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Pub of the Year 2005
The Peacock - Brampton - Chesterfield
 Congratulations
to John Bradbury and partner Phillipa -seen here collecting their prestigious
award from Chesterfield & District CAMRA committee member, Mick Portman - on
winning this year’s Pub of the Year.
The strong field of contenders also comprised The Hay at Shirland, The Blue Bell
at Bolsover, The Boat at Cromford and The Wellington at New Whittington.
The presentation night brought a large number of
members who sampled the delights of his cellar, which included two guest ales –
Goff ’s Tournament and Fuller’s London Pride.
When John and Phillipa took over almost three
years ago, the Peacock was in a very poor state with no custom and very poor
beer quality. It took a lot of hard work to restore the pub and trade to its
present standard. The Peacock is a smart locals’ pub which still has two
individual rooms, one with a real fire in winter. It also supports its own darts
and football teams. Catering for connoisseurs of real ale and the Brampton
passing trade, there is a selection of four regular beers: Tetley’s; Black Sheep
Bitter; Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Adnam’s Broadside together with a regular
guest ale.
It’s not just by chance that John has suddenly hit on a winning formula, a CAMRA
member for many years, he has always been committed to the cause of real ale. He
has been in the pub trade for 25 years, first drawing attention to real ale
drinkers when, against all odds, he brought cask ale to the unlikeliest places –
the Pomegranate Theatre bar, making it so successful theatre goers could hardly
find space to drink because of the influx of ‘outsiders’.
He moved on to his first pub, the Grouse on Chatsworth Road, where he collected
a Pub of the Month award, and became the first landlord to be presented with the
new branch award celebrating 10 years in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. The changes
brought about by the Government’s restrictions on breweries ownership of pubs
resulted in John leaving the trade, however he could still be seen behind the
bar of the Britannia, Brampton. He was soon back in the business as bar manager
at Queen’s Park Sports Centre, where he again persuaded the Council to introduce
real ale.
This award is more than just a celebration of the beer at the Peacock - it is
also thanks for many years of supporting real ale.
John Hirst
This webpage was last updated on
Sunday, 07 October 2007
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