Butchers Arms, Sheepscombe

Cosy, 17th century village pub with restaurant area, furnished in traditional, country style.

The main pub entrance takes you into a small porch area and through a second door to the bar area. This is a cosy affair divided with open woodwork and a number of tables including some near the wood-burning stove and two in bay windows bathed in natural light.

To the right there is a long corridor taking you through one snug and on to a second. These intimate areas are comfortable again with plenty of natural light.

Up some steps to the left of the bar area is the appropriately named new West Wing which metamorphosed from the lean-to outdoor toilets in 2014. This is seamlessly executed in reclaimed stone and Welsh oak with high ceilings. New toilets are integrated to the rear. It complements a quality inter-war refurbishment that added the generous bay windows and porch.

Several ghosts have been reported. One, a lady in lavender sighted at and near the Butchers Arms, is thought to be the ghost of a lady responsible for the closure of several pubs in the early 1800s.

Its inn sign, a painted three-dimensional carving of a butcher quaffing ale while tethered to a pig, is world famous. It is thought butchering went on here when Henry VIII hunted deer in the valley.

The forecourt tables are a suntrap in summer. The car park was recently surfaced with tarmac, a great improvement over the sloping gravel one which it replaced.

It is worth a walk to the bizarre sloping village cricket ground, where the batsman cannot see the bowler running up until he is almost at the wicket. As a base the pub affords many countryside walk opportunities.

Opening and food times correct as of 29-12-2023