Hurry up Harriers...we're going down the pub

An trip to northern Worcestershire: visiting Stourport, grabbing a GBG tick in Kidderminster, and watching Oxford City play at Aggborough in the evening.

I arrived at Kidderminster station at midday, a smooth journey on the pricier route via Birmingham, as I steadfasty refused to sit on a bus replacement service between Morton-in-Marsh and Worcester for an hour and fifty minutes.
Midday.  Thirty-five minutes until the No.3 to Stourport.  A quick visit to the steam railway station pub, I think.

The King and Castle (Station Dr, Kidderminster DY10 1QX)
This welcoming pub is housed in part of the Severn Valley Heritage railway terminus.  It's not quite as historic as it looks, built in 1985 to recreate refreshment rooms that once stood at Ross-on-Wye station.
The main room of the King and Castle is a bright, airy space with perching tables down the middle and red cushioned bench seating serving the tables along each side. Black and white tiled flooring by the bar and an impressive carpet stretching the length of the room emblazoned with the GWR logo.

It was a bustle of activity when I arrived - the tail-end of the breakfast trade overlapping with the first lunch orders.  Space soon opened up for me to plonk myself on a comfy seat with a pint of BOA 'Bone Idle' pale ale.
Enough choice of ales to make them CAMRA award winners in the not-so-distant past - I only resisted the Bathams on the assumption I'd encounter it again later in the day.

Finishing my beer at the King and Castle I scooted across the road to await the bus to Stourport.
The riverside town deserves a post of its own so...
⏭
Fast-forward to a 4.30pm return, the bus depositing me in central Kidderminster.

No Bass in the Seven Stars.
So I figured I'd try somewhere I hadn't been before and strode into The Swan, located opposite the town hall - temporarily closed while it undergoes a 'major transformation'.

The Swan (Vicar St, Kidderminster DY10 1DE)
I'd read that the Swan was a Daveport's pub so was expecting the Gold or IPA with their retro pump clips.  But instead I found a well-known south-west duo of Butcombe 'Original' and St Austell 'Tribute' on the bar.  A 'Tribute' for me - on decent form, although it was replaced by 'Butty Bach' whilst I was there.  Which was odd, as I didn't recall anyone else ordering cask and it being declared as finished or past its best.

I have a bit of an issue with the beer board...

Fosters: location Australia.  Shouldn't that be Manchester? Ditto Birra Morretti.

I'd locate the Carling as coming from Burton unless the Swan are getting their supplies shipped over from Ontario.

This is a fine town centre boozer with tall tables and standing room around the front by the bar and a dining area stretching further back.  Sports memorabilia, blokes in tartan beanie hats, Trent Rockets v Manchester Originals in the Womens 100 on TV.

Moving on from the Swan, I made a fairly long trek through the underpass, up past the station, then into the side streets to find a short-cut to the town's 2025 Good Beer Guide pub that I hadn't previously been to. 

The Chester Tavern (211 Chester Rd N, Kidderminster DY10 1TN)
This cracking mid-terrace pub, with its striking flat-roofed extension jutting out the front, was re-opened in August 2022.  Dating back to 1855, it closed in 2019, fell into disrepair, and was looking set to become flats.
It now looks great - a modern refit which still retains plenty of older features and has gone for a proper pub carpet, dumpy stools and cushioned bench seating in the window bays.

The chap who brought the Chester back to life has now converted a church into a bar in the town which will have to go on the 'to-do' list for my next visit.

Cask ales were Arbor 'Everyday', Wye Valley 'HPA', Bewdley 'Red Hills', and a Brass Castle 'Bright'.  The 'Bright' for me - an easy-drinking pale ale with Citra and Chinook hops.

I'd like to have hung around and tried some of the good-lookin' crafty keg options.
Heck, I'd like to have hung around a few weeks to watch ex-Stiff Little Finger Henry Cluney playing at the Chester. 
A fine pub that I did enjoy and would happily recommend.

But on this occasion I was on a mission to get to the football ground with enough time to spare for one last pre-match beer.

The Harriers Arms (Harriers FC, Hoo Rd, Kidderminster DY10 1NB)
Not a bad option for a pre-match pint, eh?
A bustling social club doing a fine trade.  Pool table covered and pushed to one side. Cricket on the TV screens. Red-cushioned banquet seating bays.  And quality cask...

There was a Wye Valley beer alongside the Bathams Bitter - no contest on this occasion.
Served in a plastic pot because I foolishly said I was taking it outside, then spent about a minute standing in the yard before coming back in.

Waiting for a seat to become available I perched on a beer barrel alongside adverts for future events.
Why fill your squad with a host of international players whose names you can't pronouce properly when there's the extra marketing potential of signing players with happily rhyming names...

C'mon Forest...
Savoloy with Bryan Roy?
Jambalaya with Daniel Ayala?
Mac and Cheese with Dorus de Vries?

Aggborough is a proper football league ground, head and shoulders above most of the grounds at this sixth tier level.  Whilst many venues in the National League north and south ferry you in through one set of turnstiles and allow you to wander around all four sides, you're stuck in your designated stand here.

Oxford City brought a grand total of 38 supporters for a Tuesday evening match, although I'm suspicious that the 11 lads lined up along the railings on the terrace were one of the youth teams, ushered onto the bus to bolster the away support.

City scored first on 36 minutes, impressing in the first half with several decent chances and a free kick from midfielder Josh Ashby hitting the bar.  Kidderminster clicked up a gear in the second half, eventually volleying in an equaliser in the 81st minute. 

The game came to a close - honours even - under dark skies. I traipsed off the terrace and back through the residential streets towards the station.
The Weavers micro pub was a beacon of light and chatter tempting me in...

The Weavers Real Ale House (98 Comberton Hill, Kidderminster DY10 1QH)
It was buzzing.  A vastly different experience to when I was last here in 2021 with strange plastic dividers in the pandemic era.
There was an orderly queue to the bar where 9 hand pumps served up ales from locals Fownd, Hobsons, Bewdley, Froth Blowers, the slightly-less local Wye Valley, and the longest travelled Ben's Brewery 'Bazaar' from Chorley.

A Fownd 'King Korvak's Champion Porter' for me.  Gorgeous.

Against the odds I scored a tiny table in the corner, pondered what card game was going on to one side of me, then why the group in front had half a dozen pumpkins on their table.

"I'm drowning me sorrows", said one fella, such is the effect of dropping two point sto Oxford City. Especially seeing as the City goal was - they insisted - "a yard offside".

A decent point away from home for Ross Jenkins' team.
Good luck to Kidderminster for the season ahead - they're a club that deserve to be playing at a higher level, from a town that makes for a very decent pub crawl.

Pubs & Beer & 3-points for Oxford City

Oxford, August 2025
Becoming a little disillusioned by football's elite clubs (by which I mean Forest and Oxford United, of course) I set off on a Saturday lunchtime to watch Oxford's second team in action.
With a couple of pints in Headington beforehand and a couple of pints in the centre afterward, here's how the day panned out.

First point of call was the city's sole micro pub, the Tile Shop Alehouse, situated in a row of shops alongside barbers, printing press, charity shop and pizzaria.

The Tileshop Alehouse (10 Windmill Road, Headington, OX3 7BX)
We chatted to one of the owners when this first opened, who told us they'd sourced beers initially from Tring but would be expanding the choice in the future.  That never materialised, so the Tile Shop is still your Oxford go-to for the Hertforshire beer and not a lot else...

To be fair, the 'Ridgeway' was on decent form: a robust malty best bitter, poured straight from the barrel into your choice of handled or straight glass.  The cask coolers were just about doing their job in the unpredictable August weather, although I'd be wary on a day the thermometre tips past 30°.

The colourful tiled section in the picture of my pint is a memento of the former guise of these premises.  There were just half-a-dozen in on a Saturday lunchtime, 'Side Pocket for a Toad' and Franz Ferdinand's debut played in full not drawing in the masses.

A short stroll around the corner took me to the Royal Standard, a Greene King inn that I figured was worth popping my head into for a bit of footy on TV and to see what beers they had on.

Royal Standard (78 London Road, Headington, OX3 9AA)
Ah, not a lot..

"Coming soon" your house beer or 'IPA'.  Bet you can't wait.
Lilleys cider fans were well catered for with a dozen or so varieties boxed in the fridge.
I opted for the GK 'Level Head' on keg, a citrussy refreshing IPA which isn't a bad option in the summer months but always seems to be fiendishly expensive.  £6.10 in this case. 💸😲

I'd have done better with another sub-£5 pint in the micro, but then I wouldn't have gotten to watch the second half of the Villa-Newcastle match.
Here's Oxford's Villa contingent, claret and blue flag draped over another chair out of shot, just about to shout at the Magpie's keeper for breaking the 8-second rule.

The Royal Standard used to be one of Oxford's less appealing pubs but has benefitted vastly from a refurb a couple of years ago.  Okay, there's a lot of grey paint and dubious wallpaper, but some decent comfy seating, pool table, and small enclosed patio to the rear.

Villa's opening game of the season wasn't a thrilling affair and Newcastle playing in green was an oddity.  As it rumbled on to a 0-0 conclusion I drank up and walked into Old Headington village.
Time for a quick beer in the White Hart?

The White Hart (12 St Andrews Road, Headington, OX3 9DL)
This historic inn opposite the Parish church is somewhere I don't tend to get to very often, other than the annual trek to its wonderful back garden in May for their beer festival.
It's a three-roomed trad pub, with the most of the chatter eminating from the front bar where the locals congregate.

An Everard's pub, the ale choice was 'Tiger', 'Old Original' or a seasonal strong blonde called 'Predator'.  The staff member declared the 'Predator' to be at the end of the barrel and not servable - fair play for not trying to palm it off on me.  Except the 'Old Original' had a bit of an odd tang to it that I only noticed half-way through, so a bad day for the cask ale on this occasion.

And did I really need a hasty 5.2% ruby ale with kick-off 45 minutes away?  No, probably not.
At least it's all downhill from Headington to the MGroup Stadium, previosuly the RAW Charging stadium, probably best referred to as Court Farm.
Straight through the turnstiles, I poked my head in the club bar where I sensibly decided not to join the polite queue for keg fizz in plastic pots.

So what do I need to report on from this tie against National League North newcomers Macclesfield Town?
You'll be wanting to see the balloon arch creating jealousy for those without wristbands to get them to the VIP portacabin...

And you'll be wanting to see Wayne's brother John Rooney managing Macc...

But most important of all is that quick check of the cistern in the gents to assess the quality of stickers the away support have brought with them...

There were a decent amount of folks who'd made the trip down from Cheshire to cheer on the Silkmen. 

But to no avail, as Oxford came out 2-1 winners.
They did let a second half Macclesfield goal in to increase the jeopardy towards the end, but never really looked too threatened as Macc hit the reset button after Robbie Savage took his favourite players with him to Forest Green.

Exiting after the full time whistle was blown, I caught an X3 bus to the centre of Oxford and made my way to the nano-bar in the Covered Market where a couple of familiar local charaters were drinking.

Teardrop (Unit 21, Covered Market, Oxford, OX1 3DU)
Teardrop opened in 2019 and has been in the Good Beer Guide for the past couple of years.  Named after the shape of the dinky caravan bar which they used to transport to outdoor events, Teardrop is linked to west Oxfordshire's Church Hanbrewery. 
They offered a run of kegs covering a wide range of styles plus one cask - on this occasion their 'Ale X', a 4.5% IPA - murky, flavoursome, in good condition, and an ideal post-football beer.

Drinking up, we moved on to Broad Street and a visit to the White Horse...

White Horse (52 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BB)
Somewhere that often slips off my radar being as it's small and perpetually busy.
However, the reclaim of a portion of Broad Street for flower boxes, bench seating, and various food and craft stalls has made securing a seat inside the White Horse much easier.
And look what I would have missed!...

Yep, Bass availability faltered a bit in Oxford, so great to find it on good form.  The Kirkstall got the thumbs-up from the members of our group who had it, whilst local Loose Cannon and London's Gypsy Hill completed a line-up that was one stout away from being exceptional.

Bass satisfaction complete, we moved on to the Lamb & Flag, now almost constantly busy, an impressive revivial since spending a few years closed.
I turned to the lip-puckering sour side there with a Holy Goat 'Bramble Smasher'.

Then we ended up in The Bear on pricey Gales 'HSB'.
A visit to the Bear did give me the chance for a first look at the extension that this old pub has made into the neighbouring one-time tanning salon.
It's very micro-pubby, isn't it?

That extension has provided some very posh new WCs though and will possibly be a draw on colder nights.  On this Saturday evening the crowds were squeezed onto the outdoor tables, leaving the original rooms inside, complete with collection of ties, remarkably quiet.
But really! Why would you sit outside or in a modern room converted from a shop when you can grab a table in a pub room like this...

Time to call it a night.
A day that had taken in a couple of Oxford suburban drinking spots, Oxford City's first three-points of the season, and visits to a couple of the centre's most historic inns.
I must have enjoyed myself, as I started hatching plans to return to the MGroup stadium and to make it to an away fixture soon.

Farnham Pub Explorations

Back at the end of July, our intrepid posse of pub researchers were en-route to Farnham by train, having completing part one of the day's itinerary in neighbouring Alton.

Farnham is home to around 40,000 folks (making it around twice the size of Alton).  It's situated within the Surrey Hills in countryside that offers lots of walking opportunities, so I'm feeling a little guilty now for doing nothing but traipsing around five pubs.

The first of these was on the main thoroughfare through the town centre, a street that would be charmingly picturesque if not for half of Surrey trying to drive down it on this afternoon.
We were on our way to the 2022 Fullers Pub of the Year...

The Queens Head (9 The Borough, Farnham, GU9 7NA)
The cask hand pumps take pride of place in their own section of the bar directly in front of the entrance.
Serving a trio of beers from the greater Fullers empire - Dark Star 'Hophead', Gales 'ESB', and 'London Pride'.  I went for the one of the three that I see least frequently, the 'HSB', which was on good form without being a beer you'd get overly excited about.

This was originally a timber-framed building which served as a coffee shop from around 1735 onwards.  It was given a 19th century modernisation with a red brick frontage and transformed to an inn.
Fullers seem to have done a good job of making this appeal to a wide range of customers.  It's comfortable to eat in without food dominating, has some snug spots to take your drinks to, and puts on regular live music (Dahlia's Comet and Beatroot appearing soon).  

My photography in the Queens Head was somewhat random.
I bring you my Queens Head gallery: her majesty's neck tattoos, barstool reading material, and tiffany lamps.

 

The local CAMRA folk in our group were discussing policies and governance.
Kentish Paul was being served a Club Ciabatta in the front room, because he's sensible.  We can't all forego food until the end of the day, then sit with Chinese takeaways in Retired Martin's hotel room.

You can get a full ciabatta review on Paul's blog.  In fact, what are you even doing here?  Paul provides all the pub background you need without any of my spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

I finished my half pint quickly and headed around the corner to get some lunch of my own.  After some nourishment I was found by one of our pub tour's stragglers who'd split from the rest of us and come to Farnham by bus.  Together we made our way through peaceful backstreets to the Hop Blossom pub.

The Hop Blossom (50 Long Garden Walk, Farnham, GU9 7HX)
This was built in 1864 and named after the hop fields which were once opposite this site.  No fields these days, but the outdoor seats by the flower tubs were a good spot to relax with a beer in this quiet location in the warm weather.

Inside, the pub is L-shaped with a bar counter straddling the corner, seating to either side and a bright conservatory added to the rear.
More Fullers fare on the handpumps, with the addition of a St Austell guest.

I ordered a half of the 'Anthem', St Austell's summery session beer, brewed with four English hops with some Cornish Gold malt thrown into the mix of grains.
The Hop Blossom was a pleasant little gem slightly off the beaten track, a wet-led town pub which is one of Farnham's two current 2025 Beer Guide entries.

There was little distance to cover between the pubs, our next destination being no more than a couple of minutes walk.
This was located on Castle Street, heavy on the parked cars, but saved from the traffic horrors of the main road and home to some lovely buildings.

The Nelson Arms (50-52 Castle Street, Farnham, GU9 7JQ)
This building was originally three 14th century cottages, parts of which became the Hand and Pen pub in the early 1600's.  It appears to have had a couple of name changes since, now named after Admiral Horatio Nelson who had a fondness for Farnham (or at least for a lady here).

Our beer choice came in the form of local Hogs Back 'T.E.A' or Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' or 'Golden Best'.
A lesser-seen Golden Best for me, right at the end of the barrel, although the landlord diligently came and replaced these with a new cask freshly tapped.

The internal beams are apparently original old bits of wood and are reputed to have come from a Tudor warship. One beam is said to once have Lord Nelson's eyeglass lodged into it, but someone half-inched that years ago.

A thoroughly pleasant pub with a bit of a shortage of mid-afternoon punters.

Right, onward, to a recent addition to Farnham's pubs that turned out to be a bit of an unexpected delight...

The Tellers Arms (75 Castle Street, Farnham, GU9 7LP)
This new Youngs pub opened in October 2024 after conversion from its former incarnation as Lloyds Bank.
The building dates back to the 1930's when it replaced an earlier bank with Tudor frontage which wasn't deemed to fit in with the surroundings.  Remarkably, it became a listed building just 19 years after being built.

It's a pretty impressive place...

The front is made up of a variety of seating options with lots of nooks and crannies.  A large U-shaped bar in the centre with eye-catching old bank clock cantilevered over it.  Beyond the bar the pub stretches on into a low-ceilinged parquet-floored lounge area, ideal for dining, sprawling on chesterfields, or hiding in the depths of some ginormous chairs.  

Ales on the bar were Young's Original, Hogsback 'T.E.A', and Surrey Hills 'Shere Drop'.  Gotta be the Shere Drop when in Surrey - an enjoyable beer, but the priciest of the day.
We stuck to propping up the high table in front of the bar, a table which continued the banking theme... 

A truly impressive pub conversion, which must have set back Youngs quite a few more pennies that make up that table top. Good luck to 'em - I hope it does well.

Talking of impressive pub conversions, onward to our final destination...

The Borough Beer House (6 Town Hall Buildings, Farnham, GU9 7ND)
Opened in 2023, this is the recipient of CAMRA's Pub Design Award in 2025 for conversion to pub use.  We were doing well in Farnham for award winners and Grade II listed buildings.
The Bailiff's Hall dates back to 1674 and is full of character...

The six cask handpumps served five beers on this occasion, a mild, a bitter, and three pales.  I opted for the murky Nightjar 5.1% 'Dua NEIPA', £5.20 a pint.
With all seats occupied downstairs most of us gravitated to the larger upstairs room.

Beyond the cask there was a superb offering of proper cider and 18 keg lines, all displayed on neat clipboards...

With third-of-a-pints on offer I indulged in a Vault City pear, chocolate and vanilla sour and a marvellous Yonder 'Mini Battenburg'.
Plenty more interesting beers in the Borough Beer House whose consumption would have made successful navigation of all those changes on the journey home challenging.

Just don't make any unnecessary stops in pubs on the way.
Doh!

The Old Ford (Lynchford Road, Ash Vale, GU12 5QA)
Well, it was right next to North Camp station and it was ten minutes until the next train to Reading.
The Old Ford is a Victorian pub that was built at the same time and in the same style as the station.  The outdoor seating behind the picket fence was proving popular, less folk within the crisply white and airy interior.

And you're possibly not allowed to leave Surrey without partaking in a Hogs Back TEA.

A lovely day out taking in a good selection of Alton and Farnham pubs.
Big thanks to Mick for putting the itinerary together, guiding the group around the route, and not diverting us into a wild-card shisha bar at any point.