No. 15 The Cherry Orchard

Visited on 3/3/11. The Cherry Orchard is named after Russian playright Anton Chekov's famous tragedy, which he wrote while staying here in the summer of 1896. Not really. I guess it's probably called the Cherry Orchard because it used to be next to a Cherry Orchard. Now it isn't. Anyhow, this famous local pub in many ways still  represents what a proper pub should aspire to. Yes, it does food but only early in the day. At night it's the sole preserve of beer drinkers and is still a focal point of the community. Three ales are normally available (Theakston's bitter, Deuchar's IPA and a guest) and whilst they are sometimes of variable quality, on this particular evening all three were spot on. It's a shame the mild has recently been moved from cask to keg though. All in all, this is a great pub - the only downside being the faint whiff of decay in the air due to the high average age of the regulars.