Charmbury Arms, Oldfield Park, Bath

A Victorian back street boozer, much as described below.  We were warmly greeted by the landlord, who started off by telling us it was cash only, which was a good thing in my opinion.  The locals made a point of including us in the conversation, so overall this was a very pleasant visit.  Ales on were Doombar, Proper Job and Butcombe Original, all in superb condition.  I enjoyed this visit, and given their ale quality and the convivial atmosphere, I shall certainly be back before too long. 

A traditional looking pub with stained glass windows in a largely residential street just a minute or two’s walk from Oldfield Park station, it has presumably been opened out internally at some point to make one single room, with the pub being roughly a U-shape. This has resulted in a couple of oddities – an old tiled fireplace that is now in a free-standing chimney breast in the middle of the room and even an open skittle alley. That must be a bit noisy for any punters not playing when a game is in progress. Décor wise it’s probably had a bit of a spruce up although it still retains a fairly basic appearance and consists of pale blue woodwork with white plasterwork elsewhere. The flooring is carpeted and there was a pool table off to the right, so the remaining area away from any games is perhaps a little limited. A TV screen was initially showing a music channel as a decent background volume, although this subsequently changed to football. A trophy cabinet was off to one side and a notice board indicated that this is very much a community pub. The landlord was a friendly chap, and whilst this is undoubtedly predominantly a local’s pub, it was nonetheless a decent enough pit stop. Beers on tap were Butcombe, Tribute and Proper Job, whilst ciders were well represented with Black Rat, Thatcher’s Gold and Thatcher’s Dry.