WE all love a good pub yarn and the Cadland Inn, in Chilwell, has plenty of riveting, yet little-known tales.
Ask a local about the monkey who started a fight and you'd get a blank look or be accused of putting away a few too many sherries. But hear me out.
After a £200,000 revamp, the pub's history is there for all to see with anecdotes from its colourful past and nostalgic black and white photos dotted around the place.
So, the monkey. During the Second World War landlord Henry Jackson allowed his pet monkey into the bar where it could be seen swinging on the curtains.
One night soldiers stationed at the nearby army barracks were having a drink, when one turned away for a few seconds, to discover his beer had vanished. Accusing a mate of suppling his ale, a fight broke out, until the monkey was outed as the culprit.
The Cadland, one of the oldest pubs Chilwell and Beeston has to offer, boasts a whole host of other legends surrounding Nottingham's Victorian boxer Bendigo, Cadland the race horse and his famous jockey, Jem.
Back to the present, locals arrived from noon for yesterday's grand reopening.
Admiring the new decor, Carol and Bob Towlson, of Bramcote Lane, agreed it was a good pub before the refurbishment but now it's even better.
Carol, 70, says: "It has a village feel to it and we're always made nice and welcome.
"It has lovely food and a warm atmosphere. It's the best pub around here."
Her husband Bob, 67, adds: "It's the only pub we use. We used to have a pub, the Bull Inn at Bottesford, that is why we like this sort of pub."
The family-friendly pub, in High Road, closed for a week while it was stripped out, walls removed and repainted inside and out.
New tables and chairs are laid out in such a way that there is now more space for dining and a drinking area with tall wooden tables and stools and mood lighting courtesy of over-sized feature lampshades.
Gone is the dreary brown decor, replaced by warm reds and golds.
General manager Andy Taylor says: "We've changed it into a comfortable country local. It has a really cosy and warm feeling.
"There will be roaring fires in the winter, fantastic patios in the summer and really good British pub food.
"It's a really busy outlet to begin with anyway but we're just trying to service the local area a bit better by increasing our amenities."
The Cadland – thought to be the only pub in the country with the name – was originally the Bull's Head until the landlord in 1828 changed it in recognition of a racehorse belonging to the Duke of Rutland that had won the Derby earlier that year.
"There's some really things that have happened over the years. We've reopened and we are saying have a look at the new-look Cadland but we also want to respect the history that it has," says Andy.
"People are really fond of the pub in the local area and I wanted to respect that."
The pub serves food throughout the day from lunchtime and reopened with the same menu.
It will be updated at the end of October to include winter warmers but rest assured, classics such as the ever-popular fish and chips and steak and Doom Bar pie will remain.
Having worked hard for two years to build up a reputation for real ale, there will be 11 ales and ciders on sale at any one time.
Running a thriving community pub, says Andy, isn't rocket science.
"We've just gone back to basics. It's service, standards and getting the right people and they look after everything.
"If you think every pub serves alcohol, many pubs serve food – what makes us different? The people who look after you.
"If you get to know the faces that come in, they come back time and time again."
Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry, who was invited to the reopening, is well acquainted with the pub, having held two surgeries for constituents there previously.
"I am a bit of a fan. It's the sort of place you can come and have a pint or a coffee and a chat or a meal and it works day and night which is the trick.
"I like pubs and have some good ones in my patch. It's so obvious but a good pub has to serve the needs of its customers.
"It has to have good beer and the right ambiance, and if it does food, it's got to be good.
"This is a lovely pub and the staff are excellent and so friendly."
Yesterday a cheque for more than £1,000 was presented to Naomi Walters who was there representing Nottingham Hospitals' Charity.
Raised through raffles, the money will go towards a £3 million appeal to build a helipad at the Queen's Medical Centre, close to the major trauma centre.
