The Victoria Inn

I enjoyed the evening enough to change my plans for the week. I’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ve already booked a room for a couple of months from now, when I return to Durham to collect my daughter from the University. Staying at The Victoria seems like a fitting way to bookend her time in this historic city. Michael, the barman, was genuinely warm, and his pride in the place came through when he talked about the beer. The ale was crisp, just the right temperature and carefully poured. In a historic pub, a good pint matters, and The Victoria delivered. The building feels like it has carried on as it always was, rather than being restored to look old. There are three distinct rooms instead of one open space, each with its own atmosphere. The main Public Bar sits at the building’s sharp angle, with a curved mahogany-topped counter, matchboarded dados and a black wooden fireplace with blue embossed tiles and a round mirror. Look for the small “Family Department,” screened off with etched and cut glass. It was once an off-licence hatch where locals could buy drinks to take home. The front sitting room feels like a private Victorian parlour. Its porcelain figures, Toby jugs and old memorabilia give it character, and there’s a small panelled counter and cast-iron fireplace. It’s quieter, with the soft glow of the coal fire. At the back, the snug has dark red detailed wallpaper, a mottled marble fireplace and original service bell-pushes built into the bench-seat frames. There’s also a sliding hatch to the servery, so staff can serve discreetly and keep the room’s quiet feel. The heavy wooden door on Hallgarth Street really does feel like an entrance into another time. In a period when renovations often mean grey paint and industrial lighting, The Vic has kept its Victorian character, with intimate rooms that make you want to talk quietly and feel at home. I can’t think of a better example of what a British pub should be.