Belvoir Castle, Oldfield Park, Bath

This traditional corner pub hasn’t changed much since Blackthorn’s review, below. The obvious features now are the two TV screens, which on this occasion were belting out heavy metal from a radio channel, and the wooden floorboards which look like they ought to be covered in sawdust. There was an elderly barman who wasn’t terribly helpful, having to summon a younger man who, it transpired, was his son-in-law, to serve beer. The only ale on was Doombar which was in poor condition. Blue Moon and Atlantic were the craft offerings, alongside ten megakeg taps dispensing mainly lager. Nice Belvoir, but take it or leave it.

An attractive looking street corner pub on the main road in to Bath, internally it’s largely all one open plan room although there was a separate room with a pool table up a few steps at the rear. It’s quite traditional in terms of décor, with dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls, leaded windows and a sanded wood floor. Some comfy old sofa’s were towards the rear of the pub and there was also a collection of board games on the window sill. Various posters were dotted around the rear of the pub, many relating to films, old black and white ones as well as Star Wars, or bands including The Beetles. A collection of signed football shirts were on the ceiling, and various strings of flags adorned the front of the pub. Three different screens were showing various sports events. There was also a collection of a few beer mats, pump clips and horse brasses tacked to the walls and ceiling beams, although not the plethora of them that you get in some establishments. Beer choice was disappointing with just Doom Bar on tap, although there was a second pump on the bar counter so perhaps on occasions there are a couple of options. Cider was well represented though, with Thatcher’s Gold and Strongbow on tap, along with Weston’s Family Reserve, Old Rosie and Cheddar Valley all served up from boxes. All in all, I felt that this could be a decent enough pub with a friendly young barmaid, but the strong emphasis on sports means that I’d be unlikely to rush back.