The Swan, Banbury

There are bay windows either side of the central entrance to the Swan where banquettes face large chunky wooden tables and high stools. The serving counter with standard and premium keg alongside Neck Oil faces the entrance, there were a handful of locals in attendance early on a recent Wednesday evening when the televisions on the left and right-hand walls were airing GB News with sound. On the left-hand wall is an inglenook with a fireplace full of chopped logs ready to go at the hint of a drop in temperature and the highly trodden flagstone floor in the bar area continues up the left where more seating runs up to a dartboard at the rear. In the right rear is a separate room with a pool table and second dartboard. The service was polite and the pub is well maintained, but the lack of interesting draught isn’t going to draw in the discerning drinker. That said, I think the major draw for this pub is when football or live music is being hosted.

Looks like an interesting old pub, but it's a nondescript semi-refurbished sports-bar mess inside (although, if you have a vivid imagination, you could still just about envisage what could have been done instead.) No real ale from the solitary handpump, nothing of much interest in the fridges and only the likes of John Smith's (£3.60) on the keg taps. However, having said all that, it does offer regular live music, and I might have had a different opinion had that been the case on my Sunday evening visit.

Old stone building housing a modern sports bar,with the keg only servery infront as you enter and two wings back with lots of high tables and two large flatscreens. Packed to see Man City v Arsenal,a laddish atmosphere and nothing authentic about the interior at all.One to avoid ,unless you like pub televised sport.