9 Sun Street
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV10 0DG
01902 351090
Traditional Town Pub
The Great Western in Wolverhampton has been a top pub for as long as I can remember and it continues to be packed with discerning drinkers from opening time onwards. Like most great pubs its attractions are many but the warm welcome, the choice and quality of the beer and its classic black country menu are my top three.
It’s a Holden’s pub and serves five of their beers from their brewery in Woodsetton just four miles away, along with Batham’s Bitter from their local rivals. For quality reasons Batham’s rarely offer their beer outside their tied houses but they are clearly confident that the Great Western will not let them down. Hot meals like local favourites grey peas and bacon with crusty bread and roast pork cobs are served lunchtime and early evening, and pork pies and regular cobs are available all day.
Ideally get there early and find a seat in the characterful main bar at the front, but there’s a snug on the right, a long lounge bar on the left and an atrium at the back.
The Great Western took its name from the railway that served the adjacent low level station. The station and the GWR are both now gone but are still celebrated inside the pub with lots of old railway memorabilia, photos, paintings and even luggage labels.
The high level station above is now Wolverhampton’s new mainline station, just across from the metro and the bus station, so it’s an easy pub to reach. Turn left out of the station and head down the cobbled Corn Hill and you’ll see the pub at the far end of the tunnel under the railway bridge.
