Voting now open in John Smith’s Only Ordinary by Name Pub competition - which boozer gets your support?
The pints have been pulled, the stories have been told, the pubs have been chosen - now it's time to vote in the John Smith’s Only Ordinary by Name Pub competition.
Dozens of pubs from across our region received nominations from regulars but only two could be shortlisted.
Now its over to you to cast your vote below to crown your regional 'Only Ordinary By Name' pub, that will win £300 and progress to the national final.
An expert judging panel will then select the overall winner to receive a £5000 top prize.
Of that jackpot payment, £4,500 will go to the winning pub to spend on improvements for punters such as a new sound system or perhaps refurb the beer garden, and £500 to the deserving landlord.
Voting closes 23rd July at 6pm.
Terms apply and T&Cs can be found here. Get ‘em in!
Please drink responsibly.
Select your favourite Only Ordinary by Name pub below:
King's Head (SY1 1PP)
One of the things that makes the King's Head 'Only Ordinary By Name' was only discovered by chance in 1987, after being hidden away from sight for centuries. As builders refurbished the 15th-century pub, they found a pre-Reformat on mural of the Last Supper on an old chimney breast.
It is now one of the pub's star attractions. But it is not the only thing that attracts history buffs and tourists to the pub. With a traditional jettied frontage and oak beams, the grade two listed, timber-framed pub looks much the same as it did when King Henry VII stayed in Shrewsbury in 1485. And while the interior has been recently refurbished, it maintains a traditional feel with low beams and partitions.
The pub doesn't just rely on its history to attract visitors - it has a wide selection of drinks, freshly cooked meals with meat from a local butcher and live entertainment too.
The Nag's Head (SY1 1XB)
Situated on the Wyle Cop, a historic street of independent shops, the Nag's Head has been serving drinks since before 1780. Fascinating for history lovers, the pub is full of relics from the past, including the timber remnants of a 14th-century hall house to the rear, while it is believed underground tunnels connect to the other shops on the ancient street.
But what really makes the former coaching inn 'Only Ordinary By Name' is something which is not on display, a painting of a bearded man over the back of an old cupboard door in a room on the top floor, which is believed to be cursed. Over the years, three people are said to have taken their own lives in that room after spending the night with the painting - a coachman, a newly-wed bride and a young man who had just returned from the First World War trenches. Their ghosts are now said to roam the Nag's Head with regular sightings.
