The Chatsworth

The postman deposited the 2026 edition of the Good Beer Guide next to the front door a week-or-so back.  No more having to look at a soap opera pub on the cover. 
Foreword by Mock the Week favourite Ed Byrne.  Magnetic bookmark promoting pork scratchings (no vegetarian alternative alternative 😞).

A perusal of the Oxfordshire entries reveals 18 changes since last year, 3 of which I've never set foot in.  So we set straight out on a dull grey Saturday to tick one of those off in Banbury.

Before the new tick, a revisit to another '26 guide entry.
Turning right at the top of the station road, we crossed across the railway bridge, the other side of which is technically Grimsbury rather than Banbury, the Oxon/Northants border once being between the two.

The Bell Inn (12 Middleton Road, Banbury, OX16 4QJ)
This is somewhere that has changed a fair bit since I last visited.  Gone is the old two-room layout with a central bar between them.  It was refurbished in 2019 to create one open-plan space with a long bar along the front side.
Tub chair loungey bit to one end: pool table and darts at the other, complete with high tables with stools you need to bring your mountaineering gear to get into. 

Cask ales on the bar were Wye Valley 'HPA' (that's a beer that's getting around a fair bit) and Bath Ales 'Gem'.  I ordered the Gem, served in a Bath Ales glass, a smooth, slightly sweet, easy-drinking amber beer.
Extra marks for the Bell for their bespoke beer mats...

But of course I'm gonna grumble... we really didn't need the volume cranked up to ear-splitting level for the TV coverage of the athletics.

Throughout the rooms are a handful of tin signs and the occasional tool on the wall, reflecting the previous use of part of the building as a mechanic's garage.  Football stickers on the cistern in the gents indicate that this is probably the closest pub to Banbury United, although what Herta BSC were doing here stickering the toilet, I have no idea.

My pictures were snapped on arrival, before a steady stream of locals made there way in to the extent that we had to squeeze past folks when departing.

We relished the quiet when stepping outside the pub.  Then looked nervously to the darkening clouds as we set off on a 1-mile walk into suburbs previously unexplored.
The weather was on our side today - the downpour kindly held off until we were settled inside the Chatsworth.

The Chatsworth (Chatsworth Drive, Banbury, OX16 9YJ)
This estate pub previously took its name from Banbury's nursery rhyme and was called the Cock Horse.  2019 saw a name change and a complete refurbishment by the ambitiously monikered Gamechanger Pub Co.
They seem to have pulled off quite a feat here, creating a community pub to suit all.  To the left of the front door is a bright airy dining space with sky-lights, plants and plentiful pictures.
The right-hand side of the pub is divided into lounge and caual seating around a pool table.

Consequently there was a diverse mix of punters here - diners who probably considered it quite nice 'for a pub', blokes in their DIY clobber, couples, and youngsters on the Peroni and chips. 
Probably not so many tickers looking for beers from rare microbreweries based on the big name cask selection...

Although I will decalre that the 'Ghost Ship' was on top form.

Will the new inclusion in the GBG tempt folks to make the trek from the town centre?
I make the claim to be the first and take the tragic photo to prove it...

I promised Mrs PropUptheBar craft beer in Banbury, the pedestrian beer range so far having not tickled her fancy.  We departed the lounge of the Chatsworth just as the 4pm birthday party reservation arrived, Google maps directing us through the maze of estate footpaths in which we'd surely still be lost without technology to assist us.

A quick post-rain shower picture of Banbury Cross with added rainbow action...

Then onward to the craft beer bar...

Apothecary Tap (10-11 Butchers Row, Banbury, OX16 5JH)
The Tap came into existance in 2019, taking over the Church Lane site where the Old Town micro pub used to be.  They've since moved to much bigger premises, the Butchers Row location offering two rooms, outdoor seating in the yard, and - one step up from the micro - more than one toilet!

A minute to study the beer list..10 draft lines, 2 boxed ciders.  (There's also a hefty can selection in the fridge should none of those on the screen be to your liking).

I picked the Otherworld 'Papillon', all the way from Midlothian, a tangy, fruity, murky IPA. 

Then back for a half of the Track 'Dreaming of DDH', complete with commendation for the choice from the owner.

There was a good crowd in the Tap, loitering by the bar and working their way though the crafty selection.  More folks outside, more in the side room under speakers booming out live versions of rock classics.

Just don't get tempted by the bench closest to the bar - it's reserved for the Apothecary pub dog...

A pub trip to Banbury isn't complete without a visit to the Olde Reine Deer.
The signage (and the whole street to be fair) looking quite marvelous in the dusk...

Olde Reine Deer Inn (47 Parsons Street, Banbury, OX16 5NA)
I really like this historic pub - an assault of dark wooden beams and pillars when you walk through the front door.  Even without the fire lit, this has a wonderfully cosy feel, dimly lit, a murmur of conversation, lots of pictures on the walls, proper pub seating, almost all of it taken although it's not rammed like you'd once have expected on a Saturday evening.

You tend to get a full range of Hook Norton beers in the Reine Deer, including the lesser seen 2.8% mild, plus seasonal specials and one-offs.
I ordered a pint of the 'Brewed Awakening' which sounds every bit like it should be a coffee stout yet was actually a regular 3.4% light bitter.

Rather than squeeze into a gap in the front room, we took our drinks through the busier back bar and onward to the Globe Room.  Okay, so not as cosy - and lacking the hubbub of plentiful custom - but this is a superb pub room with a bit of heritage.

The Globe Room dates back to 1637 and is reputed to have been used by Cromwell as he plotted tactics for the nearby Battle of Edgehill, as well as it being used as a court room to try captured Royalists.
It's an eye-catching room now, but was originally much more extravagant with an intricate platerwork ceiling. That's long gone, although the plaster casts are held at the V&A museum.  The wood panelling was sold in 1912, only to sit in storage in London and eventually be returned to Banbury in the sixties, then reinstated in the room in 1984.

A throughly peaceful pub visit, sunk into armchairs in olde worlde surroundings, with a bit of pub grub and Hook Norton ales.  What more could we want?

Perhaps just the one more venue before the train?
Oh go on then...
We decided to visit the remaining current Good Beer Guide entry - something of a regular...

The White Horse (52 N Bar Street, Banbury OX16 0TH)
I've always enjoyed calling into the Everard's-owned White Horse which has never let me down on beer choice or quality.  Although I don't think I've ever seen it so quiet, which was odd for Saturday evening.

Two Everards specials alongside the 'Tiger', plus a Stancil 'Barnsley Bitter' a fair way from home, or the Little Ox local.
All looking a very similar colour judging by the jam jars on display...

I opted for the Everards 'Banshee' - a sub-5% 'session' IPA.  Enjoyable enough whilst not challenging for beer of the day.  (Despite the craft beers, that accolade probably goes to the Ghost Ship at the Chatsworth).

For once we didn't sit on the big leather diner booths on the left-side of the pub. 

With an eighties music selection including Inxs, Madness, and Madonna, we supped the final beers of the day in the quiet section to the side of the door unti the friendly bar staff came to try and stroke the dog.
He barked angrily at them.
His way of telling us we'd been out far too long - quite enough pubs for the day - time to go home.

Ferry Across the Wye

This post contains pubs in two counties...

...a brewery tap.
...a hand-pulled ferry.
...and lots of Wye Valley beer.

We were spending a long weekend in Symond's Yat, staying in a cottage in the tree-lined gorge that the River Wye runs through, with friends Tim and Marta and Luna - chaos reincarnated in canine form.

But first, I'd spotted a midday beer diversion in Gloucestershire where we could sit next to shiny brewing equipment.

Bespoke Brewing (Building 5, Church Farm, Church St, Littledean, Cinderford GL14 3NL)
Bespoke started brewing in 2012 in nearby Micheldean.  They were brought by the current owners six years later, who proceeded to move the brew kit to a new home in 2021.
That home is located up a gravel lane running between the church yard and a field of sheep, eventually leading you to farm buildings and reassuring banners advertising coffee and ale. 

There were a decent number of folks in the sunshine on benchs outside, the barn-like taproom proving less of a draw in the fine weather.  Just me that gets a silly grin sitting drinking next to fermenting vessels, then.

Draft beers came in the form of Arbor 'Mosaic', Stround 'Easy Peasy', a mysterious 'Bohemian Lager', plus two of their own concoctions.
We stuck with their own, ordering halves of the Bespoke 'Forest Gold' and 'Test Brew': the test brew being a 6-point-something % American IPA with lesser-seen hops.

  And very nice it was too.

Top marks also for the coffee counter here who brewed a quite marvellous and expertly presented espresso and cappucino, as well as having tempting sweet treats that could very well have scuppered my appetite for lunch.
Top marks for the WC too, a mini musuem of breweriana... 

Our rendezvous point with our friends was in Blaisden.
Guess who picked a former local Camra award winner to have lunch in?

The Red Hart (Blaisdon Ln, Blaisdon, Longhope GL17 0AH)
At least I picked well (this time).  It's a former local CAMRA Pub of the Year, serving a South West selection of cask ales from Otter, Butcombe, and Glastonbury Brewery.

The Red Hart has its bar counter facing the front door, with a pleasant rustic dining room to the right and trad village pub seating to the left.  Super flagstone flooring, random tools on the wall, an odd bit foliage failing to hide the speaker...

We took advange of the good weather, sitting in the lovely peaceful garden, enjoying the Glastonbury Best Bitter and the chefs interpretation of Indian street-food samosa chat.
A great place.  Which I knew it would be as soon as I caught a glimpse the old battered pub sign...

We'd left ourselves with a final 14-mile leg of the journey to reach Symonds Yat, our home for 2-nights, located down mildly challenging lanes.  Which would be easy to drive down if only nobody else had had the idea of coming here on a sunny weekend.

Our cottage was in Symond's Yat West.
The 2025 Good Beer Guide entrant was in Symonds Yat East, the River Wye inconviently in the way.  Although that makes for a unique final approach to a pub...

The Saracen's Head (Symonds Yat East, HR9 6JL)
Whatever Chris De Burgh may tell you, you do have to pay the ferryman.  £2 each for the short distance across the water - cripes, on a cost:distance ratio that's more than even HS2 will charge us (probably).
Advance warning to this penny-pinching pub-ticker - you'll have to cough up £6 for a pint at the bar here too.

The Saracen's selling point is the location and the chance to sit on one of several outdoor terraces overlooking the river.  Inside there is a dining room with a modern feel, whilst the bar spoils its olde-worlde stone floors with the olive paint job.
Plenty of youthful high-season staff on duty, happily calling people to the end of the counter and scuppering the queue that the holiday-makers so desperately want to form.

Here's the beer choice - lots of similar ales, missing the opportunity to put anything mild or dark on...

The Wye Valley 'Sundowner' and 'Butty Bach' were both on reasonable form, supped whilst watching the ferry go and back and forth admidst the constant cacophany of busy pubbiness.

Symonds Yat East is all about the steep gorge and rocks and has a lot less buildings than its neighbour on the other side of the river.
We made our way back there the following day, walking the long-way round via the Biblins camp site rope bridge, being as the ferryman doesn't kick into action until the pub opens.
A short steep climb takes you to the spendid viewpoint which shows why this area has been given the area of outstanding natural beauty tag.

Back down at river-level we opted to poke our heads into the hotel instead of returning to the Saracen's.

Royal Lodge (Symonds Yat East, HR9 6JL)
This is very much a hotel rather than a pub, the route to the bar taking you past a check-in desk, then through a dining room, the ceral dispensers still on the table after breakfast service.
Tempting as a bowl of bran flakes was, one of our party (that'd be me) didn't need any as he'd left everyone in bed that morning and popped down to Wetherspoons in Monmouth for breakfast.

I was sure there'd be no cask in the hotel bar, but was proved wrong...

Another new variety of Wye Valley beer for me, ensuring I didn't end up drinking Butty Bach all weekend.
The 'Pyoneer' was a superb sweet malty amber ale, brewed with Target and Goldings hops.  On great form, although the less said about the condition of the Clavel & Hind beer on the second pump, the better.

A short walk alongside the riverside path took us to the Old Ferrie Inn, except for that pesky bit of water being in the way again.
This pub also has a hand-pulled ferry to collect punters from the opposite bank.  With a bit of added jeopardy that they could only take a limited number, all sat at one end, to prevent the ferry getting grounded with the low levels of the Wye.

Ye Old Ferrie Inn (Ferrie Lane, Symonds Yat West, HR9 6BL)
This pub claims to date back the 15th century; to a time when it provided refreshment to the folk using the ferry crossing here to transport livestock from one side to the other.  
As with the Saracen's, this has an enviable location to draw the crowds in.  We saw little of the interior - packed the rafters when we were there - sticking to the outdoor benches overlooking the water, knocking back the Butty Bach.

There was one more pub in close proximity a little further up the lanes...

The Wye Knott Inn (Symonds Yat West, HR9 6BJ)
And this was probably my favourite of the lot.
Inside there is a decent traditional pub room in front of the bar, with more seating by the windows along the front in an extension to the original building.
I can find little out about the pub other than it being nicknamed 'Jampots' after using jam jars to serve beer during a wartime glass shortage.  I think I prefer Jampots to Wye Knott Inn.

There were two cask ales on the bar: the tropical hoppiness of Ledbury 'Olicana Pale Ale' and the malty 'Llandogo Trow Ale' from Kingstone Brewery.  The landlord was enthusiastic about his beers and did a fine job of selling Tim both scratchings and chicharones.

 

Very much not vegetarian, but the Hobson's bags were worth manuevering into the picture of my pint.
The Wye Knott has a pretty non-descript garden across the road from the pub, so scores more local trade than the hotspots by the river.  It's also a short somewhat precarious stagger downhill on a path through to the trees to the caravan park from where I guess they pick up some trade.  Someone's certainly drinking the cask, as both pints were in great condition.

So that brings an end to exploration of a handful of pub in Symonds Yat and a fine sunny weekend.  Back to Oxfordshire now and a new 2026 Good Beer Guide waiting on the doorstep. 

Halesowen Pub Explorations

Way back in March, Chairman John elected to pull off the M5 on the way back from our Wigan weekender, providing us with a comfort break complete with cobs and Black Country Ales.   
Although he put 'City Plumbing B63' into the sat-nav to incorporate a mystery-tour element as to where we were going.

Waggon and Horses (21 Stourbridge Rd, Halesowen, B63 3TU).
This red-brick terraced gem dates back to the 1830 when a chap called William Jones applied for a licence to sell beer and cider.  Black Country Ales took over in 2017 and didn't take long to win a local CAMRA branch award by having handpumps stretching the length of the long bar.
It's quite the looker inside: a narrow room divided into two sections, with cushioned bench seating galore, etched windows, a bit of tiled flooring, and a feature fireplace. 

Perhaps the folk of Halesowen prefer big plates with Yorkshire puddings for a Sunday lunch rather than a cheese & onion cob...and who can blame 'em.  The Waggon and Horses was far too quiet on our visit, although this didn't seem to affect the 'Jubilee Ale', brewed to celebrate 25 years of Black Country Ales.
Being kind to a pub ticker, our group agreed to stroll a little further up the road to score a GBG'25 tick.

King Edward VII (88 Stourbridge Road, Halesowen, B63 3UP)
Looking good.  Not a Batham's boozer, but painted in their favourite colour.
There's a no-nonsense pub sign.  And lamps.  And an advertisment for Happy Hour pints for £3.50.
Cask ales available were Wye Valley 'Butty Bach', Enville 'Ale', and Stourport brewery BOA 'Lock n Load'.  The previously untried 'Lock n Load' for me, a fruity session IPA on good form.
Had we been sociable, the locals were in the back room on t'other side of the bar. But we didn't disturb them, sticking to the comfy front room with its ample pictures on the walls and decorative plates on the beam.

That had given me a taste for the pubs of Halesowen.
So, leaping forward a few months I made the return to the West Midlands.

From Birmingham centre, the number 9 bus transported me the 8-miles across town in time for a midday pint.  There's a lot of green within easy reach of Halesowen - the big Leasowes Park, an English Heritage abbey, and the Clent Hills visible from the top deck of the bus.
Regrettably, I missed all of that and can only report that it's really not worth making a long journey to explore the Cornbow shopping centre.
Would it be worth coming all this way for the micropub?

Roberto's Bar (55 High Street, Halesowen, B63 3BG)
Yeah, I think so.

The Roberto in question is Roberto Ross, the owner of a micro brewery in Netherton who also ran a bar in central Birmingham prior to opening this venue in 2022.
Roberto's consisted one rectangular room with proper pub furniture throughout and red leather sofas by the window.  The walls were decorated with Euro breweriana, pump clips, a Union Jack, and a TV listing the beers and latest Untappd check-ins.

A check-in of Mousesweet 'XXXK' mild for me.
Craft pump clip...

£5 for a pint of the 6.5% mild.

For those more sensible than me, there was also a Utopian 'Blonde', or a 5% IPA from the brewers of my strong mild, Mousesweet from Audley in Staffordshire.

Being as I was 30-seconds away from the local Spoons whilst sat in Roberto's, I figured I'd poke my head in. 
"Lively", said the CAMRA website.
Promising.

Here's my entry into the 'Make a JD Wetherspoon pub look really unappealing' photo competition...

The William Shenstone (1-5 Queensway, Halesowen, B63 4AB)
Yep, it;s not a looker is it?  The addition of half-a-dozen hanging baskets can't detract from a brutal bit of concrete.
The pub is named after an 18th century poet and landscape gardener whose grave is across the road in the grounds of the St John the Baptist church.  Halesowen is also the birthplace of Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe, so I figure Spoons missed a more recognisable naming opportunity there.

Here's the beer range...

I stayed loyal to my own birthplace and ordered the Nottingham 'Legend'.  Not on legendary form, unfortunately.  Another case of 'probably should have returned it, but didn't'.
Despite a beer of dubious quality, I got the feeling that The Bill Shenstone was a decent JDW - a sizeable L-shaped room with a well-worn carpet and a wide variety of custom, plenty of whom were doing odd things and making people watching a fine pass-time.

Moving on, Google suggested it would take 16-minutes to trek the 0.7 miles to my next destination - westwards on Stourbridge Road and straight past the Waggon & Horses and King Edward again.
Further along the street is another Black Country Ales pub...

The Whitley (Stourbridge Road, Halesowen, B63 3QX)
This one became part of the chain in 2018, apparantly giving the place a total makeover, creating an open-plan space with familiar decor and ample ale choice.
Leatherbritches 'Comfortably Numb' was my pick, because I'm a sucker for the Pink Floyd vinyl/CD-style pump clip. 

Loads of space in the pub - looking quiet compared to Spoons - although there were a few folks dotted around beyond the edges of my picture.  I took the seat in the window with the best vantage point of the proper pub carpet...

Black Country - time for the obligatory ale and cob shot.
Oooof...that's a lot of onion.

My dilemma at this point was that my remaining Good Beer Guide tick in this area was a 4pm opener and it was no-where near 4pm.
The kind folks at Diamond Bus conspired to waste 45-minutes of my time as I waited for a non-existant service to somewhere I'd spied a potential GBG tick.  At which point I figured I'd just walk towards The Crafty Pint and see what was on the way.
Ah, that'll be the Hunting Tree...  

The Hunting Tree (Alexandra Road, Halesowen, B63 4BL)
This is quite a splendid red-brick building, standing next to a roundabout in the far-flung housing estates of western Halesowen.  It has a mighty impressive garden attached to it, if only the weather wasn't so overcast on this occasion.
The building was originally the family home of local button makers the Grove family, although don't expect a National Trust period-piece interior.  It's very much the smart modern open-plan pub with parquet flooring, gharish wallpaper and paintwork in various shades turquoise shades.

The lone cask hand pump was hidden around the corner of the bar, out of sight of the folks ordering their Peroni and house white.  I didn't expect much from the Wye Valley 'HPA'.  Yet it was a fine pint - well presented in matching glass, fresh and crispy and thoroughly enjoyable.

Less enjoyable was the soundtrack of B*witched and Whitney Houston, until Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London' somehow snuck onto the pop playlist.
Sat by the pool table in the side room, I could follow the La Vuelta cycling on a rather excessive choice of 3 TVs visible from my stool.

A quick check of the time revealed that the clock had ticked past 4pm and I could tackle the final plod down the hill to the 2025 Good Beer Guide-listed Crafty Pint.

The Crafty Pint (8 Wassell Road, Halesowen, B63 4JU)
This is a little out-the-way of central Halesowen, just over a mile down the Hagley Road.  A bus back after my beer, I reckon.  The bar is in a little run of shops which includes the neighbouring barbers and All-Occasions florists.  Handy for the Hasbury Chippie too.

The Crafty Pint is a micro which has expanded in recent years to make it a decent sized place.  Although I think the locals were less inclined towards the tables in the side room, based on the scowls I got for nabbing the choice seating in the window. 
There were a decent number of punters making their way in not long after opening, cask being king, with beers from Wye Valley, Salopian, Oakham, Titanic and Neepsend to pick from.

A top-quality pint of Neepsend 'Manu' for me.

Bringing to an end a good trek around some of the pubs and bars of Halesowen.
I'll leave you with the artwork in the Crafty Pint WC.
Does Ursula Andress in Dr No count as 'mild smut in the gents'?  No, surely not...