I can't be the only one who hates seeing a telly screen in a pub? Yes, I'm old,female and hate sports. But I just can't stand a noisy/blaring telly in a pub.
It's like music, too loud, you can't hear what anyone is saying, and if like myself, you have a bit of a hearing imparement to start with, it feels worse when you leave the place.
Even though I attend a lot of live football, my pubs of choice are usually quiet ones without TV screens or piped music.
There are a few favourite pubs around the country, that I make a point of visiting, when in that part of the country and they all tend to have a few common factors:
• a friendly welcome;
• a good selection of, well kept, local ales; and
• no distracting noise (TVs, music etc.).
To that end, one of my favourites (when I'm heading down to Swindon or Nailsworth) is the Ale House in Stroud. If there was one pub I could relocate to Stafford, this one would probably sit at the top of my list.
I will pop into the 'new' Butler's Bell at some point, just to give it a try, but I can't see it becoming a pub of choice for myself. But as others have said we need a decent selection of pubs, so that there are options for everyone.