Ship, Kirby-le-Soken

This busy, friendly free house is one of two historic pubs in an historic village, but the Ship has only been a pub since the late 18th century – having been converted from two cottages.

The original cottages were of that classic Essex rural style – a timber frame hung off a sizeable central brick stack with a boarded and rendered exterior – and the pub retains that traditional appearance today, albeit with a modern extension to provide extra dining space. Budding architectural historians can try to find the taper burns on the mantel beam in the right-hand bar.

The Ship might seem like an odd choice of name for a landlocked pub but, it is a short walk from Kirby-le-Soken's ancient quay where barges were once filled with grain. Today the pub is an ideal refuelling base for exploring the picturesque Walton Backwaters.

In addition to the two main bar areas and dining room the pub has a covered outdoor seating area and a very large beer garden with permanent marquee for functions.

The Ship has a wide selection of menus including lunch, dinner, bar menu, snacks and nibbles, and smaller main menu portions are available "for little tums". The pub also welcomes well behaved dogs.

Real ale is dispensed from handpumps on the bar and there is a beer festival in June each year with up to a dozen real ales and ten ciders on gravity in the marquee.

The Ship was awarded Tendring CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2023.