It's not the prettiest, but beer garden is county's best-loved

IT’S not the poshest by the licensee's own admission, but a beer garden loved by hundreds of students has taken the crown as the best in Nottinghamshire.

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS [e-mail] @LynettePinchess

The Three Wheatsheaves, Lenton, topped a poll on our website, Nottinghamshire Live, running away with the vote and beating the likes of the Old Vol, Caythorpe, The Johnson Arms, Dunkirk, and the Robin Hood and Little John, in Arnold.

The beer garden has hosted student raves, karaoke, weddings - and even a living wake.

While some Notts pubs have sprawling tree-lined beer gardens with attractive lounge-style furniture, pods and neat flower borders, the Three Wheatsheaves has wooden benches, artificial grass, an Alice in Wonderland mural, the occasional pot plant - and a red double decker bus as a backdrop.

Jake Simpson, who has run the pub in Derby Road for six months, said of the poll win: “I’m surprised, but at the same time we're doing really well. The students are so supportive.

“The way people judge a beer garden, it isn’t always about the pristine aesthetics, sometimes it’s about being at the heart of the community.

“This is their home from home, their happy place. This is a space where people can be themselves.”

Earlier this summer the beer garden hosted more than 1,000 partying students at Green Room Sessions. The Big Red Bus, as it’s known, doubles up as an outside bar.

THREE WHEATSHEAVES IS RUNAWAY WINNER OF OUR ONLINE POLL