Victoria Inn, Durham, pub review There's almost too much to adjust to. Do your Antiques Roadshow aspirations soar at the sight of the back bar with its line-up of toby jugs, Victoria and Albert porcelain figurines and a caravan of loping elephants? Are 40 bottles of malt and 30 Irish whiskies sparkling in the sunshine an utter delight? Do you long to rub your palm along the Cuban mahogany bar-top, die to press the keys of the Victorian brass till, or warm your backside over one of three black-leaded, tiled fireplaces? First things first - choose one of the five cask ales, all from local micro-breweries, then you can take time to examine photographs of the Durham Miners" Gala, 19th-century paintings of highland cattle, stags at bay and swooping eagles with added Victoriana shoehorned into what wall space is left. The full-time beer is Big Lamp Bitter (3.9% abv), an ale from Newcastle that shows off a fine balance of hop and malt, while a regular rotating selection includes the remarkable golden, softly fruity Jarrow Rivet Catcher (4.0% abv) and Wylam Gold Tankard (4.0% abv), a sharply flavoured, citrus-influenced beauty from Northumberland. In The Victoria window seat, four domino-players click and clack away the afternoon, their concentration and passion convincing observers it should be an Olympic sport. The Grade II listed Victoria is a three-roomed idyll with six letting rooms. Its Family Department and Sitting Room, with even more V & A memorabilia, speak of long-lost parlours. The timber flooring has been worn so smooth in parts it looks like linoleum, while wood panelling, shelving and mirrors blend with floral wallpaper in costume-drama proportions. There is no television, no music and no food (unless crisps and pickled eggs are your thing) and the effect is such that it's said one customer ended up lingering over three pints - and he'd only come in to ask directions. Landlord Michael Webster has been in The Victoria since 1974 and bought the pub outright in 1995 after owners Scottish & Newcastle had plans to alter it. He was determined to keep his pride and joy in Victorian attire. "Pub companies pay fortunes to turn their places into something like this," he says. This is as it's always been. It may operate in a time warp, but Olympian double-sixes and multiple awards are thoroughly today. The Victoria is weathering well; long may she reign. Hallgarth Street, Durham DH1 3AS (0191 386 5269; victoriainn-durhamcity.co.uk)