Oxfordshire Pub Round-Up

For a final post of the year, I figured I'd look back to some of the Oxfordshire pubs visited in the summer months.
I may have grumbled at the time about the restrictions imposed on a visit to the pub...  Little did we realise how glorious those summer days were, before we stumbled onward to lock-downs, tiers and substantial meals.

Let's start with the counties latest Community pub - a sure-fire contender for the Good Beer Guide 2022, if there is one.

The White House (Grove Road, Bladon, OX20 1RQ - web)
The campaign to save this pub saw 430 people, including locals and folks from further afield, purchasing shares in the White House when Greene King decided to sell the property.  

The pub has links to Winston Churchill, who was born a short distance away at Blenheim Palace, drank here, and is buried in Bladon's church cemetery.
We sat in the 'Churchill Bar' just to the right of the entrance. 
We didn't scribble '...is a racist' on the portrait. 
We did enjoy a lovely pint of White Horse ale.

Jumping back a little to September, we spent a day in the northernmost reaches of the county, making the most of a lovely bit of beer-garden weather.  Catching a train to Banbury we proceeded to walk up the Oxford Canal to Cropredy, which has two pubs to visit.

The Brasenose Arms (Station Road, Cropredy, OX17 1PW - web)
The Brasenose is famous for being the birthplace of the Cropredy Festival, when members of Fairport Convention met here in the early 70's to plan a music festival.

I've not knowingly ever listened to a Fairport Convention song.

We got a brief glimpse inside, as we following the route to the bar and back out into the large back garden.
Welcoming pub.  Great ale.  And a South African dog in a window.

Next to the church is the village's second pub, The Red Lion, where we enjoyed a decent pint of Butcombe Original and a sandwich in the garden to the rear.

A pleasant walk across the fields took us to Cropredy's neighbour, Great Bourton.

I'm reliably informed by the Hook Norton website that only two other villages in England have church bell towers sited away from the church itself.
And there it is below - expertly photographed with the pub sign in the foreground, if I say so myself...

The Bell Inn (Manor Road, Great Bourton, OX17 1QP - web)

This Hook Norton Brewery pub was rebuilt in the 1920's and doesn't look especially pub-like from it's exterior.  It featured another pleasant little beer garden though, and drinking some Hooky when in this neck of the woods is obligatory.

The Bell, Great Bourton.

We continued our north Oxfordshire ramble from Great to Little Bourton, which has a roadside pub called The Dirt House (Southam Road, Little Bourton, OX17 1RH).

I was insistent that we had to visit a pub called the Dirt House.  Mrs PropUptheBar remained unconvinced.
In my mind, the Dirt House should be a seedy establishment, with Motley Crue hanging out there.  Except it wasn't - it was smart and modern, with a friendly welcome and a decent pint of Fullers 'London Pride'.

The Dirt House.

Hopping away to a couple of pubs just to the NE of Oxford itself, both on the wonderful Green Belt Way path that circumvents the city.
Along this route you'll find the peaceful village of Beckley.

The Abingdon Arms (High Street, Beckley, OX3 9UU - web)
The pub has a blue plaque due to being frequented by Evelyn Waugh.  Which makes a change from Tolkien or CS Lewis, although I bet they both drank here at some point - they drank everywhere!
This is another Community-owned pub, which is thoroughly pleasant inside, but the back garden is the real winner.  As the village of Beckley sits on an elevation, there are great views from here across Otmoor.

Listed in the 2020 Good Beer Guide, the Abingdon Arms has slipped out of the 2021 edition, which is a shame, because the pint of Little Ox 'Yabba Dabba Do' that I had here was superb.

Leaving Beckley southbound on the footpath, it's just over a mile to the next village, Stanton St John, where you'll find the Talkhouse...

Talkhouse (Wheatley Road, Stanton St John, OX33 1EX - web)

This featured one of my gripes of the Covid-pub-world - the ridiculously long-winded one-way system.  Out through the garden, along the road and back in through the front door to go to the loo.  One of several one-way systems encountered this summer which ensured you passed many more people following the rules than if you just took the direct route.

On the whole, beer quality was great in the summer, thanks to clean pipes and sensible reduction of cask ales available for limited customers.
But sadly the London Pride at the Talkhouse had undoubtedly been sitting in the barrel over a couple of early week closed days.  It was pretty awful.

Look here comes the barman, asking how the beer is.  Here's your chance...
"How's the Pride?"
"Fine, thanks."
Heck, I'm rubbish sometimes.

The bar at the Talkhouse - nice display of taps along the wooden beam.

Finally, for the last pub of the post, a trip down into the South Oxfordshire Chilterns.

The Highwayman Inn (Exlade Street, Checkendon, RG8 0UE - web)
A current regular in the Good Beer Guide, this country pub is in good walking country.  You can get disorientated in the woods, or lose the path in the posh College grounds heading back toward Woodley, both of which I managed to do.  Need to improve the map-reading.

If you want a proper rustic country pub experience, then the fantastic Black Horse, a mile or so away, is the best option.  The Highwayman meanwhile, dates back to 1625, but has a smart modern feel with most of the interior set up for dining.
There is a small bar area to the right of the front door, with a stone floor and too many scatter cushions.  Ales on the bar were from West Berkshire and Loddon, with my pint of 'Hullabaloo' on good refreshing form after all the walking.

And that - for the time being - is that.
For anyone who's stumbled across the blog, read any of the mistake-littered nonsense that I write, or just looked at the pictures, thanks for the visit.
Let's hope that 2021 brings much more cheer and the chance to prop up the bar again.