The Sword Inn, Gloucester

Low, dark beamed, an L shaped room with a super carved counter down most of one side and down a sharp step is a comfortable room of traditional benches, tables and chairs. Familiar décor of old photos and a phonograph in one corner so it's easy to feel at home. A quick look at the outside shows the reason for the contrast in floor levels, it started life as two buildings and the division is so sharp the step is painted white to warn the drunk of its presence. Two handpumps with Brains SA, reduced in strength from its Skull Attack days but still a decent pint, and their Organ Morgan named after a character in Under Milkwood. A reasonably friendly place and not without charm, perhaps attracted by the Brains I heard as many Welsh accents as the sweet, honest, earthy tones of the West Country locals exchanging local intelligence and nostalgia.