Three Lions, Farncombe, Godalming

A tidy pub on the main road between Farncombe and Godalming, clearly of some age but bits of add-ons here and there are evident. On entering the bar is ahead, there is a longer room to the left overall forming a sort of T-shape. Herringbone parquet flooring in the bar with a rooflight above a high table, lots of exposed ancient brickwork and blackened timbers, high shelves all round contain loads of beer bottles, wooden benches with cushions. Newspapers in a rack next to the fireplace. The long side room is carpeted and split level with a stage at the front end. Live music is big here and various gigs are advertised. Saturday afternoon had a low volume 70s soul soundtrack which I found enjoyable. SN beers, four handpumps, two unclipped with Spitfire and Whitstable Bay on the others. I inadvertently somehow managed to leave my change on the bar in here, £5+, despite it only being my second pint of the day. How refreshing that the young barman looked for me and ensured I had it, good lad.

We came here specifically to see the legendary Jackie Lynton Band a few months back expecting to find a typically bruised and batterd music pub but I was pleasantly surprised that the place still retains much of its 17th Century charm. Now part of the Shepherd Neame arsenal, the 3 Ales were all pretty decent (Spitfire, Porter and Kents Best) and no rip off prices to be found despite being a music venue for the evening (with free admission). The main bar has a low beamed ceiling, lattice windows, a fine brick fireplace and a huge square table that looks fit for a medieval banquet. A collection of pewter tankards adds to its historic feel. To the left of the bar is a pool area that gets shunted to one side when the pub becomes the Scratchers music venue for the night, the slightly raised front section doubling up as the stage. At the rear is a darts area which is raised and offers a reasonable view of the bands on occasions when getting anywhere near the front is impossible, as it was our night. Service was very good considering how busy it was and overall I was quite impressed with the place but if you are just looking for a quiet place for a pint on a Saturday night, then the music side of things will be quite intrusive.

I submitted a recommendation before, but my email address has changed since then, so here we go again. This is definitely the best pub in Godalming. I live in Thailand now, but I do miss a good pint and my friends in the "Scratchers". Ian http://www.reedinter.co.uk