Angel, Wareham

A roadside inn, once a smugglers' stronghold and with some building parts dating to the 14th Century. It was originally The Angel, and it was referred to in Hardy's writing as The Quiet Lady. Today it is a Hall and Woodhouse pub with a popular restaurant and is a licensed wedding venue. The old collection of buildings has been sympathetically restored, making the most of the character of a site whose buildings were once cottages, stores and a forge. There is a large, pleasant garden whose main flaw is that it is adjacent to the road, so fast traffic can be an annoyance. PSM's description below provides ample detail of the interior. We didn't feel particularly welcomed by the staff, even at a quiet time, and its popularity with holiday makers can make it noisy. Note also the proximity of a caravan site. Food is acceptable but a bit overpriced for its type. However, their beer is good (unlike PSM I do like Badger beers) and on this occasion there were 3 beers on draft, plus a good selection of bottled Badger. I had a pint of Bouncing Bounder on this latest visit, a good beer well kept and most enjoyable. It's a decent enough place to stop for a pint or an unadventurous lunch provided it's not too busy, but it might be worth checking before a special trip as they sometimes close for private functions.

Located on one of the main roads running through Wareham Forest, the Silent Woman is a Hall and Woodhouse pub popular with diners, walkers and local residents alike. The pub has a shallow but extremely wide layout, with the main front door taking you into the carpeted bar area which sees the servery on the back wall and lots of dark wood beams creating a typical rural pub feel. The bar back has a nice etched glass mirror depicting a detailed rural scene, although this looked like a modern piece rather than an original feature. There is a limited amount of seating opposite the bar, but an open doorway leads through to a rather cosy, semi partitioned area to the right where some standard seating options can be found along with separate access to the bar. Over on the left hand side, the room is set up more with diners in mind, with more standard table and chair arrangements spilling down into the lower level section beyond, which, if my memory serves me, is an extension which wasn't there when I last visited in the late 90's. The walls have been decorated with a variety of old pictures and photos, some Hall and Woodhouse promotional posters and a lovely coloured pheasant mirror. The extended room has a grand fireplace on the back wall surrounded by various bits and bobs such as an old coal scuttle and other such traditional items. The toilet block also appears to be a modern addition and the passageway leading to them is lined with framed Wareham Rangers football shirts, as the pub appears to be their sponsor. Three Badger beers were available on handpull - Tanglefoot, First Call and Brewer's Bee - with the First Call proving to be a real disappointment although the Brewer's Bee was much better. A full menu is available, with slightly higher than average prices, although we tried their Sunday roast and found it was very good and much more reasonably priced. The pub also lays on special dining evenings, with a Thai food night being promoted on this occasion. This is certainly a pleasant enough place with enough rural charm to make it feel like a proper pub, rather than a remotely located restaurant. The ale range isn't really to my liking, but I'd be more than happy to revisit if we were to enjoy the food again. Worth a look if in the Wareham area.