Duke of Wellington, Wareham

Well described below, this traditional town pub is welcoming and pleasant and which now also has a TV in the bar showing live sports. The ale selection is as listed by PSM with one exception – Ringwood Fortyniner instead of the Posh IPA, plus there were some bottled Badger beers on sale. The draft beers were in excellent condition and the food was very good value for money. Jethro Tull on the jukebox, a warm greeting from the staff and well-kept ales make it a pub well worth spending time in.

Situated right in the heart of Wareham, the Duke of Wellington is a lovely, traditional pub with a bit of a rural feel to it. You enter into the main bar on the left hand side of the building, which is carpeted and has some standard tables and chairs dotted around and a dark wood beam ceiling. The servery runs in an L-shape in the rear left corner and over on the left hand wall there is a glorious inglenook fireplace which acts as a great focal point. A large board to the right lists an extensive range of specials, most of which seemed to be fish dishes on our recent visit. A doorway to the right leads into a separate dining room, also carpeted and furnished with standard chairs around tables covered in tablecloths. There are a couple of large murals painted on the end wall, as well as bits of breweriana and old pictures displayed on the walls. A collection of ancient looking fishing rods hang from the ceiling, so perhaps it's fitting that the specials board was so fishy. The toilet block is located outside to the rear of the pub, where you can find a colourful garden which in turn leads you to a pay and display car park via a rear gate. In addition to the aforementioned specials board, a menu offers a good range of dishes with main courses priced between £8-12. I tried the Hunter's chicken, which was really good and everyone in our party enjoyed their choices. Six handpulls offered an interesting ale range comprising Yeovil Posh IPA, Greene King IPA, Hopback Summer Lightning, Butcombe Rare Breed, Purbeck Fossil Fuel and Ringwood Best. I gave the Posh IPA a try and thought it was a great pint that slipped down nicely in the hot weather. This is a great little pub that serves the drinker and the diner well in equal measure. We really enjoyed our meal in the quiet dining room, but I've also had a few good sessions working along the hand pumps here and would rate this as Wareham's best all round pub. Well worth stopping off for if in the area.

This is an attractive looking pub on a side turn just off the main road through the centre of Wareham, made up of at least two and possibly three former cottages at a guess. The bar area is L-shaped with a low beamed ceiling, part stone flagged floor, part of which was covered incongruously with a bit of tartan carpet. An end wall has a brick inglenook fireplace decorated with brasses and with some ship's gauges on top of the mantelpiece. An opening leads through to a side dining room which has a definite nautical flavour, two circular murals, a ship's wheel and cases of fisherman's knots amongst the décor. There are six handpumps, all were in use, Hog's Back Summer Lightning, Butcombe Rare Breed, Downton Rio de Jabeero, Purbeck Fossil Fuel (£3.10) and Ringwood BB. My FF was fine but a bit overly cold at first. a good line up anyway. Food is served, bar menus on the tables with mains around £7-£11 steaks excepted. Chalkboards listed specials and a fish menu which looked good if a bit pricier. Newspapers in a rack, TV in the corner unobtrusively showing Wimbledon tennis, a notice informs there is a weekly meat raffle. The pub sign is indeed worth a look with its reverse aspect, this is a very nice pub with a welcoming feel and good beer. I liked it a great deal, outdoor seating to the rear with a few tables under cover, a few rooms upstairs for accommodation.

A fanstastic looking white painted, with a touch of black, brick and stone terraced pub and eatery, that does accommodation. It is spread over two former buildings and has a nice patio area at the back. It is in the GBG 2010 and won CAMRA P.o.t.Y. 2007. The interior has two rooms. The bar room has a front and rear entrance and when approaching from the front the serving bar is to the front and left. The bar room is for the drinkers and is in an L-shape and in white and wood panel with beamed ceiling and a bit of undressed brick. There are a few old local photos and some of the local sports teams on the walls. The other room is for dining and to the right. It is also in white and wood panel, with beamed ceiling and adorned with nautical memorabilia. It is a traditional place, with a mixed and busy clientele. I didn't eat, but the food seemed based around the £12 main course mark. There was no TV and the music was quiet and general at my visit. The service was good despite being busy. Beer; tap stuff with Ringwood Bitter, Hopback Sumer Lightning, Palmer's Best Bitter, Spekky Hen, Ushers 1824 and Purbeck Fossil Fuel on handpull - i know what i had was good, but i can't make out on my notes whether it was the Ushers, or Fuel A class place. I thought the best of the places i did in Wareham. And do look at the pub sign when you visit, it is fun!

The pub sign is unusual as it depicts the Duke seen from face on and rear view, including reverse writing