The Crown Hotel, Brackley

Official site of The Crown Hotel - thecrownhotelbrackley.co.uk

Official site of The Crown Hotel - thecrownhotelbrackley.co.uk

Quite a good looking old market town hotel, with some nicely aged traditional rooms featuring a few bits of motor racing memorabilia (Mercedes Petronas HQ nearby). It had that distinctive small provincial hotel feel to it which was pleasant enough but not really a draw. Sadly the beer range is highly disappointing, with keg Tetley Smooth the only bitter alongside mainstream lagers and fruity ciders. Just to add insult, it took nearly 10 minutes to produce (most of) a half pint from the squirty froth. There is an outdoor courtyard drinking area at the rear.

The venerable High Street inn looks impressive from the street, and the various seating and dining areas on each side of the central entrance certainly appear suitably traditional. However, it was all rather chaotic on my visit following a recent change in ownership and various aspects still works in progress. What I can report though, is that that the solitary handpump has lost its handle, and I had to resort to an emergency keg Tetley's (£2.25, half).