Britain's best pub of the year revealed - but did your local make the list?
The best pub in Britain was today named as a thriving venue in a Shropshire market town that was saved from being turned into housing after it was closed.
The Bailey Head in Oswestry was praised for its welcoming atmosphere, charity pub quizzes, live music and an impressive array of cask beer and cider.
The pub was transformed after being bought in 2016 and now has 12 handpulls serving six cask beers and six ciders and perries, plus 16 other draught lines.
Now, it has been given the prestigious Pub of the Year title by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), which described it as a 'rags-to-riches success story' after the owners had 'turned what was once a closed local into a haven for the local community'.
The Bailey Head was previously brewery-owned and called The Eagles and The Castle Tavern for more than 200 years, but had been 'failing' and was listed by Camra as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) to protect it from redevelopment.
But it was transformed nine years ago after being bought by Duncan Borrowman and Grace Goodlad and won a variety of awards from Camra as well as the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, TripAdvisor and the Shropshire Goat.
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Mr Borrowman said: 'We have always had a policy of 'Everyone Welcome', any person should feel happy and comfortable coming in by themselves and enjoying a drink, either on their own or chatting to other customers.
'We thrive on being the heart of the community and a place where people gather to celebrate or commiserate.
'While all of the focus tends to be on us as a couple, this win was also down to our incredible team of welcoming and knowledgeable staff, and to our wonderful regulars who have become very much a community in their own right.'
Ms Goodlad added: 'We are thrilled, we hope we can live up to the award. In our wildest dreams we never thought we would win Camra Pub of the Year.
'From small beginnings nine years ago, we have taken everything one step at a time, through Covid, slowly improving to the point where we now have twelve handpulls serving six cask beers and six ciders and perries, plus sixteen other draught lines.
'When we bought the pub nine years ago it was failing and had been listed as an Asset of Community Value by the local Camra branch.
'That listing made it possible for us to save it from potentially becoming housing and turning it into the pub it is today.'
Shrewsbury and West Shropshire Camra chairman David Ricketts said: 'The story of the Bailey Head from humble beginnings proves that any pub can become the best in the UK with some hard graft.
'Huge congratulations to Duncan and Grace and their hardworking team at the pub. We are so proud that our local branch plays host to them, and I hope this win can bring plenty of new visitors to their doorstep.'
Camra Awards Director Laura Emson said: 'There could not be a more deserving winner for the Pub of the Year than the Bailey Head.
'In a time when running a pub is a significant challenge, the commitment and enthusiasm Duncan and Grace show should be highly commended and seen as an example.
'January can be an especially tough time for our locals, so please get out and visit them and provide the support that is so desperately needed for pubs across the UK.'
The presentation of the award took place at the Bailey Head this afternoon.
One of the other three Pub of the Year finalists was the Black Horse in Preston, Lancashire.
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The Grade II listed pub was described as 'visually stunning' and a 'fantastic example of Victorian architecture, retaining original fittings from the era'.
Also on the list was the Three B's in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, which is 'run by a husband-and-wife team who are passionate about beer and cider'.
The popular micropub is described as 'Bridlington's Real Ale Destination', showcasing four cask beers with a focus on stocking local Yorkshire-based beers.
The third was The Little Green Dragon in Winchmore Hill, a former shop unit in Enfield, North London, which was the area's first micropub and opened in 2017.
Camra said it focuses on the 'quality and diversity of cask beer', and has an 'everchanging selection of four cask beers sourced from local microbreweries and other independent brewers from further afield, plus real cider, perry and four keg beers'.
The pubs in the competition are selected by Camra volunteers and judged on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, value for money, customer mix and quality of beer.
It comes after the number of pubs in England and Wales dipped below 39,000 for the first time last year after hundreds of locals shut their doors for good.
Official Government statistics revealed last month that 412 pubs were demolished or converted for other uses over the year to December 2024.
The data, which was analysed by commercial real estate specialists at Altus Group, showed that the overall number of pubs in England and Wales, including those vacant and being offered to let, fell to 38,989.
More 34 pubs a month called last orders for the final time over the year, as the rate of pubs disappearing from local communities accelerated.
It was the sharpest fall in pub numbers since 2021, when the sector was hit hard by pandemic restrictions and surging energy prices.
UK pub numbers have now plunged by more than 2,000 since the start of 2020.
The latest figures come amid a backdrop of rising costs and cautious spending among consumers who have witnessed higher mortgages and rents.
In April, a number of policies from the autumn Budget will come into force which are also due to drive a sharp jump in costs for many pub operators.
The data also showed that London lost the greatest number of pubs in 2024, falling by 55 to 3,470 at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, pub numbers dropped by 53 to 3,904 in the West Midlands.
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