Cardigan Arms - Corby Village (Pt.1)

Ring out the church bells, raise the Saltire, set-light the Welland Valley Beacon, the wait is finally over. Cask Beer has been found! In a pub! In Corby! And it was... very nice actually!

A single handpump for Doom Bar in the Cardigan Arms might not set the crazy-craft world of beer enthusiasm alight, but it's quite the find in Corby. It did get me wondering though... Had 'National Doom Bar Ambassador' and award-winning pub blogger Retired Martin got there before me! It can't have escaped the attention of his many followers that wherever Martin goes, a fresh and foamy barrel of Cornwall's finest is never far behind. Could the rumour he's on a generous commission from Coors be true? Has anyone actually seen inside the retiredmartin Dray Campervan? What's the barrel/weight limit on that thing anyway? Besides, we know he's been to 'Scotland' recently. All of it! Now that can't be a coincidence!... All entirely anecdotal of course, and we welcome cask beer in Corby whatever the brand, no matter how it got there. Can it be Citra next time though Martin...

I say 'found in Corby', what I actually mean of course is found in the lesser-known ©Heritage Quarter of the town, aka the original ye olde village of Corby. Hemmed-in as it is by modern housing and the sprawl of industry that grew up around the Steel & Tube Works, it remains a tidy little ironstone village centred on the 800 year old St John's Church and a short road called The Jamb, home to the holy village trinity of Butchers, Bookies, and a jolly fine Boozer.

The original Cardigan Arms

The current Cardigan dates from around the mid 20th century, one of those reassuringly solid post-war brick builds that rarely garner the architectural plaudits, but it's certainly an attractive building in its own way. There's been a Cardigan Arms on the site for well over 200 years though, the former historic pub destroyed by a catastrophic fire. Despite extensive research I’ve yet to discover which brewery actually built the current Cardigan. My feeling is it may have been a Phipps NBC house, though how it then became a John Smiths/S&N tied house is a tricky one to figure out, so maybe not.

UPDATE: The mystery is solved thanks to a photo that's subsequently emerged showing the Cardigan with ‘Smith’s of Oundle’ livery. Smith & Co Brewery of North Street in Oundle had over 80 licensed premises in and around Northamptonshire. The brewery and estate were acquired by Warwicks & Richardsons of Newark in the 1950's, who in turn merged with John Smith's, latterly part of the mighty Scottish & Newcastle empire that came to dominate Corby's pub and club scene.

Shown here is a screw bottle top that I dug up in our garden.

I’d been looking forward to a pint in the Cardigan Arms for quite some time. One of the ultra-rare Corby pubs afforded a full description in CAMRA's 1990 Guide to Northamptonshire Pubs. Just one single Real Ale, no matter how prosaic, was more than enough for the full red carpet treatment in those far-off campaigning days. The Cardigan had no less than two of the blighters back then, John Smiths Magnet and Courage Directors, remember them! Today the Cardigan is literally spoiling the Corby beer enthusiast with the aforementioned Doom Bar, as well as it's paler 'craft' cousin Atlantic Pale on traditional Heritage Keg font. That's me and the missus catered for then, and the Cardi', as us (ahem!) 'locals' are wont to call it, has instantly been joggled up the league table to 'Best in Village', well ahead of all the other village pubs we haven't actually been to yet...

Football was on the telly when I popped in for a pint recently, a statement I've now hot-keyed on the laptop, because when isn't football on the telly in a Corby pub? A busy enough Saturday afternoon then, with plenty of interest in the match as it played out on the pubs eye-bogglingly 'MASSIVE' main screen, backed-up by half a dozen smaller examples dotted around the bar. They say you're never more than 10ft from a televised football match in Corby. Not strictly true of course, sometimes it's the horse racing...

A room full of inquisitive Corby heads took a while to settle as I made a typically 'discreet' entrance, adjusted my Deerstalker and confidently ordered a pint of the single cask on offer. Blending in again! The Doom Bar took a while to settle too so I shuffled over to a corner table, all the better to observe pub life from the comfort of the bench seating that runs the length of the bar. The gaffer kindly delivered my pint as all eyes returned to the televised sporting action.

I set to examining the impressive flag display on the ceiling and awaited the impending arrival of the missus. Slightly fearful it must be said, fearful of her reaction to the latest "Orrible Blokes Pub" I was forcing the poor woman to endure. I needn't have worried, she really liked the place, immediately 'owning' our small space in the corner with a veritable flotsam of 'lady bags', butchers treats, and weekend shopping like a seasoned afternoon pub-goer. In that instant I went from 'Suspicious Singleton Stranger' to 'Stranger With Spouse'. A wave of relief (quite possibly sympathy, who knows!) rippled around the bar, and a few kind words were exchanged with a spouseless neighbour. Bench seating you see, the very best pub seating for a bit of the auld chit-chat.

A nice pint then, and in a very nice pub as it happens. A pub I'd barely scratched the surface of if truth be told. Sadly I can't tell you about the other Bar/Function Room, or the small Games Room to the rear, or the extensive and attractive Beer Garden, because I didn't have a chance to explore them. They'd have to wait for another day, we needed to get on, and those tasty butchers treats needed the attention of a frying pan. But not before a bit of a chat with the Landlord about the forthcoming New Year Day celebrations, a Corby tradition as old and unique as Corby New Town itself, more of which in Part 2...

Bench seating, bar stools, bellies and beer mats at the Cardigan Arms