will then choose the overall national winner, where Paddy will drop in for a pint of John Smith’s to deliver the grand prize.

So don’t miss out and nominate your extraordinary John Smith’s stockist before the deadline of 2nd July - cheers, and good luck.

Nominations close 2nd July at 6pm. UK residents 18+. Terms apply and T&Cs can be found here. Get ‘em in!

Please drink responsibly.