The Blaise Inn, Henbury, Bristol

Official site of The Blaise Inn - theblaiseinn.co.uk

Official site of The Blaise Inn - theblaiseinn.co.uk

A fairly traditional looking pub in the heart of Henbury’s old village and just around the corner from Blaise Hamlet, the application of a shade of green paint to the exterior perhaps lessens it’s authenticity somewhat but it still manages to look quite inviting. Inside it is perhaps a little more basic than might be expected, but is nonetheless still pleasant enough. The largest room with the bar counter is in the centre of the pub and this is where many of the locals were congregating. This had wood laminate flooring with predominantly pale brown paintwork on the walls along with some contrasting dark brown in places. A small stone fireplace was off to one side which I thought had rather a 60’s look to it, and this housed a gas fire designed to look like a wood burning stove. A plasma screen was off to one side showing Sky News, however the volume was off so this was not too intrusive. A small number of old black and white photographs of the locale were dotted around the walls. Seating was a mixture of wooden benches and bar stools. A slightly smaller room to the right looked a little cosier with carpet on the floor, a few beams on the ceiling and some exposed stonework, although as it was empty on our visit it perhaps lacked a little in the way of atmosphere. Another small room was off to the left, but other than glimpsing a darts board we did not investigate this. Beers on tap were Bob and Sun Downer from Wickwar along with Old Speckled Hen. Ciders were well represented with Thatcher’s Gold, Stan’s Traditional and Black Rat. Overall I thought this was a decent enough local’s pub, albeit not somewhere I would make any particular effort to return to.

This Grade II listed building has had a bit of a makeover by new owners recently and has now gone green (in outside colour) and all the better for it I say. It’s situated in the middle of Henbury village, and certainly fits the bill of being a fairly basic local’s pub and probably take most of its custom from the Blaise Castle estate over the road. Internally it’s a single open space with seating areas either side of the central serving bar. The left hand side is plainer and retains a public feel whereas the right hand side has more of a lounge feel with tables aligned for dining. A pair of stag’s antlers is on the wall near the front door, and a collection of black and white photos of Henbury in years gone by give the place some character. And then as you make your way outside there is a small area housing a bar billiard table. Outback there is a small enclosed concrete patio garden with bench seating and its own a purpose built roofed smoking booth with its own table and chairs. The pub offers three ale pumps and a cider on the bar and alongside the house ale of Wickwar BOB, Green King Carnival Golden Ale and Resolute from the Andwell Brewing Company were available and the BOB and resolute were kept well. The food menu is fairly traditional pub fare and we popped in for a lunchtime bite to eat and a beer when taking a look at the NT owned Blaise Hamlet round the corner and for this it did not disappoint.