The Blacksmiths Arms is a St Alban’s landmark – wrapped up in good beer, bands so famous they earned the pub a blue plaque, and an award-winning garden the size of a small park – and it’s just received a £360,000 investment to add to its legacy.
Owner Stonegate Pub Company is renovating the 1929 mock-Tudor property addinghi-tech sports viewing, bang on trend cutting-edge craft beers, and promising the ultimate 180-seater urban escape, it what will be Hertfordshire’s best pub garden. The aspirational development has also created twelve new jobs.
“The Blacksmiths has one of the best garden spaces in the city,” said manager Steve Csirmaz. “We’ve added some fantastic contemporary features – extravagant beach huts, fairy lights, cosy corners with blankets for cocktail sipping, and new wooden structure, the ‘forge’ seating forty people complete with heating and its own plasma TV.
“We’re proud of our fantastic reputation for live music and real ale which will be all that more stylishwith the new artisan look and latest food and drink range.”
The big reveal on Friday 23rdJune sawguests sampling signature dish tapas and fizz, as ‘The Bears’ performed,the first of many acts booked to the end of the year hoping to follow in the success of ‘The Zombies’ who first met there in April 1961.
The pub’s reputation for real ale, dating back to the times it once supplied ale to St Peter’s Church, continues with it’s modern day cask marque of quality. Originals Pedigree and Greene King sit alongside craft beers Hophouse 13 and Punk IPA whilst exotic flavoured Lilley’s ciders offer the perfect summer refreshment.
Sports’ viewing just got better with two new screens and projector showing Sky and BT sports – and with table service during big games, there’s no need to ever miss a score.
Breakfast from 8am on Wednesday and Saturday market days, 241 Pizza Thursdays and Lord of the (30) Wing Wednesday are just some of the new times to dine! Tapas, stone-baked pizzas and gourmet burgers sit at the core of the urban menu designed for hungry shoppers, busy workers, evening socialites, and weekend hipsters.
“We’ve got an all year round, all day varied offer now with the garden, geared up for sitting in the winter months too, doubling our capacity,” added Steve.
“Every day has something different – we’ve kept the best bits of the Blacksmiths and filled in the gaps to offer a fantastic city pub.”
The weekly line up includes poker on Mondays, karaoke Wednesdays, Thursday quiz night, Friday & Saturday night party and Sunday wind down with the traditional Sunday Roast.
For more information, please contact