Sweet Hanney Buckiin

In which we set out to the SW Oxfordshire neighbouring villages of East and West Hanney to tick off one of the Oxfordshire GBG 2026 pubs that I hadn't previously visited.
This trip also provided the chance to call in to Wantage, find some mild smut in the gents WC, and pretend I know stuff about modern pop when concocting the usual low-quality blog post title.

We caught the S9 Oxford-Wantage bus from the city centre. Prior to 2022 this used to race past the Hanney's on the A338, but now handily recognises the existence of the village, pulling off the main road and stopping right outside the Black Horse.

The Black Horse (Main Street, East Hanney, OX12 0JE)
This is a good-looking village pub with a fine horse's head painted on the front of it, and stone black horses either side of the front door.  It'd look even better without the parked cars.

The entrance corridor divides a dining area to the right and bar to the left, with a superb collection of ceramic jugs lining the high shelf...

The ceramic collection continues within...

The Black Horse was once part of Abingdon brewery Morland's estate, but is now owned by giants Heineken. It closed for a spell back in 2024, so it's pleasing to see it not only open, but in the Beer Guide, and with a good crowd of folk present.

Cask options were Fullers 'London Pride', Tim Taylor's 'Landlord', or the local Loose Cannon 'Abingdon Bridge'.
I ordered the Pride.  Drinking well, as they say.

Accompanying a fine plate of food - the sole veggie option on a very meaty menu.

All that and mild smut in the gents WC!

We departed from the Black Horse under some lovely blue winter skies, making our way along the lane leading from East to West Hanney.
Part-way along this is Dandridges mill, a Georgian silk mill that was turned from a derelict building in 2007 to modern eco-friendly apartments.  It generates its own electricity from an Archimedean screw on the millstream, which we traipsed up the driveway to have a look at.
I guess that counts as my East Hanney tourism.

We continued along the Causeway, a single farmers field making up the green buffer between East and West Hanney.
Onward past Hanney Spice, which we could have popped into for a pint if we'd been here pre-2008 when this was The Lamb.

A left-turn at the village green takes you to the church and the remaining open pub.
Only just, though.  Punch Taverns put the 16th century thatched roof inn up for sale in 2015, at which point members of the local community grouped together to purchase and run the place themselves.

The Plough (Church Street, West Hanney, OX12 0LN)
The community owners have done rather well.  The Plough has been a regular in recent Good Beer Guides and picked up a White Horse CAMRA pub of the year award in 2024.  The food has been getting great reviews - clicking on  'About' on the pub's website tells you nothing about the pub itself and lots about award-winning chefs Owain and Luke.
We can't have two meals in one lunchtime, so what about the beers?  

On cask: Butcombe 'Original', a Butcombe house beer, Wye Valley 'Butty Bach', or Loddon 'Farmer's Paradise'. I picked the lesser-known 'Farmers Paradise', a 4% harvest pale ale with Cascade and Simcoe hops.
Being so busy inside, we took drinks out to the permanent marquee attached to the rear of the pub, with enough decorations & mix and match furniture to make it feel like an additional room rather than 'outside'.

Even the marquee filled up whilst we were there, this community local seeming to do impressively well for a cold winter afternoon.

We left the Plough and wandered back to the bus stop, rejecting the paths across the fields to Wantage on the basis that it's rained an awful lot in January and the respectable pubs of the town probably wouldn't welcome four boots and four paws coated in mud.  Not that we were really planning on going anywhere particularly 'respectable'.
Off the bus and straight into the middle of the market square for the Alfred the Great pic...

Then around the corner to the Blue Boar...

The Blue Boar (4 Newbury Street, Wantage, OX12 8BS)
This generated a bit of excitement when it was refurbished and reopened a few years back - getting a 'most improved' award, mainly due to being pretty awful beforehand, I suspect.
The courtyard drinking area is a strong point, but not in January. Instead we ended up on the high tables in front of the bar in a rather spartan interior.
Crikey, what's that murk?

Two hand pumps dispensed cask ale in the form of 'Directors' or 'Wainwright', whilst the Blue Boar usually has a couple of decent guest keg lines. This gave me the chance to grab a Tartarus 'Kitsune', a sensible-strength double-dry-hopped pale ale.  That's what that murk is.

You'll also be wanting to see the cracking pump clip which drew me that beer, and the seat covers... 

 

A couple of minutes walk around the corner took us to the Oak Taverns-run King's Arms.

The King's Arms (39 Wallingford St, Wantage OX12 8AU)
Back at the Blue Boar, a large group of jovial ladies on G&T's and takeaway pizza had been responsible for 90% of the noise within the pub. Once they'd departed I could actually hear the music from the speakers: a bit of Mgmt and Duran Duran.  We caught up with the same group in the King's Arms, badly timing it so as to be behind them at the bar.  Oh well, at least that gave ample time to pick from a hefty choice of cask, keg, or boxed ciders.

I was relishing the first chance of the day for a dark beer, picking the Mighty Oak 'Solstice', a 4.1% rich chocolatey porter.
The King's Arms really needs a crowd of folk to make it click and Saturday late afternoon provided that nicely.  We shared the back room with a fair few dog walkers and chaps on the corner of the bar glued to the snooker on TV.

As the Shoulder of Mutton sits straight across the road from the King's Arms, we felt we should really call in whilst so close.
This used to be an absolute old-fashioned gem with a quirky layout, rustic feel, and outdoor loos.  I was a bit gutted when it underwent a refurb, getting pristine toilet facilities, eradicating the single-table snug, and adding a smart skylit drinking space where the back yard used to be.

The Shoulder of Mutton (38 Wallingford Street, Wantage, OX12 8AX)
Yet I really quite enjoyed this revisit and have to grudgingly accept that most folks drinking here on this occasion would probably have steered clear of the original incarnation.
The old chalk board for listing beers is kept above the fireplace as a relic, replaced at the bar by an electronic display showing an impressive keg and cast selection.
I picked the Vale '80/' as something a little different. 

And we ended up staying longer than planned and moving onto the Vibrant Forest golden ale.

Then, when we finally left, something unusual happened. 
We timed it perfectly for a bus and didn't need to call into the Bear for a half of Arkells.

Oxford Villages Trip 2025 version

On a frighfully gloomy and wet November Saturday a group of Oxford folk comandeered a minibus to explore a half-dozen or-so village pubs to the west of the city.
I was on a similar excursion back in 2022 when we called into two of the inns on today's itinerary, but it was the pubs that were brand new to me this time around that I was most looking forward to.
Here's the route...

First stop: 11:57, Yarnton.
Where the young lady opening up took a glance out the window expecting the usual tranquil scene of village life only to spot 16 eager punters waiting for the door to be unlocked.

Red Lion (127 Cassington Road, Yarnton, OX5 1QD)
I visited this pub when it was first taken over by local chain Oak Taverns early in 2024.  Prior to that it had struggled for several years before being put up for sale by Admiral.
There has been a pub close to this site in Yarnton for several hundred years, the original demolished in 1957 when the current Red Lion was constructed.
It's open plan within: seats in the bay windows in the front, a freshly lit wood burner at one side, back doors in the rear section overlooking a lovely - but very wet - back garden.

On the bar three cask ales were on offer: Goffs 'Black Knight', Hook Norton 'Hooky', or Twisted Tree 'Trunk IPA', plus a stack of 8 boxed ciders to pick from.  
Tempting as those ciders may have been, the ABVs were very hard to see on the labels, so I stuck safe with the Bicester-brewed 'Trunk IPA'.  Not an IPA in my book of beer definitions...more a modern best bitter, but very drinkable and on top form.

Rounding up the group, we clambered back aboard the bus for the next leg of our journey.

🚍7 miles, Yanton > Stanton Harcourt
Journey time extended by the usual slow crawl of traffic on the A40.

Harcourt Arms (Main Road, Stanton Harcourt, OX29 5RJ)
My first impressions weren't particularly positive - we were definitely in the territory of rural Oxford gastro-pub with rooms.  It doesn't even look especially pub-like from outside.
Or on first glance to the right through the front door...

But the left-side room is gloriously stuck in time, dimly lit, with thick stone walls, fires burning at both ends giving an aroma of woodsmoke.  Squint and you can imagine the farming types settling here rather than posh car brigade out for Saturday lunch or the scruffy pub-tour brigade crowded around the pump clips.
Cask ales on offer were Purity 'UBU' and two from Norfolk's Woodford Brewery which don't make it this way very often: 'Nelson's Revenge' or 'Wherry'.  A dark and delicious Nelson's for me, priced at £5.20.
Taken straight to the prime sofa spot next to the wood burner.

Saying cheerio to the staff at the Harcourt Arms, we had a short journey down country lanes to our next destination.

🚍3.1 miles, Stanton Harcourt > Northmoor
Journey time extended by our driver Tony stopping in the middle of a country lane to buy homemade marmalade from a random table at the end of a cottage driveway.

We called into the Red Lion at Northmoor, somewhere I've visited a fair few times previously.
Cask ales available were from Fullers, Hook Norton or Cotswold Lion on this occasion - the wonderful 'Greedy Goose' for me as I accept the season for winter beer is truly upon us. 

The Red Lion was the busiest I've seen it - warm and welcoming in the bad weather, doing a roaring trade with a good mix of diners and drinkers.  Especially impressive being as the village is situated down single-track lanes, a fair way from any public transport routes.

The next pub was a revisit that I was thoroughly looking forward to.
Not least due to the possibility of 'grooming', which I would benefit from every now and again.

🚍7.5 miles, Northmoor > Bampton

Morris Clown (High Street, Bampton, OX18 2JW)
This early 18th century High Street pub used to the New Inn before taking on the unusual Morris Clown moniker in 1973.  Previously part of the Greene King estate it is now independtly owned and a quite fantastic no-nonsense wet-led boozer, which has become a regular in the Good Beer Gudie.

It's a single L-shaped room featuring some cracking murals on the wall.  No chance of playing bar billiards today, with the table acting as a stand for the TV showing Wales v New Zealand rugby action.

I ordered a pint of Butts 'Barbus Barbus' (£4.70 - the other cask ale option being Loose Cannon's 'Abingdon Bridge').  Last time I had this hoppy well-balanced session bitter it was brewed in the wilds of West Berkshire.  Butts have since closed their doors with this being one of their beers now concocted at Cheddar Ales.  And it was absolutely superb.
A great beer in a comfy, proper pub - best of the day, no contest - even the rugby couldn't dent my enthusiasm.

It was little more than a 5-minute hop to the next village where two pubs awaited.

🚍2.2 miles, Bampton > Clanfield

Uh-oh...we're back in gastro terriitory - no.4 on a recent Times Best Hotel Restaurants list no-less (the Ritz is sitting next to it at #3, for crying out loud).  Will they even let me in with my unruly beard, cargo pants and Dropkick Murphy's t-shirt?

Double Red Duke (Bourton Road, Clanfield, OX18 2RB)
This is a 17th century country house which later became an inn, run by Wadworth's Brewery for many years.  It's a rabbit warren of a place, with a host of vastly different rooms, sofas in small snugs, a cocktail bar counter, dining tables next to racks of wine bottles.  We settled on the tables in the main bar in a skylit extension towards the rear of the building.

There was a great selection of cask ales on the bar: Uley 'Pale Ale' or 'Pig's Ear', Hook Norton 'Hooky', and Ramsbury 'Deer Stalker'.  Served with chatty and knowledgeable enthusiasm by the fella at the bar who obviously cared about the beers on offer.

It's not often I see Cotswold brewery Uley, so I was chuffed to grab a pint of their crisp, bitter 'Pigs Ear'.  It was good - as it should be for the hefty £6.40 tarriff.

The Double Red Duke scores additional PropUptheBar points for their bespoke beermats.
And for the mysterious jars behind the bar.

 

But gets those points instantly deducted for having a cigar menu.

How much?!!!!

No need to get back on the bus this time with just a short dash across the road in the rain required for the next location.
🏃 83 yards, Double Red Duke > Mason's Arms

Mason's Arms (Bampton Road, Clanfield, OX18 2RG)
This was formerly the Clanfield Tavern (we're on a roll with pub name changes on this trip).  It was taken over by the same folks who run the Red Duke, the pre-1970 name was reclaimed, the interior refurbished and the pub reopened in October 2024.
It was pleasantly dark and moody when we stepped through the front door, so much so that the eyes to needed adjust to make out the Uley pump clips tucked away in the corner of the bar.
The stone walls are thick, the ceiling beams low, the wood fire burning.  It had a bit more of a boozy feel about it (or was that just because of our presence...) than the Red Duke, but beware - it's still smart and features on dozens of foodie websites. 

I went with the Uley 'Old Spot on this occasion - another cracking pint, although with it being a second 5% ABV beer in a row I was beginning to flag a bit.

We hopped back aboard the bus and made our journey down the dark lanes toward Oxford, with a pitstop at the Bruning and Price (not my preferred choice, but I have no voting rights).

🚍15.2 miles, Clanfield > Besselsleigh

Too wet and dark for an outdoor pub picture.
So I'll close the post with a photo of gentlefolk in the Greyhound.
Where I lurked in a corner sipping a Little Ox 'Hufflepuff' (we did have the brewer on the bus with us, so it seemed fitting to finish the trip with one of his beers).

Another great day out, visitng a wide selection of pubs and taking me to a couple of new places. 
Much appreciation goes out again to Tony for driving us through the rain.
Maybe one day I'll be sensible and realise I really don't need to call into the Lamb & Flag when we get dropped on St Giles...but not this time, of course.

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 Hertha 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 casual 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 directed us through the maze of estate footpaths in which we'd surely still be lost without technology to assist us.

A quick post-downpour 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!

I took 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 popped back for a half of the Track 'Dreaming of DDH', complete with commendation for my 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 eye-catching 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, eventually 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.