The friendly Dudley pub run by a couple, one half of whom is from Pennsylvania

There are bars, clubs and pubs of all sizes and shapes, each offering a range of drinks and a welcoming environment to settle down.

One place that looms large and offers all of the above is the Court House on New Street, just down the road from the market and a pub which is described as "expansive and rambling".

The corner plot pub has an open-plan bar and a small snug area, as well as a function room on the first floor, which can be hired for meetings, parties, weddings and other events.

It carries the aesthetic on the outside of an old-fashioned put in the Bank's Brewery style, but is owned by Black Country Ales and, inside, has a feeling much like the Tardis in Doctor Who of feeling bigger than it appears outside.

The inside also mixes between the old and the new, with a fireplace and traditional seating running around the pub with wood and glass dividers separating it into sections, but with modern touches such as quiz and fruit machines.

There's also a new versus old feeling at the bar, with modern premium lagers and ciders such as Madri and Thatchers on sale alongside long-standing Black Country Ales favourites like Bradley's Finest Golden, Fireside and Pig on the Wall.

The management team are a unique mix as well, with Cossette Buck from Pennsylvania in the United States and her husband Damon from Solihull currently running the pub.

Cossette says the couple met online and she would come over to see Damon, and it was there that she noticed the differences between pubs in the USA and in the UK.

She recalls: "We would go to ale rooms together when I would come over to visit and I really liked pub culture and we both really like real ale.

"I did notice the differences as we don't really have any type of pub culture in Pennsylvania, apart from maybe going out on a special occasion, but it's not the sort of thing you do there to just go somewhere at the end of the day or to hang out.

"We also don't really have ales in America, so there's a real difference when you come here and see what people are drinking."

Ms Buck says the couple got married in May and had gone out to look for work and said that her husband had nine years of pub trade history, so they decided to run a pub together.

"We went looking for work when we got married and Damon has all this pub experience and it was something I wanted to do and he was supportive and said he wanted to continue with what he was doing.

"We both really love ale and we liked the idea of working for Black Country Ales as it's a good job position, so we went to an open interview and they liked us.

"We were given the option of working in Dudley or working at another location and it was just a case of finding the right fit for us, so they chose the Court House for us and we came here and started and fell in love with the place fairly quickly."

Ms Buck says the couple had fallen in with the locals and regulars fairly quickly and that her accent also struck up conversations, adding that the pub was a homely and welcoming place, which makes it special.

"We have a few of our regulars who we've really bonded with since we moved it and we see them every day, so it's easy to strike up conversations and get to know people.

"The regulars are really lovely as well and, yes, I do find that a few people ask me where I'm from, so I do talk a lot about that.

"I think the pub is special because it's homely and spacious and cosy and warm and we always think about what guest ales we put on and get feedback from customers, so we're happy to have help from our regulars."