The only Good Beer Guide listed pub in Keynsham, this is a free house in a Grade II listed building. It was originally built as a coaching inn before becoming a branch of Westminster bank and then reverting back to a pub. Internally, there is one large room for drinking in with the bar in one corner and a very large TV screen on the back wall. The walls are decorated with photos of old Keynsham and add to the pleasant feel of the place. The aforementioned bar features 6 handpulls, one of which offers Cheddar Valley Cider with the rest given over to ales. To start the day, our choices were Twisted Oak Fallen Tree, Cheddar Ales Totty Pot, Palmers 200, Spitting Feathers Rush Hour and Palmers Tally Ho. I opted to blow out the cobwebs of my drive with a pint of Rush Hour and Matt followed suit. From Cheshire-based Spitting Feathers brewery, Rush Hour (4.5%) is a pale ale with a strong, citrus character brewed with 5 different hop varieties. This combination imparts intense flavours of grapefruit, orange and passionfruit which make it a bit like a fruit cocktail in a glass and all the better for it. The first pint of the day had certainly gotten us in the mood for what lie ahead and we now made our way back to the train station for our short wait for the train.
The weather was taking a turn for the worse by the time we boarded the train but we were not to be deterred. 30 minutes or so later, we arrived in Bradford on Avon. Bradford on Avon is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, with a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists.
The history of the town can be traced back to Roman origins. It has several buildings dating from the 17th century, when the town grew due to the thriving English woollen textile industry. The town lies partly on the Avon Valley, and partly on the hill that marks the Vale's western edge, eight miles southeast of Bath, in the hilly countryside between the Mendip Hills, Salisbury Plain and the Cotswold Hills. The local area around Bath provides the Jurassic limestone (Bath Stone) from which the older buildings are constructed. The River Avon (the Bristol Avon) runs through the town. The town directly borders Trowbridge to the south east. The town includes the suburbs of Bearfield and Woolley; the parish includes the hamlets of Widbrook and Woolley Green.
The Western Wiltshire Green Belt forms the eastern extent of the Avon Green Belt, and it completely surrounds Bradford-on-Avon, helping to maintain the setting and preserve the character of the town, and minimising urban sprawl between Bath and other nearby settlements such as Trowbridge, Winsley, and Westwood.
The earliest evidence of habitation is fragments of Roman settlements above the town. In particular, archaeological digs have revealed the remains of a large Roman villa with a well-preserved mosaic on the playing fields of St Laurence School. The centre of the town grew up around the ford across the river Avon, hence the origin of the town's name ("Broad-Ford"). This was supplemented in Norman times by the stone bridge that still stands today. The Norman side is upstream, and has pointed arches; the newer side has curved arches. The Town Bridge and Chapel is a grade I listed building. It was originally a packhorse bridge, but widened in the 17th century by rebuilding the western side. On 2 July 1643 the town was the site of a skirmish in the English Civil War, when Royalists seized control of the bridge on their way to the Battle of Lansdowne.
On the bridge stands a small building which was originally a chapel but was later used as a town lockup. The weather vane on top takes the form of a gudgeon, (an early Christian symbol), hence the local saying "under the fish and over the water".
Widbrook Grange is a Georgian manor house on the edge of the town. It was built as a model farm on Earl Manvers' estate; it is now run as a hotel.
The river provided power for the wool mills that gave the town its wealth. The town has 17th-century buildings dating from the most successful period of the local textile industry. The best examples of weavers' cottages are on Newtown, Middle Rank and Tory Terraces. Daniel Defoe visited Bradford on Avon in the early 18th century and commented: "They told me at Bradford on Avon that it was no extra-ordinary thing to have clothiers in that county worth £10,000 to £40,000 per man" (equivalent to £1.3M to £5.3M in 2007).
With improving mechanisation in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, the wool weaving industry moved from cottages to purpose-built woollen mills adjacent to the river, where they used water and steam to power the looms. Around thirty such mills were built in Bradford on Avon alone, and these prospered further until the English woollen industry shifted its centre of power to Yorkshire in the late 19th century. The last local mill closed in 1905. Many have since stood empty and some became derelict.
There are several notable buildings in and around the town centre. Many of the old textile factories have been converted into modern flats and apartments; however, few of the buildings are still used today in their original roles. One of the few is The Swan, a public house and hotel set in the centre of town; the building is 17th century and retains many original features, in particular the stone flag floors. Records show that there has been a public house on the same site since the 1500s.
In 1998 the Wiltshire Music Centre was opened in Bradford on Avon, on the grounds of St Laurence School. In 2000, the millennium sculpture nicknamed "Millie" was unveiled.
On 8 October 2003, Bradford on Avon was granted Fairtrade Town status.
I was very excited to explore a new place, somewhere Matt had talked a lot about, and very interested to see what the many drinking establishments in this fine town had to offer. The weather looked set to be rubbish but, as we were pub hopping, we were both confident it would all be worth it. Following a climb up a fairly steep hill with cracking views over the town and countryside beyond, we eventually found our way to the first open pub on our list. Our trip to Bradford on Avon began at The Castle Inn.
Situated on the wonderfully named Mount Pleasant, The Castle is owned by Flatcappers who recently carried out a tasteful refurbishment that earned a national CAMRA award. The pub commands a scenic position with views out towards Salisbury Plain and has a reputation for excellent, locally-sourced food and a comfortable atmosphere. Good Beer Guide listed, it was also local CAMRA Pub of the Year winner for 2017. It's certainly a welcome respite from the inclement conditions as the heavens have decided to open shortly before our arrival. Inside, the pub is divided into 2 sections either side of the entrance with the long bar and low tables in a room to the left and more restaurant-style seating in a room to the right. The bar takes up the entirety of one wall of the first room and features 6 handpulls, 5 of which are in use during our visit. On offer on this occasion were Stonehenge Pig Swill, Three Castles Barbury Castle, Hop Back Winter Lightning, Blindmans Funny Farm and the house beer Flatcappers Ale which is a rebadge of Three Castle Vale. I went for the Funny Farm from Blindmans Brewery in Leighton, Somerset. This is a 4% pale, light golden ale with a crisp, hoppy finish. It's a delicious pint which certainly helped me dry off as we sat at a small round table near to the toilets. From here, we took a moment to plot our next move and also to double check the return train times ready for later. Matt took a moment to go to the loo, heading into the corridor next to where we were sitting which, I quickly realised, was the ladies toilet. Matt clearly hadn't realised though and actually didn't notice at all until after he'd come back out again. Strangely, this wouldn't be the first time that this would happen throughout the day. Suitably refreshed, we ventured back out into the rain to make our way to our next stop.
Next up, we made our way down towards a recent new development on the riverside in an area known as Kingston Mills. Stop number two was The Weaving Shed.
This is a modern café/bar with an emphasis on food but with an area to one side for the casual drinker. It is a large, comfortable and airy place with views over the riverside and the ancient town bridge. The bar is located in the back corner of the room with an open plan kitchen taking up the majority of one wall. The one handpull offers Box Steam Golden Bolt so we both get stuck into a pint of this. This is a straw-coloured bitter with a slightly dry, hoppy aftertaste and a drinkable ABV of 3.8%. We took a few minutes to enjoy this beer in view of the large windows where we were pleased to see that it had temporarily stopped raining. Sadly, this particular weather would not continue.
Our next location was a short walk outside of the town centre proper and we arrived in perfect time as the pub was shortly about to close before it would reopen in the evening. We had now reached The Plough.
This is a simple, local, street-corner boozer, brick-built with a mostly open-plan interior. One corner is dedicated to sports memorabilia, some of it signed. The bar occupies a space towards the rear and features 3 handpulls, 2 of which are in use, offering a choice between Otter Bright and Doom Bar. The Otter Bright (4.3%) was in excellent condition. It's a light and refreshing golden ale with delicate malt and fruit leading through hops into a lingering bitter aftertaste. This is a proper locals pub with a very welcoming atmosphere and we were very grateful to the landlady for letting us finish our pints. We headed on our way, forcibly dragging ourselves away from the Friends rerun that was now on the TV.
It was back down towards the river now, where our next 2 locations sat opposite each other. The first of these wasn't on our initial list but we took a punt when we noticed a sign advertising real ales. The location in question was The Lock Inn.
Although this is essentially a café, this is a very popular venue with a good reputation for hearty food, especially breakfasts. Quirkily and colourfully decorated inside with bright plastic table cloths in primary colours, an additional dining area is situated on a narrowboat tethered nearby. 3 handpulls on the bar offer Lilley's Rhubarb Cider, St. Austell Tribute and Dartmoor Dartmoor Best. I went for a pint of the Tribute and I wasn't disappointed as it was in excellent condition. This was a very interesting place for a pint and it's easy to imagine how busy it must get in the summer seasons as it is a very picturesque spot.
We headed a short distance over the road for our next pint. We now found herself at The Canal Tavern.
As the name suggests, this pub is on the side of the Kennet & Avon Canal and operated by Wadworth. There are 2 rooms, both served by a long central bar, and a substantial outside area. The rain had started again by this stage so we decided to take refuge inside. The 2 handpulls on offer featured a choice of Wadworth beers, namely Henry's IPA and 6X. The IPA (3.6%) is a very tasty beer, despite its low strength. This is a classic session beer, with malt-led flavours and a nicely bitter backbone. This is a nicely, atmospheric place, with the rain gently coming down on the roof and the windows and we enjoyed a few minutes here, helped by the presence of The Chase on the TV. I love a good quiz!
Another nautically named pub was our next stop as we now made our way over to The Barge Inn.
Also situated alongside the canal, the pub was taken over by new management in July 2017. There is a canal side garden suitable for both eating and drinking in finer weather and an adjacent garden with a smokers gazebo. The pub is constructed, as is much of the town, from Bath stone and occupies a picturesque spot. The bar is to the left of the room as you enter with the rest of the floor space taken up by a mixture of seating. 5 handpulls sit on the bar, 3 of which are in use at the time of our visit providing us with the choice of Otter Bitter, Box Steam Crafty One and Box Clever Toodle Pip Cider. I opted for the Crafty One which again proved to be a good choice as this was a very refreshing beer and again helped to take our minds off of the rain.
From here, we had a plan in mind to head back towards the train station and explore a couple of pubs in that area with the opportunity to hit some later opening venues if we were still feeling up for it. The first of these was immediately next to the station and we had in fact walked past it as we left the station earlier with the intention to return later. Our attention now turned to the Three Horseshoes.
This is an old pub that began life as a coaching inn and has recently built a strong reputation locally for its changing beers and regular live music. The bar occupies a central position with seating spread around. There is a really, quaint olde worlde feel to this pub, reflected and enhanced by the preponderance of original features and the photos and memorabilia related to town history that decorate the walls. The 3 handpulls offer some interesting choices, namely Plain Ales Inntrigue, Plain Ales Hairy Hooker and Prescott Hill Climb. Inntrigue from Plain Ales in Sutton Veny provided my sustenance on this stop. At 4.2%, this is a ruby-coloured best bitter with flavours of woodland berries and a slight hint of dark chocolate, which all combines to form a very tasty beverage indeed.
Our next stop saw us take a brief walk around the corner to the second of Bradford's GBG listed pubs. We now ventured to Timbrell's Yard.
Newly reopened in 2015, the building has been well restored and transformed into an upmarket pub that now also includes accommodation. This was originally the home of Mr. Timbrell, a wealthy local mill owner, who now lends his name to the current incarnation. The well-reviewed restaurant overlooks the nearby Avon. I had high hopes for this place having read some very good reviews and seeing it listed in the Good Beer Guide. However, we were soon to be disappointed. None of the 4 available handpulled beers were able to be served due to a technical fault which, if I understood correctly, meant that the compressor was knackered and a repairman was eagerly awaited. As disappointed as we were, we can't really blame anyone. There's no accounting for technology unfortunately. We've made a mental note to return in the future though.
The beer had kicked in by this point so we decided to forego some of the pubs we'd yet to visit and hop on the train back to Keynsham where we were greeted by Matt's sister Becca, who had very kindly offered to give us a lift home. We arrived back in Hanham where we briefly said hello to Jess before the decision was made that we could fit in one more pint at a local pub. The pub we decided on was one that we'd missed out last time and we made our way back out to pay a visit to The Swan.
Located at the western end of Hanham, this is a very popular community pub with a local feel, It's popularity is clear when we enter as there are already a few people about, despite it being a Wednesday in February. The bar at The Swan sits parallel to the primary seating area and has 4 handpulls, 3 of which were in use whilst we were there. The offering were Doom Bar and Tribute, the latter of which was doubled up. I again decided on Tribute and this was again excellent. We took a table not far from the bar and discussed the ups and downs of our day.
How had Bradford on Avon stood up? It's certainly a very picturesque and interesting place and it's easy to see why so many people are attracted to its pubs, its scenery and its inexplicable number of tea rooms. The pubs are many and very pleasant with a good range and excellent quality of beers and it was nice to see so many pubs championing local beers and supporting local breweries. Particular highlights include The Castle and The Barge and I also rather enjoyed The Lock Inn as its quirkiness and comfort was rather unexpected. The Timbrell's Yard disappointment was unfortunate but does not detract from the place and, as I said, sometimes things like that happen. Overall, I think it's safe to say that Bradford on Avon was more than worth the effort and I have a feeling we'll be going back. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I never ceased to be surprised by the West Country!
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