The Spread Eagle – Public Bar Review

Hello everyone, I am sorry if it’s been a couple of days since I have done a new post, the truth is I just wanted to take a couple of days off from the blog.

However, I am now back to bring you some amazing reviews and I will admit this one is a cracker!

The Spread Eagle

History

This imposing attractive and historical pub is situated in the fantastic and pleasant village of Rolleston On Dove which is on the outskirts of Burton Upon Trent, above a small brook which runs through the village.

The building dates back to around the 16th century and where in previous years, it was used as a Schoolhouse, Courthouse, Alehouse and a Hotel.

The Spread Eagle perpetuates the memory of the Mosley Family who came to Rolleston On Dove in 1614, who incorporated the spread eagle as the main device.

The Spread Eagle is sided along the main bridge which connects Rolleston On Dove to Tutbury, a picture of an Eagle can be found on the bridge to symbolise the village pub and The Mosley family efforts.

As I mentioned earlier the building had been used as a schoolhouse which was originally located next to The St Mary’s Church, there is no exact date from when this was, but history suggests it was around the time of once the building was built.

Below is part of the former Schoolhouse which is still there today, but now stands completely derelict.

The building is completely sealed and is not available to be looked by the general public, the schoolhouse has now proudly been formed part of The Rolleston Conservation Area.

Next, the part of the building where the Spread Eagle stands was then transformed into a Courthouse, however again there is no information that can be provided to support this statement.

Then, around the 1800s or just before, the building was then transformed into being a local boozer.

It was first known as The Moseley Arms which was named after The Moseley Family who came to Rolleston, this was also the introduction of the hotel inside the pub.

The Hotel was formally situated upstairs of the building, due to the pub being small there were only 5 hotel rooms.

Then some years later the pub was renamed as The Eagle Child Hotel, this lasted up until 1851 and then The Spread Eagle Hotel was born.

When the building first opened it was privately owned, however when Vintage Inns (Mitchell and Butler) took the business over it became privately owned and still to this day the pub is run by Vintage Inns.

Furthermore, when the takeover officially happened, it was then also announced that the hotel would be closed for good.

The Spread Eagle is now a local traditional pub with a restaurant and all the rooms upstairs have been turned into storage requirements.

Review

The trip to the Spread Eagle happened in February 2 years ago, myself, my Dad, my brother and my Grandad all went to this amazing pub for a couple of pints – In my Dads case, it was just 1 pint as he was the designated driver.

This is my Grandad’s favourite pub and used to be his regular boozer around 13 years ago as my Nan who sadly passed away 10 years ago had to come to Rolleston every Friday to have her nails done.

Since my Nans passing my Grandad has hardly been, so he did really appreciate it coming back to a pub that he completely fell in love with.

It was a cold day, so we were gladly hoping there was a fire stove inside!

The car park is very tiny, it’s not the greatest to be fair, in my mind I believe it makes more sense to park outside on the road, but there again everyone has their own choice.

Behind the car park, there was a huge amount of grassland and it was confirmed by a notice board that events take place on this section of the grass – In the past, there has been Car Shows and Tribute Bands and much more.

On entering inside you are welcomed by a darkish colour scheme – because the architect of the pub is so old, the darkness just brings along that fantastic romantical feel.

The pub is split up into different sections, the first part of the building is the main bar and then next to the bar on the other side of the building is the restaurant, which again is split into 2 different rooms.

On the left-hand side, as you enter into the pub, you will be able to recognize the beautiful Golden Eagle figurine situated on the wall.

Underneath, I have attached a picture of the Golden Eagle which is in the pub, just look how beautiful it is!

I always look at this every time I go into this pub because it’s literally so beautiful.

Now, the evening we came on it was very busy but luckily one of the waitresses managed to squeeze us in the restaurant and luckily we were sat near the fire so it was very warm.

We made my Grandad comfortable in his chair and me and my brother went up to order the drinks.

In terms of drinks, there was plenty to choose from!

A vast amount of lagers were available to choose from such as Carling, Peroni, Estrella.

Furthermore, there was plenty of wines to choose from and an enormous amount of spirits – I couldn’t believe how much gin there was available, 3 shelf’s worth of different gins, I was amazed when I saw it, I couldn’t believe it.

Now, the important part for myself and my grandad was the Cask Ale selection especially one beer which was called Jaipur which in all honestly I don’t typically like sadly.

It just doesn’t provide that perfect flavour of aromas, which to me is disappointing!

My Grandad was very happy to hear though that there was Draught Bass, an easy decision that was for him, I meanwhile decided to go for a pint of Doombar.

My brother and my dad opted for Carling!

Then, when it came to paying, I couldn’t believe the price of the 4 drinks it came to £16.00s, I was completely gobsmacked and very shocked.

From hearing this, I thought it was only right to make you guys aware that if you do venture down to The Spread Eagle, be warned it’s quite expensive.

However, it does sometimes mean the higher the quantity, the better the quality!

I dived straight into my Doombar and it was completely gorgeous, it was so sweet and utterly perfect, the head was so creamy, just what I love to see on top of a Perfect Pint.

My Grandad was even more amazed at his Bass, he didn’t make one complaint about it at all.

Just look how clear my pint of Doombar is, I was so happy and literally in my element that’s why I took a photo (Haha)

Next, we moved onto our next round and we all decided to stay with the drinks that we had the first time, again the second time round no complaints from any of the pints!

At this point we thought it was a good idea to take a family photo, kindly one of the waitresses insisted on taking one – I apologise but my hair is so scruffy on it (haha)

It was such a fantastic evening and one evening I’ll always truly remember!

We drank up the rest of our pints and said our goodbyes and took my Grandad back to his house.

Ending

I do like the Spread Eagle, the service provided is fantastic and the beers just taste absolutely wonderful.

The only downside is the pricing, even though the beer is good, I still wasn’t expecting it to be that expensive.

The other disadvantage is the Car Park, it just needs improving and for being such a busy pub, spacing is limited, that’s why I suggest parking safely outside on the front of the pub might be easier.

On the other hand, though the pub does show potential, you can clearly tell it’s popular with the number of people who were inside the pub on this particular day.

I am looking forward to coming back to this pub soon when it’s safe to do so and more than likely, I think it might be the right time to try the Bass and see how perfect it is.

I really do hope that once the pubs do open and it’s safe to go, I would happily recommend The Spread Eagle to you, I can guarantee when it comes to choosing a drink you won’t be left disappointed and I am sure you will find something to top your glass up with!

For now, though to my wonderful followers, I hope you enjoy reading this post, if you have any questions then, by all means, please do leave a comment and I’ll answer them as best as I can!

Take Care and Please Remember to Stay Safe

Luke x