The Three Crowns, Chippenham

The Three Crowns was my favourite pub in Chippenham. Sitting near a busy roundabout on the A4 and within an area of housing, it looks quite unassuming from the outside. There are a couple of rooms, only one of which was occupied when I arrived. 5 other customers were present, along with what I guessed might be the landlady sat at the bar. As previous reviews have said, the key attraction here is the real ale range. All 7 handpulls were clipped, with a couple of them reserved for dark beers, which I always appreciate. The full selection yesterday was Clearwater Mariners, Arbor Rocketman & Blue Sky Drinking, Hop Union Summer Pale, Glastonbury Lady of the Lake, Gloucester Dockside Dark & Blue Bee Vanilla Stout. Whilst I was eager to order the stout, I was instead drawn to a list of 3 ciders on a small blackboard at the end of the bar - Heck's Farmhouse Cider, Rutts Lane Rutts Special Reserve & Iford Windfall. My cider was fetched from the cellar. It was certainly at the dry end of the scale, but being kept cold, it was in good condition. With more pubs to visit, I didn't get chance to try the ales ultimately. But if ever back in Chippenham, this is the pub I would head to first. I don't believe they offer a CAMRA discount anymore. Snacks (pork pies and rolls) were advertised behind the bar. Sitting at the bar, I was interested to listen to conversation about hunting and game preparation which managed to last for the entirety of my visit. This is certainly a well worn kind of pub. I can't comment on the quality of the real ale from this visit alone, but the range was certainly good and the real cider quality was fine.

Excellent real ale and cider pub, looking fairly unremarkable and a distance out from the town centre, but well worth the walk. Retaining a twin-bar layout (although only one was in use when I visited), all is pleasingly traditional within, and the barman was very good company for a chat. Seven handpumps offering a wide variety of styles and strengths (up to 9% in one case), and the Animal Brewing Oystercatcher stout was excellent. Only sorry that I couldn't stay longer before heading back for the station.