There are a number of reasons to suggest that St. Albans may be the capital city of public houses for England. Some claim that there are more pubs per head of population in St. Albans than any other city which is perhaps dubious but there are certainly quite a few. The pubs that are here vary enormously and there are a good number of excellent quality taverns whether you are after gastro-pubs, genuine old traditional drinking places or modern trendy bars. A great many more than average sell real ale, which may explain why CAMRA, the campaign for real ale have their headquarters here (or vice-versa). We also have the best shout for the oldest pub in the world - Ye Olde Fighting Cocks which is situated next to the Roman Verulamium Park, a stone's thrown from St. Albans Abbey (at least seven other pubs also claim this accolade but St. Albans has the best evidence to support its theory).
I imagine that there are other towns and cities with a better quota of pub games, especially in the North of England - Hertfordshire has never been famous for any particular type of pub game.
The following list features any pub that has made some sort of effort to feature games, particularly traditional pub games. We haven't bothered with pubs that just have a few board games behind the bar or an old Giant Connect 4 in the garden.
Pubs with Games
If you know a pub in St. Albans and district with games or have any other corrections to this list, please email the author. Thanks.
| Pub | Games | Address | Postcode | Last verified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sopwell Lane Area |
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| The Goat |
Bar Billiards |
37 Sopwell Lane | AL1 1RN | A great pub with an unusal layout and friendly atmosphere. | July 2008 |
| The Farmer's Boy | Giant Jenga Giant Connect 4 Board Games |
134 London Road | AL1 1PQ | This pub consistently gets some of the best reviews of any pub in St. Albans. It's a small place but very popular locally. | July 2008 |
| The Garibaldi | St. Albans Go Club | Meets on Wednesdays at 8pm | 2017 | ||
| The White Lion |
Darts |
Sopwell Lane | AL1 1RN | Sadly, the Aunt Sally pitch is no more (although it was plagued by the Landlord's three legged dog sometimes). And the St. Albans Go club moved to the Garibaldi after the previous landlord went bankrupt in 2015. Punch Taverns brought in new management in 2016 and by all accounts it's a great pub - but no news of any games unfortunately. | July 2017 |
| The Hare and Hounds | Football Table Darts |
104, Sopwell Lane | AL1 1RL | Darts team plays every other Thursday evening. | July 2008 |
Central St. Albans |
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| Farriers Arms | Darts Cribbage |
32 Lower Dagnall Street | AL3 4PT | This unpretentious pub seems to be the Darts specialist for St. Albans. It's Darts team has a core of good players and there is a shelf showing off all their trophies. Anyone wanting to join a local Darts team should probably look here first. Every time I've visited, there are a couple of old fellows playing Cribbage in the corner. They tell me that they are the last vestige of the defunct St. Albans Cribbage League |
2012 |
| The White Swan | Bar Billiards Darts |
Upper Dagnall Street | AL3 5EA | July 2008 | |
| The Boot | Shove Ha'penny | 4 Market Place | AL3 5DG | A small but quality drinking place. | July 2008 |
| Lower Red Lion | Board Games, Boule, Giant Chess, Cribbage, Dominoes |
36 Fishpool Street | AL3 4RX | This pub is probably the number one place in town for real ale - it host an annual beer festival - and is hugely popular with both locals and visitors. | July 2008 |
East of Centre |
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| The Mermaid | Darts, Dominoes, Cribbage, Backgammon | 98 Hatfield Road | AL1 3RL | July 2008 | |
| The Horn | Football Table Pool |
Victoria Street | AL1 3TE | Well known for its live bands. | 2007 |
| The Crown | 2 Pool Tables Football Table Darts |
144 Hatfield Road | AL1 4JA | July 2008 | |
| The Rats Castle | Pool Darts St. Albans Backgammon Club |
246 Hatfield Road | AL1 4UN | Refurbished, 2008. The Backgammon club that meets each Tuesday evening is, in a low-key way, one of the leading clubs in the UK with several national and international competitors. | 2017 |
South of Centre |
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| The Duke of Marlborough | Darts | 110 Holywell Hill | AL1 1DH | ||
| King Harry |
Giant Connect 4 |
2, King Harry Lane | AL3 4BL | Very popular, busy pub at the top of the hill. | July 2008 |
North of Centre |
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| Jolly Sailor | Pool Darts |
3 Stonecross | AL1 4AA | Great pub with a sports bar one side and a cosy local bar at the front. | |
| The Green Man, Sandridge | Darts | High Street, Sandridge | AL4 9DD | The most popular pub in the village of Sandridge. A real friendly local pub. | June 2008 |
Links
During 2007, a review team went to every single pub in St. Albans and the results of their findings is the excellent St. Albans Pub Review website.
There are lots of pub websites but the one that always seems to be the most useful and most complete to me is Beer in the Evening.