The Seacourt Bridge, Botley, Oxford

Despite its OX2 postcode, this pub seems to be in the Vale of the White Horse district council, so I’m not sure if it’s actually in Oxfordshire. Either way, it’s in Botley, at bleak and depressing junction, with an ugly 10-storey office block topped with a spire, car hire outlets, a Premier Inn and salesrooms for the likes of DFS; there are also two opticians, so perhaps residents are blind to their surroundings. On arriving, one of the first things you notice about the pub is the large pictorial billboard, displaying the food available within; nice. Once inside though, it’s a different story, with a carpeted floor, tiled bar apron, traditional furniture with cloth upholstered banquettes. I’m guessing that the pub was [re]built in the 1930s as a roadhouse pub, as there’s much in the way of quite attractive period leaded, stained glass to little nooks, with a more impressive backlit array atop the pot shelf. There’s sport TV, sound down so as not to interfere with barely audible mood music, garish flashing games machines and ugly sauce bottles alongside pictorial plastic menus on tables. Customers were a bunch of older locals and students, doubtless somewhat aggrieved at having to live this far out. Ales amounted to two unused pumps, Bombardier, Hobgoblin and three clipped for Banks’s Amber at a very agreeable £1.70 a half and fine, served by a taciturn landlady. This pub is better than expected and could really be quite good in the right hands. However, given the location and utter slog to get here, it’s really only a place to visit if you’re staying in the Premier Inn, with a rental vehicle in the car park; this is the sort of place that would find favour with Alan Partridge – Ah Ha!

Large staple-shaped Marstons local. A few nice old (well, 1960’s) features inside like the back lit bar gantry with fake stained glass upper. Horizontal striped pub carpet, TV football and fairly traditional seating. Lubricated regulars blocking the bar with comedy bantz. Three ales on from the Marstons stable; Wychwood Hobgoblin, Banks Amber (NBSS 1.5, an appley mess) and another I forgot to note before the sea of middle-aged spread closed back over the view of the pumps. There's a good pub trying to get out here.

Official site of Seacourt Bridge Inn - www.seacourtbridgepub.co.uk

Official site of Seacourt Bridge Inn - www.seacourtbridgepub.co.uk