Packhorse, Mapledurham

Attractive and comfortable Grade II-listed roadside pub and restaurant.

Originally a farm on the Mapledurham House estate dating from the 1600s, and a former Gales pub, this Grade II-listed Brunning & Price owned establishment is a cosy pub and comfortable restaurant. The original low-beamed bar, to the right from the main entrance, complete with huge inglenook fireplace, has seating for drinkers, although all tables can get booked for diners during busy periods. It serves four cask ales, mainly sourced regionally, but with at least one local brewery usually featured, quite often Windsor & Eton and Bond Brews.

To the left of the main entrance are four interconnected dining areas; two quite small and intimate and two much larger spaces. These are warm and inviting, and comfortably furnished with numerous prints. The pub is noted for its wide-ranging and good-value food menu, featuring many typical pub classics as well as modern British dishes.

A large and attractive enclosed garden at the rear has lovely views over the nearby beech woodlands. It is very popular with families and has a kid's play area. This was revamped in 2025 and now has a barbeque area and outside bar that is open in the summer months on Friday evenings from 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 9pm and 5pm respectively. The pub holds numerous food and drink related events through the year, such as gin, rum and wine-tasting evenings and occasional meet the brewer evenings. The pub has a huge gin selection of around 140 types, purportedly the largest of any bar in Oxfordshire.

Monthly dog-walks on a Saturday morning are also very popular with locals.