Pub News: October 2007
- Green Park Tavern, Lower Bristol Road, Bath
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Has been taken over by Myles Gallagher, who also has Flan O’Brien’s, and there are now reported to be three cask beers available.
- King William, London Road, Bath
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Several changes of management seem to have taken place recently. There are, however, still four interesting cask beers available.
- Old Green Tree, 12 Green Street, Bath
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This favourite pub in Bath’s city centre has been named Town Pub of the Year in the new Good Pub Guide published in mid-October. The annual guide says that this traditional hostelry is a "super little pub with a fine choice of real ales, enjoyable traditional food, lots of cheerful customers and friendly service…" and adds "…much loved by our readers, this appealing pub is always busy, and sometimes packed…a fine choice of six real ales on handpump, also ten wines by the glass from a nice little list with helpful notes, 35 malt whiskies, winter hot toddies and a proper Pimm’s… laid-back and cosy rather than particularly smart, though there has been some redecoration this year." Tim Bethune, who is joint licensee of the pub with owner Nick Luke, said the secret of its success was simple. "We keep it very traditional. It's all local ales and we buy all our own food and vegetables locally." Mr Bethune, who has run the pub for six years, said that that the Old Green Tree appealed to all ages. The pub has won local Camra awards in the past but this is its first national accolade. The latest edition of the Good Pub Guide is published by Ebury Press at £14.99.
- Red Lion, 468 Wellsway, Odd Down, Bath
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Television legend Noel Edmonds hosted a pub quiz in Bath on Tuesday 2 October. The Deal or No Deal star was greeted by screaming fans as he appeared behind the bar at the Red Lion on Odd Down shortly before 9pm. Landlord Paul Wilkey introduced his special guest who took the microphone and walked out into the crowd to lead the first round of the quiz. More than one hundred fans surrounded Edmonds who had spent the day filming three episodes of his Bafta-nominated show Deal or No Deal in Bristol. The quiz was organised as a warm up for Are you smarter than a ten-year-old?, a show testing the nation's knowledge against that of ten-year-old children. Edmonds said: "This new show has been a huge hit in the States. We've all been ten and we've all been to school so you should be able to answer these questions. He then asked regular quiz-goers questions on English grammar, citizenship, history, science and maths. As a special prize the team with the highest score in that round walked away with a year's free subscription to Sky TV. At the end of the round Edmonds, dressed in a black leather jacket, said: "It’s been great fun to meet you all and please watch the show on Sunday.” The star received rapturous applause and stopped to sign a single autograph before being ushered being closed doors by a security guard.
- Barge Inn, 17 Frome Road, Bradford-on-Avon
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Over 150 people came through the doors of the Barge over the weekend of Friday 28 September for its third real ale festival. There were eighteen different beers available and the all-inclusive ticket included a half-pint of each and a bowl of chilli. Live music was performed on all three evenings. An article on the event, along with photograph of landlords Shaun Dobson and Kirsty Brown, appeared in a recent Wiltshire Times. Another beer festival is planned for March next year. By co-incidence the branch visited the Barge for a social on Thursday 4 October. The pub has a pleasant homely atmosphere and an excellent canal-side beer garden. Four beers were available during our visit and, of these, the Hidden Quest and Wickwar Rite Flanker were reckoned to be of particularly good quality.
- Globe Inn, Newton Saint Loe, near Bath
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There is a rumour that this famous landmark of a pub is about to close. No other information at present.
- Rising Sun, 61 Woodmarsh, North Bradley, near Trowbridge
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Mystery surrounds the sudden closure of this large friendly village local. The landlords Steve Delaney and his partner Dolly, who still had nine years left on their lease, departed the premises suddenly at the beginning of the month. The future of the pub, which is owned by a private investment company, is currently unknown.
- Oakhill Inn, Oakhill, near Shepton Mallet
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Recently taken over by the same people who own the leases on, and who have refurbished and improved, the King William on London Road and Garrick’s Head in Bath.
- Waterside Development, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge
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Interest in this ambitious revamp of the area alongside the river Biss, currently occupied by the public library, council offices and former county record office, includes the possibility of a new Brewers Fayre pub among the retail outlets. The £90m scheme will include an eight-screen-cinema, bowling complex, hotel, homes, offices, cafés and restaurants. Premier Travel Inns, Pizza Express, Frankie & Benny’s and an upmarket Chinese restaurant have already been confirmed as some of the companies that will occupy the new development.
- Weymouth Arms, 12 Emwell Street, Warminster
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This seventeenth century pub, which closed suddenly on Friday 7 September, has re-opened under new landlords. They are Malcolm Brittain and Natasha Bidwell who formerly ran the Conservative Club in Boreham Road. They and their Newfoundland dog Barney have already moved in and the pub’s doors re-opened on Thursday 20 September. The new landlords, along with leaseholders Dave McCarthy and Simon Harvey, are to undertake a major refurbishment of the premises with the aim of regaining some of the Weymouth’s old charm. Plans include new bed and breakfast suites, a conference room, the restoration of fireplaces and the creation of a quiet lounge area. Mr McCarthy said that they wanted to “put this place back to where it used to be when it was a thriving pub. We drank here thirty years ago and know its potential”.
