Pub News: July 2007

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2007: December | November | October | September | August | July | June | May

Cross Guns, Avoncliff
An unexpected recent visitor to this pub was American actor, and current artistic director of London’s Old Vic theatre, Kevin Spacey. He was apparently spending a quiet weekend on a boat on the Kennet and Avon canal. He called on the Friday night and on that occasion nobody recognised him, but when he returned on Sunday he was noticed and lightly besieged by autograph hunters. He had a few pints of Box Steam’s Tunnel Vision and took two pints of the same beer away from in a carry-out box (and to think he could have visited the Devizes beer festival that same weekend!)
Bear, 8 Wellsway, Bath
A popular landmark is in search of a name. A large polar bear has stood guard on the roof of the Bear pub on Bear Flat for decades and now the new landlady Denise Ashworth has decided it deserves its own moniker. She is inviting people to come up with an apt name for the bear, with each entry costing £1. Proceeds will go towards the RUH’s Space to Grow appeal, which aims to raise £4.5m to rebuild the hospital’s neo-natal intensive care unit. The Bear re-opened in March following an extensive refurbishment. The beer range includes Courage Best, 6X, London Pride, Bombardier and a guest.
Cross Bath, Bath Street, Bath
The company that runs the spa has won permission to serve complimentary alcoholic drinks at the Cross Bath. A group of protesters made up of city residents, Cross Bath users and people who believe the hot spring which feeds the pool is spiritually important staged a protest outside the Guildhall, but they were not allowed to make formal objections to the council's alcohol sub-committee because they do not live near the Cross Bath and so did not qualify as "interested parties" under the licensing legislation. Margaret Stewart of the Springs Foundation, a charity that believes the spa waters to be sacred, said "This appears to fly in the face of the Millennium Commission requirements that an aspect of the spa had to be available for the local community on a 'not-for-profit' basis.” She threatened to pursue a High Court judicial review against the sub-committee's decision. The company's legal representative David Holley said: "It's just a complimentary service.” He denied it would become a "party pool" as the objectors have claimed.
Olde Farmhouse, 1 Lansdown Road, Bath
Bath’s premier jazz pub has been refused permission to let customers smoke in its outdoor beer terrace late at night. The pub is licensed to open until midnight but only on condition that the terrace at the back of the property is not used after 11pm. In response to the introduction of the national smoking ban owners Wadworth’s asked for the restriction to be partially lifted so that people could smoke, but not drink, in the outdoor area until closing time. But residents slammed the application as an opportunist move because the pub has already operated a successful smoking ban since last December without the need for a dedicated outdoor smoking area.
Royal Oak, Pulteney Road, Bath
First visit by the branch to this pub in several years on 4 July. Four beers are available. At the time of our visit they were Courage Best, Butcombe Gold, Bath Ales Gem and Hop Back Summer Lightning. The two last were in very good condition. The pub has recently been refurbished and taken on by former landlord of the nearby Ram Simon Wynne. The interior is open plan, unpretentious, comfortable and reasonably quiet. The double skittle alley is still out back. Hot meals are served until 9pm on weekdays. Well worth a visit.
Waggon & Horses, 150 London Road West, Batheaston
Recently visited by a branch member. Two beers available: Courage Best and Butcombe Bitter
Castle Inn, Mount Pleasant, Bradford-on-Avon
First visit by the branch following refurbishment on Wednesday 11 July. It is indeed as reported in June’s news: utterly changed and chav free. It was felt that possibly that it had one-too-many beers available. The range at the time of our visit was “Flatcapper” Bitter and Porter, Hidden Pleasure IPA and Three Castle’s Barbary Castle and Tanked Up. With the exception of the Flatcapper Porter the quality was good verging on excellent. Flatcapper is the name of the pub-owning company and we have no idea of the true source of the bitter and porter.
George, Woolley Street, Bradford-on-Avon
First visit by the branch to this pub in quite a while on Wednesday 11 July. The beer range was Butcombe Bitter and Bath Ales Gem. Also available on draught was Bulmer’s Traditional cider.
Raincheck Bar, Swan Hotel, 1 Church Street, Bradford-on-Avon
This well-known Bath bar has relocated to Bradford-on-Avon. Formerly to be found at 34 Monmouth Street it will by now have decamped to the cellar of the recently refurbished Swan Hotel. Owner Mark Heather said: "It was the kind of place that staff knew your name and what you drank and where customers got to know each other too. We will be mixing the same formula here at the Swan and look forward to welcoming old and new faces." The bar opens from 8pm to 1am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Former Beale’s shop, St John’s Street, Devizes
This is not strictly speaking branch news. It is now widely expected that this former shop will be transformed into a Wetherspoon’s pub by the end of the year. I understand that a new Wetherspoon’s is coming to Chippenham as well.
Eighth Devizes Beer Festival on the Wharf
This year saw the return of this unique part-under-canvas, part-open-air event, after a year out in the cold. It was, unusually for this year’s summer, a warm and sunny day. The event had around 1,325 visitors this year; the tickets did not quite sell out. Around fifty or so beers were available along with a wide selection of ciders and perries. Meanwhile Denis and Mick manned the foreign bottled beer counter. There was more-or-less continuous live music throughout the all-day event along with children’s entertainment and a visit by the Wadworth’s shire horses. The complexities and cost of security and licensing, which in large part had contributed to the cancellation of last year’s event, have been overcome, and the port-o-loos, a new feature this year following the recent demolition of the nearby public toilets, did not overflow! The organisers are so buoyed up by the success of this year’s event that they are seriously considering an indoor winter beer festival for early next year.
Hidden Brewery, Oakley Industrial Estate, near Dinton
The brewery, which is slightly outside the branch’s area, was recently visited by the branch for its Beer of the Festival presentation. Against stiff competition Hidden Potential had taken the accolade at the 2006 Bath Beer Festival. At the same time there was a visit from our friends in the Portsmouth & South Hampshire Branch. Since last visited by our branch, around three years ago, Hidden has expanded considerably. Former Oakhill head brewer Gary Lumbar set up the business in partnership with a local businessman in 2003 as a small-scale micro. In that year’s Bath Beer Festival Gary’s first beer Old Sarum was the runner-up in the Beer of the Festival competition. Since then the brewery has received significant investment and now supplies up to around 500 outlets in a large local area. Hidden has an estate of two pubs. First to be acquired was the nearby Bell at Wylye; then last year the brewery took on the Cornubia in Bristol. The beer range consists of four regulars (Pint, Old Sarum, Quest and Pleasure) and four seasonals (Spring, Fantasy, Depth and Treasure).
Prince of Wales, 94 High Street, Dilton Marsh
The interior (apart from the skittle alley) has been recently redecorated, re-carpeted and refurnished throughout. It looks very smart and the new carpet is thick and bouncy. Landlords Alan and Lynne have also opened a very pleasant covered and heated smoking area in the small garden at the back of the pub.
Rose & Crown, on A36, near Limpley Stoke
A recent edition of the Wiltshire Times reports that this roadside pub has been sold to Enterprise Inns for around £1m. Owner Brendan Wilkins had run the pub for five years but is now emigrating to Canada. The Rose & Crown dates back 300 years. It has a main bar, large restaurant area, games and pool room, and a beer garden that overlooks the Avon valley.
Crown Hotel, Timbrell Street, Trowbridge
Bed and breakfast facilities and the promise of mum’s home cooking are expected to pull in the punters following a major refurbishment of the Punch Taverns owned pub. Since taking over the Crown in December landlords Liam and Judy Foggarty have revamped the hotel facilities and given the pub itself a major facelift. It is now, according to a recent Wiltshire Times article, a warm, cosy, inviting pub. No information was given in the article on the range of beer.
Fox & Hounds, 6 Deverill Road, Warminster
Recently visited by the branch. The beer range consisted of Butcombe Bitter, Ringwood Best and Wessex Warminster Warrior, with Hidden Fantasy coming on as the next guest. One of the best pubs in the area for real cider, Thatcher’s Cheddar Valley and Traditional and Rich’s Farmhouse available at the time of our visit. Landlord Chris Pitcher is planning to build a skittle alley and a new outside drinking area on to the side of the pub.
Organ Inn, High Street, Warminster
Landlords Daniel Keene and Carly Edwards celebrate their first complete year of business with a barbecue with live Irish music on Saturday 21 July. The original Organ Inn closed in 1913 because of the council’s regulations over the high number of pubs in the area at that time. Since then it has been a butchers and a locally famous fruit and fish shop. The building re-opened as a pub on 21 July 2006 when the young couple chose to take on the challenge of starting a pub from scratch. Daniel and Carly have carefully preserved the original interior and have used items from charity shops and recycled parts to turn the previously derelict building into a thriving business. Large piece with photograph in recent Wiltshire Times.
Crown Hotel, Market Place, Westbury
This Wadworth’s pub recently received a visit from local MP Andrew Murrison. Dr Murrison visited the Crown as part of the Proud of Pubs week campaign organised by Publican magazine. The MP pulled a few pints and discussed a range of issues affecting the licensing trade, including the effects of the smoking ban, with landlady Christine Holt. Article on this in a recent Wiltshire Times.
Village Pump Music Festival, Stowford Manor Farm, Wingfield
Beer drinkers at this four-day festival supported Dorothy House Hospice in Winsley each time they bought a pint of Rumpy Pumpy, a special beer brewed exclusively for the festival by Wadworth’s. Introduced last year, the beer sold so well then that double the amount was produced for this year’s event. For each pint purchased 10p was donated to Dorothy House.
Bell Inn, Church Street, Wylye
I’m not certain whether this pub is actually in the branch’s area. The postcode suggests that it is but I believe that Salisbury branch may claim it as its own. The pub is now owned by the nearby Hidden Brewery, which is definitely within Salisbury’s area, and is the principal local outlet for much of brewery’s range. Four Hidden beers are usually available. The Bell, which is situated in one of the Wylye valley’s most picturesque villages, has a quiet cosy atmosphere and a locally excellent reputation for its food. The beers were found to be in excellent condition when the pub was recently visited by branch members after the Beer of the Festival presentation at Hidden Brewery.