The traditional 'proper pub' with a regular rotation of beers run by a former customer

The Duke William pub in Stourbridge sits on the corner of Coventry Street overlooking the busy town centre roundabout and, from the outside, seems like an unassuming place.

However, open the doors and you're met with a warm and comfortable pub, with authentic fireplaces, a large bar and adjacent snug for people to drink in, as well as an upstairs function room.

The Edwardian-era pub has been a popular spot for years and enjoyed success, having won the Stourbridge and Halesowen CAMRA Pub of Year 2011 and Cider Pub of the Year 2011, with judges praising its "high ceilings, lovely brickwork and recently refurbished oak floors."

Manager Jon Shakespeare said owner Dave Craddock has been passionate about beer and pubs and had made the pub a nice pub that anyone would want to come and enjoy a beer in.

He says: "I used to be a punter here myself and came in regularly and it's just a nice, quiet pub to come into.

"Dave has always been in the pub trade, starting with a few pubs, and then created his own brewery, so the pub is part of his business and he's passionate about it.

"We get a lot of regulars, some of who are here during the week, then we get our weekend regulars who come in for a pint and maybe a cob, pork pie or a scotch egg and sit by the fire, and we also get dog walkers.

"We're a dog-friendly pub, so we'll welcome them in and have a bowl of water and dog biscuits available."

The pub became the home of Craddock's Brewery in 2011 and continues to carry the many ales of the brewery, which is now based in Bridgnorth, with Mr Shakespeare saying there were always four beers on tap.

He explains: "We've got Saxons Gold, Crazy Sheep, Monarchs Way and Troll on tap, and we also have a lot of guest ales, which we change on a weekly basis, although we do have Hobsons as a static on the line.

"We do change what beer it is on a weekly basis and we go through as many locally sourced ones as we can, sometimes going further afield if we can't find them, and we try and get things that people get excited about.

"That includes the season now where we get the porters and stouts out and have some of the eclectic Christmas ales on."

For Mr Shakespeare, running the Duke William had become something he had wanted to do after working in retail for 26 years and said the fact that it was a traditional pub worked in its favour as it was something different.

He continues: "It's all jigsawed together for me as I've always been into my real ales and passionate about CAMRA and what they stand for, so to be able to deal with real ales on a daily basis is something that I'm proud of.

"The pub itself is very traditional and people always say that it's a 'proper pub', which I hear a lot, and if you go around any town, you will find Wetherspoons and bistros and Greene King pubs, but the sort of pub I run and others run in the area is one that needs to be maintained.

"I think you'd call it a 'spit-and-sawdust' type of pub and one I'm very proud of."