The Anchor Inn, Henley Town, Henley-On-Thames

The Anchor is an excellent traditional style back street pub tucked away in a side road just from the river. It comprises of two smallish bar areas either side of the service area, a back dining room which is like being back in your Nan's pantry and then beyond this, a very nice secluded courtyard garden area. Its a Brakespears House and has Brakspears Bitter and Oxford Gold on. The beers are very good, but then at £3.30 a pint they bloody well should be. And the pub has a resident large chocolate Labrador who commands his own chair in the left hand bar and gives visitors to this bar a good sniffing before he lets you buy a pint.

A friendly welcome from the landlord, after I'd been thoroughly checked over by the pub dog, and I found the landlady charming and helpful too taking the trouble to check out the train time for me. This is a proper old pub, low beamed ceilings, fireplaces, tankards and bed pans hang from the beams and numerous bank notes from around the world are fixed to surfaces too. Three main areas, two fronting the street either side of the bar plus what looked like a dining room at the back. Busy decor with horse brasses, rowing photographs, hunting scenes etc, and a collection of toby jugs hanging above the bar. Lighting is subdued. A mix of seating at mainly copper topped cast iron tables but there are a couple of impractically low sofas. The dartboard is another of the unuseable type with furniture in front, there is also a piano, not sure if it is ever used though. The beer is good here, Brakspears Bitter and Oxford Gold...a much better pint than I'd had earlier in the day elsewhere, plus Wychwood Bountiful. I asked about the Wychwood as I'm unsure about some of their beers and I was given a taster....it was actually pretty good. Well worth a look in.