The Kings Head & Bell, Abingdon

The King’s Head and Bell is a large pub with a central cobbled walkway that leads to a small courtyard housing picnic tables. The pub consists of two buildings that are joined by a middle part that sits above this walkway. In the building to the right a thin strip of seating runs alongside the walkway to a bar counter on the right rear wall. This bar faces high tables that are overlooked by a television that shows live sports. At the rear is a large extension with floor to ceiling windows and bifold doors that can open out onto the courtyard in the summer months. To the right of this area the open kitchen is visible. To the left of the walkway are stairs that lead up to the first floor where there is more seating and a terrace. This first-floor area doubles up as a function room. The outside of the building has character, but the inside is very modern in a bland pub company way. The bar supports premium keg and three handpumps that were drawing Loose Cannon’s Gold and Abingdon Bridge alongside Sharp’s Doom Bar The food menu consists of burgers and pizza. The simplest burger costs £11. The service was very polite, but once inside this could be any high street pub so I wouldn’t go out of my way to revisit.

A pub has stood on this site since the mid-1500’s, with the current premises seemingly dating back to the 19th Century, when it would have been a prominent coaching inn. Vestiges of this past can still quite easily be found, perhaps most notably in the evocative cobbled courtyard through which you pass to reach the main entrance. This is a very pleasant space with ample outdoor seating that allows you to take in the fine old building’s exterior and the various outbuildings that surround it, but as soon as you enter inside, any illusions you might have of visiting an unspoilt 18th Century inn are shattered, as a great deal of internal re-jigging over the years has seen it lose much of its character. The pub’s front room has large modern front windows, but otherwise feels quite pub-like, with white walls, exposed floorboards and simple table and chair arrangements. Moving further back, the pub splits in two, with a modern seating area to the left under a glass roof, with high tables and chairs to one side and some decent tub chairs to the other. Meanwhile, the right-hand side is the main bar area, stuffed into a relatively cramped space with a flagstone floor, dark wood beams and a couple of tables with chairs and high stools. The bar is along the right-hand wall and has a beautiful, intricately carved counter and simple mirrored bar back. The pub then appears to extend into a rear room, which might be a dining area, but I didn’t get around to exploring. There is a lot of wood panelling throughout the pub, mostly painted in shades of gastro-grey, along with typical traditional decor such as old paintings, maps and a few old photos. The bar supported three handpulls, which were offering Hook Norton Twelve Days and Greedy Goose plus the inevitable Sharps Doom Bar. I tried a pint of the Twelve Days, which was a nice, warming porter served in fine condition. The staff were friendly and the barman made a quip about having nothing to do after I saved him a trip to our table by returning our glasses to the bar. I have mixed feelings about this place, which clearly merits a visit for its historical significance and the few features that they’ve managed to retain, but it has sadly been knocked about so much that much of its charm has been lost, relegating it back among the pack of Abingdon boozers competing for your attention. The decent beer and convivial staff elevated things enough to leave me with an overall favourable impression and the place is large enough that repeat visits will most likely turn up something else of interest.

Another olde Abingdon building, and looks rather grand. The main bar is located to the right side in the courtyard; it sports flagstone flooring, stone walls, stripped wonky wood beams and a conservatory extension – so a newish refurb, but tastefully done. It’s quite tight and fairly atmospheric. Four ales on at arrival, 2x Loose Cannon, Hooky and Waddies 6X. My Loose Cannon Dark went off fairly quick and mine was the last out but it was decent, a shame the glass was filthy. Later got on the Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge which was in good shape but again a shocking glass. There's a function room on the right side of the courtyard which is a nice traditional space and has its own bar. Plenty of courtyard seating and a bar here too, a nice set up. So a mix of positives and negatives – the disgusting glassware is a basic error, which knocks a point off for sloppiness.

Official site of The Kings Head & Bell - www.kingsheadandbell-abingdon.com

Official site of The Kings Head & Bell - www.kingsheadandbell-abingdon.com

A narrow Olde Worlde Abingdon pub just off the main drag, this looks the business inside with its exposed stone walls, wooden beams and flagstoned floor. In fact it appears to have been even narrower ar one stage as half of the room appears to be a new conservatory build with a bare-boarded floor. The bar is located to the top right-hand corner of the room and had an eclectic range of ales, comprising Caledonian Autumn Red, Otherside IPA (brewer unknown), Palmers 200 and something called King Charles - a brewery rebadge. There was also a boxed cider behind the bar from the local Tutts Clump cider co. The Palmers wasn't really my bag, but the surrounds were pleasant enough and they seemed to be doing a good trade food-wise so a decent all-rounder.