There’s something of the time capsule about the front bar of the Seven Stars in Falmouth, where there’s cask ale on gravity and a buzz of conversation.
Memorabilia fills the walls of the ancient pub, which dates back to the 1660s. Not much will have changed in those 363 years. It’s always been a meeting place for locals, catching up with friends, a stop after shopping. For many years it was the home of Barrington Bennetts, publican and vicar, dividing his time between the bar and the King Charles the Martyr Church in the town’s main street. Now the pub is run by his granddaughter, Amy, who leads a knowledgeable and engaging team. In a town with more than its fair share of great beer venues, it continues to stand out as a must-visit destination.
Skinner’s Brewery mascot and champion charity fundraiser Betty Stogs was passing by as Cornwall CAMRA chairman Vince Curtis was presenting the certificate to Amy Bennetts. Photograph: Steve Barber
Barrington was one of very few people to have been immortalised in The Beano comic, thanks to local cartoonists and storytellers Nick and Fran Brennan. A frame from the original artwork adorns the wall, along with many photos of staff and regulars from back in time. A collection of key rings hangs from the ceiling, amassed over many years. A mobile phone was nailed to the wall as a warning to those who were rude enough to try to phone from the bar. I had to check that this rule was still in place. Phones are fine for taking photos, I was told, but no calls to be made. Would a modern smartphone be nailed to the wall these days? Not worth taking the chance to find out!
This weekend, the Oyster Festival has been in town, and the pub has been hosting a beer festival, with a couple of dozen beers on stillage in a rarely-used back room. A good selection, featuring the likes of Driftwood Spars, Penzance, Tintagel, and Treen’s. All very good, but not the reason I popped down (desperate for a beer after a long bus journey from Redruth, punctuated by not one but three car accident hold-ups en route). The pub’s memorabilia is to be augmented with a certificate from the Cornwall branch of the Campaign for Real Ale paying tribute to the Seven Stars’ 50 years in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.
This year’s GBG cover, bedecked in heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s trademark typography and featuring the group’s macabre mascot, Eddie, would have drawn a harrumph from Barrington, no doubt. But I hope he would have been delighted to see the pub he put on the map gracing the pages for a 50th time.
In a world where there are, I think, encouraging signs of a growing revival in the fortune of cask beer, the Seven Stars shows you how it’s done well. Gravity-dispensed amber bitter doesn’t have to be, indeed never should be dull. The Sharp’s Sea Fury I enjoyed was as good as you are ever going to find that beer. Despite what the branded glass says (see photo, above), Sea Fury is known throughout Falmouth by its original name Sharp’s Special. Or ‘Spesh’ if you’re going to be really familiar. They didn’t take kindly to the name change in this town. And don’t even mention the drop from 5.2 to 5% ABV. But it still sells well, and when you have a pint served from the Seven Stars cask, it is in its full caramel, red berry, bready glory.
There’s always draught Bass on, as well, which in my recent experience can vary in quality from horrific to blissful, and happily the Seven Stars is well into the latter category. Also on sale during my visit were St Austell’s English-hopped Anthem, which is finding plenty of fans, despite living in the shadow of big-selling Tribute and Proper Job, and the ever-reliable Jail Ale, from Dartmoor Brewery.
When you’re in Falmouth, you must make a Seven Stars visit on your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed and you’ll leave with a renewed faith in the future of well-run pubs, and a smile on your face from the beer and conversation. All the details here on the pub website.
