Pub 126, Day 48 – The Commercial

By Andy

Continuing up Station Road we arrived at The Commercial, a flower-adorned pub known locally as 'The Commie'.

The pub had a variety of random rooms spanning out from the entrance – in one sense it reminded me of a working men's club, with each room having a pre-defined function. Always keen to assert superiority at pointless games, we headed straight to the bar billiards room. Unfortunately we were left disappointed, as the bar billiards table was out of order – or at least, we couldn't figure out how to work it. We therefore relocated to the 'cosy' room – you know the sort, done up like your gran's living room, with upholstered seating and sepia photos in heavy frames.

This was by far the busiest room, and it was clearly a friendly place – merely entering the cosy room made you fair game to be approached by a variety of folk, eagerly enquiring after your family.

After batting them all away we sat in the 'bay window', a pleasant feature which added to the living room vibe.

We ordered White Christmas by Saltaire Brewery, which bucked the trend by being a pale seasonal offering rather than the dark December drinks most breweries produce.

The pub was clearly a great community asset – the walls were littered with upcoming events, from whisky tasting to Christmas meals. Such events signal that The Commercial is not a chain pub, but a local venue which caters to its customers. It was also rather refreshing to see that the posters were simple affairs printed off in black-and-white, rather than mass-produced templates sent over by head office.

All in all, The Commercial was everything a local pub should be – well stocked with beers and spirits, full of friendly folk, and with a range of activities for all. Whether you had just moved to Chapeltown or lived nearby for decades, you were certain to make new friends.

It was certainly here that our pleasant drinking tour of Chapeltown became a hardcore drinking session – one pint quickly became two, then three, then four. It was only when leaving that we realised the once busy room now had a circle of empty tables, neatly surrounding ours.

So apologies to Commie regulars if we were a little rowdy – we were thoroughly enjoying our visit to your pub.

Pub: The Commercial (107 Station Road, S35 2XF)

Rating: 9/10

Beer: White Christmas

Brewery: Saltaire Brewery (Shipley)

NEXT UP: Chip butties all round, at The Norfolk Arms...