The Bear Hotel, Wantage

The Bear Hotel or Bruin's Bar is to the left on entering through the big, black oak doors of Wantage's main hotel, it is said they were shut to keep out Parliamentarian forces during the Civil War. Now owned by Arkells of Swindon, it serves their 3B and Kingsdown, with Courage Directors as a guest. The 3B was a very decent pint of a traditional English bitter. Two T bars provide for the needs of keggers. It's a little unfair to describe the interior as the builders were in when I was there, however it is fairly traditional with dark painted boards, and white walls decorated with cartoons and dismantled Port boxes. Bench seating covered in a velourish material with cast iron base tables and traditional chairs on the outer side. Quite busy early evening with a mix of older locals, a couple of younger ones and of course hotel guests.