The Crown & Thistle Hotel, Abingdon

Official site of The Crown & Thistle Hotel - www.crownandthistleabingdon.co.uk

Official site of The Crown & Thistle Hotel - www.crownandthistleabingdon.co.uk

An Archway leads to the Crown and Thistle Hotel that is found at the back of a courtyard that is shared with the hotel entrance and a café restaurant. Inside is a bar counter on the left wall that faces a sparsely furnished area with a couple of tables and two sofas either side of a fireplace on the right wall. A step leads up to a strip of seating along the rear wall and doors lead to a rear section that was being used for a private function. In the left front is a separate leather sofa seating area where another fireplace can also be found. There are no televisions, but there was background music playing. The bar supports Premium keg and three handpumps. One was unused which left Fuller’s London Pride and Dark Star’s Hophead as the cask options. I went for half a Pride which set me back £3.20 and was in terrible condition. I’ll not be rushing back here.

Ancient (C.17 coaching inn) back-of-the-cobbled-courtyard pub. Quite large and atmospheric inside, with two bars. Knocked-through and modernised (£1.8 million in 2013, apparently!) with some character injected to replace what was. There are three distinct areas; a central bar, a room with exposed stone walls and dog legged red walled room with pictures on the walls. Three pumps, all on; Fullers Swing Low, Fullers London Pride and Loose Cannon Singing in the Grain – the latter of which was in pretty good nick. I quite liked it here, worth a visit. Look out for the cannon in the courtyard.