pub

A CLOSED Wetherspoons once labelled as the most beautiful in the UK is set to be turned into a huge indoor soft play attraction.

The pub closed down back in 2023 after more than two decades in business.

The Capitol Pub on London Road in Forest Hill was often regarded as the grandest or most beautiful in the range of budget pubs.

It was housed in a former 1920’s Art Deco building that used to serve as a cinema.

The picture house showed its last film in 1978 then opened as a bingo hall before JD Wetherspoons snapped it up in 1996.

But, new life is set to be breathed into the Grade II listed building as developers have revealed plans to transform it into a soft play, according to News Shopper.

STRIKE OUT

New train strikes to spark chaos over TWO weekends this October in door row

ADULTS ONLY

UK holiday parks where it’s cheaper and better WITHOUT kids from £16pp a night

Planning permission was approved back in January, with developers now working through a series of conditions to ensure the original features in the building are protected.

A multi-level play structure, party rooms, café facilities and an on-site manager’s flat is set to feature in the building.

Meanwhile, accessible toilets, buggy parking and areas for staff are also set to be built.

However, fans of the building need not worry as its original cinema entrance and distinct features will be protected.

No opening date has been confirmed for the soft play area, but works continue to be underway.

IF you want a historic stay in one of the UK’s coolest seaside towns, we’ve found one of the best.

Here’s everything you need to know about staying at Margate‘s The George & Heart House.

Where is The George & Heart House?

You couldn’t ask for a much better spot from which to explore Margate.

Across the road are the Old’s Town’s vintage shops, cafes and pubs while just a five-minute walk away is the beach as well as the Turner Contemporary art gallery and retro amusement park Dreamland, both of which are free to enter.

Margate train station is a ten-minute stroll from the hotel.

What’s it like?

Sat on the edge of Margate’s Old Town, this revamped 18th-century coaching inn is full of character.

KENT BELIEVE IT

The six coolest beach towns on the Costa del Kent ranked

FULL OF FLAVOUR

Rocksalt Rooms, Folkestone, review

The charming interior features exposed brickwork, velvets, fringes and drapes with eco-friendly up-cycled furniture and a colour scheme of pink and dark green.

What are the rooms like?

There are six compact rooms designed by Kent creatives, all with their own unique style and names.

Among them, Burley & Field has Art Deco and Oriental influences while Home Alone With Mrs Jones is a riot of 1970s Biba-style imagery.

There is also the plush and spacious Heritage Suite, where I stayed, which takes up an entire floor.

It comes with two bedrooms and a big living space complete with a small kitchen area, two sofas, wall-mounted flatscreen TV and a dining table.

Double rooms with breakfast cost from £90. See georgeandheart.com.

What is there to eat and drink?

Definitely eat here. The restaurant delivers mainly pub classics, including burgers and fish and chips, but also more elaborate dishes such as pork Milanese.

I had the halibut in a tomato and caper sauce with new potatoes and tenderstem broccoli which was perfectly cooked and delicious.

In the summer you can also dine in the pub’s airy Stables Courtyard.

The breakfast is continental, including juices, muesli, fruit, croissants, ham and cheese.

What else is there to do?

The hotel has a Zen Den, which offers massages and facials by appointment, but can also be used by guests for morning stretches or meditation.

Is it family friendly?

The hotel’s two-bedroom Heritage Suite sleeps four, so works for families.

Is it accessible?

Due to being a historic pub, the hotel is not wheelchair accesible

PROPER pubs have propped up British life for centuries – safe, soothing sanctuaries from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Some call them ‘spit and sawdust’ boozers, others call them ‘Old Man’ pubs.

But you get the idea – no fuss. No frills.

They don’t complicate or change things. Just a quiet well-kept pint, a vacant stare into the middle distance, a nice chat and that comforting feeling that everything will probably be alright.

In a proper pub there’s no piped ‘muzak’, no Sky Sports swooshing at you, no cutlery or cloths on the tables, and absolutely no QR codes.

There might be a dog. There should be a piano. If there’s a dog playing a piano, that’s even better.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

TRAVEL TIP

The £2.99 SIM hack that can save Brits HUNDREDS abroad

And once you’re in, there should be no real reason to ever leave.

I make up half of Thinking Drinkers, and we have searched high and low for the best boozers around, so here are my top 10 Proper Pubs that every passionate pub-goer should visit:

The Oxford Bar, Edinburgh

Edinburgh is packed with decent locals. But few do proper, no-nonsense pub quite like The Oxford, a favourite of crime writer Ian Rankin and his hard-boiled detective Inspector Rebus.

There’s none of the tartan tat or tourist rubbish here. Just a solid mix of locals, writers and drinkers, all rubbing along nicely.

Grab a stool, order a beer or a whisky, and settle in. It’s exactly what a pub should be.

A pint here is likely to set you back between £4.50 and £6, and there’s plenty of things to do nearby including the National Galleries of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle.

Southampton Arms, North London

A sign outside proudly declares “Ale. Cider. Meat” – and that’s exactly what you get at this cracking Kentish Town boozer.

The 16 taps pour only beer and cider from genuinely independent producers – but don’t panic, this is not a Gen Z hipster hangout or a pub for beer bores who won’t stop talking to you about hops.

Inside you’ll find tables, chairs, a piano and plates of meat (and cheese). There’s no Wi-Fi and no bookings.

A pint here costs from £4.97, which is definitely a welcome price in London – and nearby, make sure to visitHampsteadd Heath for a nice autumnal walk.

The Dyffryn Arms, Wales

Perched on the edge of the Preseli Hills, this place is absurdly old-fashioned and basic.

Known simply as ‘Bessie’s’, after its legendary landlady, it’s less a pub and more a tiny front room.

Ring the bell, the hatch opens, and you’re served one beer and one beer only — Bass.

Inside there are a few chairs, a couple of tables and a portrait of a youthful Queen Elizabeth.

Outside, just a bench. The locals chat in Welsh. There’s no toilet. Yet somehow, it’s perfect.

A pint here will set you back between £4 and £5.50, and in the surrounding are, a head off on a riverside walk or take a short drive to the coastal town of Fishguard.

Birch Hall Inn, North Yorkshire

Tiny but brilliant, this white-washed North York Moors pub is officially the smallest in Yorkshire — and yet huge in character.

The boozer is split into two very basic rooms with a proper old-school sweet shop between them.

Hikers and holidaymakers rub elbows here over a range of well-kept ales, pork pies, pickles, stotties and the pub’s famous “beer cake”.

A pint here will cost you between £4 and £5.50, and in the surrounding area, take a walk to Beck Hole – a pretty village with woodland walks to small ponds and waterfalls.

Wenlock Arms, East London

While all the streets around it were getting levelled by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, The Wenlock Arms wasn’t having any of it – the bombs didn’t dare touch it.

And, from the looks of things, neither has anyone else.

Built in 1836, this unwaveringly traditional East End institution has a reassuringly retro feel with some of the best beer the British isles has to offer.

A pint at this watering hole usually costs between £4.50 and £5.80, and if you are looking for something else to do in the area, head for a wander along the Regent’s Canal Towpath.

The Evening Star, Brighton

Just a one-minute walk from Brighton train station, this cosy city centre local is a theme pub…

The theme is sitting down and drinking really nice beer.

Dating back to 1854, there’s not much here beyond some chairs, some tables and a small bar serving a range of really good independent ales, ciders and lagers.

The cheapest pint here will cost you £4.80 (Burning Sky – Plateau), and nearby there’s the Brighton Toy and Model Museum or you can walk to the beach.

Peveril Of the Peak, Manchester

Peveril of the Peak was once used as a brothel by American soldiers during the Second World War.

It sits defiantly wedged amid modern office blocks and new-fangled flats, with a classic green-tiled exterior.

As for the inside, the historic triangular tavern is perhaps the most beautiful looking boozer in Manchester complete with darts, pool and a jukebox.

A pint at this watering hole will set you back between £5.50 and £6.80, and Manchester Art Gallery is nearby if you are looking for something else to do in the area.

The Bell Inn, Aldworth

Low- beamed with a massive oak fireplace and a flagstone floor worn by generations of thirsty walkers, this cracking 16t-centuryy country pub is a terrific time-warp of a place.

The beer garden bursts into a perfectly English oasis of calm in the summer, but in the winter, the boozer oozes with cosy charm.

The beers are served spot-on and the food is simple yet superb – warm crusty rolls stuffed with ham, ox tongue, cheddar, stilton or crab, with little pots of mustard and chutney on the side.

You can get a pint and a roll for less than £15.

Fat Cat, Sheffield

Once you’ve sat down here, you’ll struggle to leave this delightful, unpretentious ‘drinker’.

It is just one of several superb pubs to be discovered in the Steel City.

Cosy and carpeted, it’s like stepping into someone’s living room – albeit a living room that serves a great range of real ales from a handsome looking wooden bar.

A pint at the Fat Cat costs from around £4.20, and for somewhere to head after, just across the road is the Kelham Island Museu, m which showcases the steelmaking history of the city.

Free Trade Inn, Newcastle

Boasting beautiful views over Newcastle and across the River Tyne, perched halfway up a hill, this quirky yet canny, frills-free boozer oozes charisma.

It has friendly folk behind the bar, a free jukebox and quality ‘craft’ ales.

You can grab pizza at the boozer too for around a tenner.

A pint here will cost you from £4.50, and nearby, make sure to head on the Victoria Tunnels Tour – this underground 19th-century wagonway has had several lives as a route for coal wagons and then laterana air-raid shelter during World War II.

CALLING all foodies – this might just be the country pub with the best food in Britain.

Here’s everything else you need to know about staying at The Freemasons at Wiswell.

Where is The Freemasons at Wiswell?

The beautiful country pub is in the heart of a pretty sandstone Lancashire village.

What is the hotel like?

Lots of nooks and crannies ensure you enjoy the buzz of a busy spot, but also have privacy to enjoy the company of family or friends.

The inn itself was once three cottages, one of which was a freemason’s lodge.

What are the rooms like?

The room we stayed in was in a property next door so we had no noise from the bar and enjoyed a peaceful sleep in the countryside.

BOOZE AND SNOOZE

Best pub rooms you can rent on Airbnb with free breakfasts & dogs welcome

GOTTA SEA IT

I stayed at the Cornish pub with rooms that couldn’t be closer to the sea

Our room – Mr Hare – boasted a super king bed, and a stunning rolltop bath on a mezzanine floor.

Luxury touches included fluffy towels and dressing gowns as well as a Nespresso coffee machine and premium, handmade bath and body products.

“My dream bedroom”, said my wife.

Rooms start from £125. See freemasonsatwiswell.com.

What is there to eat and drink at the hotel?

The kitchen is led by executive chef Michael Shaw who has worked for some of Britain’s best known chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc.

We visited on a Thursday so Mike popped out of the kitchen and encouraged us to enjoy a six-course tasting menu (£85pp).

English asparagus, cornish crab, stuffed mushrooms, glazed duck and salted white chocolate.

Andrew, our host, allowed us to choose some wine, before choosing us a better bottle of red. An a la carte menu is also available.

The following morning we enjoyed a three-course breakfast – fresh baked pastries, smoked salmon and cured meats and a delicious cooked breakfast.

Even if not staying at the hotel, the Freemasons is a lovely place for a pint, or a celebratory meal. Sunday lunch (£39.50 for two courses) looks good too.

What else is there to do there?

Chocolate box Wiswell is lovely to stroll around before or after a meal.

A few minute’s drive away is the popular village of Whalley which features lovely little shops, wine bars and traditional pubs.

We got into the car and drove 15 minutes to nearby Barley and spent a lovely couple of hours walking up 557-metre Pendle Hill, famous as the spot where ten people were hanged during the 1612 Pendle Witch trials.

Is it family friendly?

For families, it is advisable to get in contact to discuss the needs of your stay so there’s plenty of room for everyone.

Is there access for guests with disabilities?

Freemasons at Wiswell offers disabled access rooms on the ground floor.

TUCKED away in the English countryside is a quiet village that has attracted some big names.

It has pretty cobblestone cottages, traditional pubs all with the backdrop of rolling green hills and no, it’s not in the Cotswolds – but it looks like it could be.

East Dean, a small village in East Sussex, has become the country’s ‘quietest celebrity hotspot’, according to The Telegraph.

Artist Grayson Perry, interior designer and hotelier Olga Polizzi, and Line of Duty actress Gina McKee are all said to call the area home.

It was also once home to Edith Nesbit, the author of The Railway Children.

Most famously, it is the location where Sherlock Holmes retired.

TOP MARKS

Cheap all inclusive hotels with brilliant Tripadvisor ratings – from £299pp

TOP STAYS

Best-rated UK hotels as voted for by guests – with rooms from just £31 a night

The fictional detective said in the last novel, called His Last Bow, that he retired to “a small farm upon the Downs, five miles from Eastbourne”.

Author of the series Sir Conan Doyle lived nearby too.

There’s even a blue plaque outside the house on the green that reads “Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective and bee keeper, retired here 1903-1917.”

200 years ago, the village wasn’t exactly a celebrity hotspot – instead it was used by smugglers.

What is now the village pub apparently served as a secret meeting place and retreat for contraband runners.

It’s called The Tiger Inn and sits at the centre of the village on the green and has been described as a ‘quintessentially English pub’ by visitors.

Previously, it’s won Rural Pub of the Year for the South East and has had multiple recognitions from the South East Sussex CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) – including winning Country Pub of the Year.

It serves up very British dishes too from Ploughmans, to fish and chips and sausage and mash.

One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor that it’s “an incredibly beautiful place, one of the best pubs in the South East.”

Another described it as an “amazing village pub on the green.”

It’s not just food – visitors can book a stay at the inn from £90 – or £45pppn.

There are other options when it comes to staying in the village too, including camping at Newhouse Farm Wild Camping which has 72 pitches.

You can pitch on the grass from £30 per night for two adults.

There are also four pods including The Sett, which can sleep up to four people from £100 per night – or £25pppn.

The village is actually quite close to the seaside too – in the car it’s a four-minute drive to beauty spot Birling Gap where you can look out over the Seven Sisters cliffs.

If you fancy taking a walk, you can start at the Tiger Inn and venture towards the sea front which will take around an hour and a half.

For more of a beach, there’s nearby Cuckmere Haven, which is a 13-minute drive away.

The beach was voted one of the best for spring earlier this year thanks to its mild temperatures and incredible views.