No music, no gimmicks—just cask beer, conversation, and a cellar hatch. That low-key formula has pushed Station House Durham back to the top, with the micropub named CAMRA’s North East Region Pub of the Year and placed among the UK’s top 16 pubs for 2025.
A clean sweep in the North East
The Station House’s trophy run is striking even by cask-ale standards. Alongside the regional win, the pub took home two Durham CAMRA branch titles for 2025: City Pub of the Year and Cider Pub of the Year. It’s a familiar stage for the team. In 2022, the Station House won the North East regional award and then finished as national runner-up, putting it among the top four pubs in the country.
This year’s national CAMRA Pub of the Year crown went to The Bailey Head in Oswestry, Shropshire. But finishing in the final 16 is still elite territory. To get there, pubs top their local branches, then their region, and only then advance to national judging. The Station House once again cleared each hurdle, a sign of both consistency and a clear identity that judges and regulars recognize.
Opened in 2015 inside a former furniture shop, the micropub keeps things simple: a small room, a friendly team, and an ever-changing range of real ales and cider poured from a cellar hatch. Staff usually work the handpumps, though gravity—beer poured directly from the cask—remains part of the setup. There’s always a dark beer on, and the line-up changes often enough that regulars rarely drink the same selection twice in a week.
On a normal week, expect four rotating beers and one regular mainstay, with frequent appearances from Durham Brewery, Fyne Ales, and Yorkshire Dales. The pub shuts on Mondays, a sensible pause that helps manage cellar stock and service. The rest of the week, it functions as a community hub—steady, chatty, and focused on what’s in the glass.
CAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition has run since 1988. Judges look at more than what’s poured. Beer quality matters most, but so do cellar management, atmosphere, service, and how well a pub advances CAMRA’s aims—supporting cask beer and cider and nurturing the social side of pub culture. The Durham branch even splits its contest across City, Town, and Country categories to reflect how varied the region’s pubs are. The Station House topped its city field and then the whole North East.
Why this tiny pub keeps punching above its weight
Micropubs aren’t built to wow with size. They’re built to remove barriers between drinker and beer. The Station House leans into that idea. The cellar hatch puts the heart of the operation in plain sight. If the cask is right there, you trust how it’s kept. If the person pouring it knows the beer by name and brewery, you ask questions. That’s the conversation-first culture the place is known for.
Handpulls give that gentle, traditional pour that suits British cask ale. Gravity dispense, which the team keeps in play, is more direct: the beer comes straight from the cask under its own weight. Both methods can produce beautifully conditioned pints if the cellar is well run. That dual setup lets the pub switch styles and speeds as the line-up changes.
The beer board moves constantly. You might find a pale from Durham Brewery next to a malty bitter from Yorkshire Dales, with a roasty stout or porter taking the dark slot. Cider isn’t an afterthought either—winning a branch Cider Pub of the Year award signals careful sourcing and storage, not just a token box behind the bar.
What keeps pubs like this relevant is the combination of craft and restraint. There’s confidence in pouring five casks well rather than cramming in fifteen lines and losing control. Shorter lists rotate faster. Casks empty on time. Freshness stays high. Regulars see new beers without sacrificing consistency.
Durham’s pub scene is competitive, and the Station House’s rise since 2015 shows how a tight concept cuts through. The venue’s compact footprint creates a shared space where people actually talk to each other. New arrivals get folded into conversations, and that social rhythm is hard to fake. When judging panels talk about atmosphere, this is the sort of thing that quietly tips the scales.
CAMRA’s regional winners are judged against a common framework. The checklists vary branch to branch, but they broadly cover:
- Beer and cider quality and consistency over time
- Cellar standards and how well cask is presented
- Service, welcome, and staff knowledge
- Atmosphere and community role
- Alignment with CAMRA’s aims—supporting real ale, cider, and pub culture
Hitting those marks year after year is harder than a one-off win. Pubs turn over staff. Suppliers change. Money gets tight. The Station House’s repeated success suggests a team that protects the basics—cold store, clean lines, careful changeovers, and a sharp eye on what styles are drinking well.
The 2025 result also says something about the North East’s beer identity. It’s a region with a deep cask tradition and a growing set of modern breweries. A pub that can pour classic bitters alongside contemporary pales and keep both tasting right is the kind that knits generations together. That’s good for business and for the culture around it.
For anyone planning a visit, expect a stripped-back room with a clear beer-first focus. You walk in, scan a short list, ask what’s drinking well, and get a straight answer. If you like dark beers, you won’t be hunting—there’s always one on. If you prefer to chase variety, the rotation keeps things moving. And if cider’s your thing, the recent award tells you it’s not an afterthought.
The Station House’s place among CAMRA’s top 16 this year keeps its name in national conversation, even with the overall title heading to Shropshire. That matters for smaller, independent venues that rely on word of mouth and reputation more than paid advertising. Awards pull in travelers, yes, but they also validate the regulars who have backed the pub since it opened in a former furniture store in 2015.
There’s no secret sauce beyond discipline: look after the casks, rotate with purpose, and create a space where people can actually hear each other. In a year when costs are biting and the trade is anything but easy, that back-to-basics approach is proving itself again in Durham.
Key facts at a glance:
- Named CAMRA North East Region Pub of the Year 2025
- Also won Durham CAMRA City Pub and Cider Pub of the Year
- Among 16 regional and national winners in the UK
- National title for 2025 went to The Bailey Head, Oswestry
- Opened in 2015; serves four changing beers plus one regular
- Known for cellar-hatch service, handpulls with gravity as an option
- A dark beer is always available; pub closes on Mondays
If you care about cask done right, the Station House remains a safe bet—quietly sure of what it is, and now, yet again, recognized for it.
