The Queen's Head

The space

Lower Anchor Street runs between the High Street and the River Can, and The Queen’s Head anchors the southern end of it with the kind of unambiguous pub presence that Victorian builders understood better than most. The tiled entrance, the etched glass, the main bar that runs the depth of the building - all of it is original or sympathetically maintained. It is the kind of interior that photographs well but rewards being inside rather than looked at.

What to drink

The cask ale range is serious and rotated with care - three or four ales at any time, drawn from both regional and national microbreweries, with the condition that marks a pub that manages its cellar correctly. The landlord is available, knowledgeable, and does not mind being asked about what is coming on.

The verdict

The Queen’s Head is the benchmark for Chelmsford’s pub scene - the pub against which everything else in the city should be measured. It does not do food beyond crisps and nuts, which means it remains unambiguously a pub rather than a restaurant that also has a bar. In a city where that distinction is increasingly blurred, this is a quality.