Bridge Inn, Exeter

The Bridge Inn was the reason for my visit to Topsham, so after spending the afternoon in town I was glad to finally have a look around just after the 17:30 opening on a recent Wednesday. The pink painted exterior is cottage like with chimneys and sloped roofs at different heights and angles. To be honest I think the exterior is a good reflection of the interior, barring the pink hue, because the rooms are all different sizes and hidden away. I actually felt like I was intruding at times because it feels like people actually live in it, which I suppose they do. There are lots of pictures available of the interior online so I’m not going to write pages of dross trying to describe every detail, mainly in part that I think I could have stayed all day and not seen it all. What I did find was a front room by the side entrance where some people had gathered and a corridor to a rear bar area where there’s a hatch for service. An A4 sheet on the counter listed six cask options of Branscombe Vale’s Norman’s Old Ruby Ale, Branoc and Flat Calm Cider, Teignworthy Brewery’s Mad Hatter, Bristol Beer Factory’s Independence and Bays Brewery’s Evergreen. I waited for a minute, but there was no sign of service so I made my way outside two find a side hatch to the cellar where a couple of polite members of staff were serving from. I decided to go for the Branoc, which I enjoyed sat on one of the picnic tables alongside the river. I needed the toilet before I left so I had a nose in the room at the rear opposite it to find a church like space with rows of seating and a piano near the rear wall. Topsham Music Festival was advertised all over town for the upcoming weekend so I assumed this was one of the venues. This is one of those one-of-a-kind pubs and I’m happy that I visited.

Official site of Bridge Inn - www.topshamfoodanddrink.co.uk

Official site of Bridge Inn - www.topshamfoodanddrink.co.uk

A well regard pub on the outskirts of Topsham overlooking the river, and in fact, just a very short drive from J30 of the M5, this had been on my list for a while but it does not open all day and a previous attempt had unfortunately found it closed. The pub consists of two rooms either side of a small hallway. The cosier, and smaller, of the two rooms is at the end of the hallway on the right, although the entrance door is not immediately obvious, blending seamlessly in to the wood panelled wall. The room is quite compact, with just four or five tables squeezed in, along with quite a small serving hatch. It can’t really be called a bar counter as there are no beer engines or anything else for dispensing drinks. Presumably they are poured directly from stillage elsewhere. Décor wise it’s very traditional with mustard colour painted wallpaper on the upper part of the walls and the ceiling and black painted wood panelling down below. What appeared a little like a church pew had a very high, curved back and this back actually formed part of the wall between the room and the hallway. A stone fireplace in one corner had a wood burning stove blazing away which was a nice touch, and next to this were a couple of rifles as well as some daggers and swords. Various strings of hops were string around, as well as a butterfly collection in a round frame, a few old pictures and a string of Union Jack flags that looked so old they could well have been there since the queen’s coronation. A small grandfather clock stood next to the serving hatch. Words don’t really do it justice, but I thought it had a really lovely ambience, and is definitely one of the best pubs I have been in. The other, larger room to the front of the pub didn’t seem quite as cosy, with large bay windows letting in plenty of light, but was nonetheless still a pleasant enough spot. Due to the lack of pumps on the bar, selection was made from a printed menu which also helpfully included the ABV and tasting notes and the choice on this occasion was Salcombe Island Street Porter, Pitchfork Beer Ninja, Palmer’s 200, Teignworthy Thirsty Blonde and Branscombe Branoc. The solitary cider meanwhile was Branscombe Vale’s Flat Calm. Definitely a must visit if in the area, or perhaps even if you’re not.

This is an absolutely wonderful ale house on the fringes of town, next to the eponymous bridge that spans the River Clyst. My visit, coming well after the relaxation of all Covid measures across pubs in England, was nonetheless, defined by the measures that had been put in place after the pub first reopened post-lockdown. The entire front part of the pub - the part that visitors would normally be admitted into - remains closed, so I instead had to enter via the back of the garden, into a large but cosy rear room which is usually off-limits and only opened for special occasions. This remarkable space has a quarry stone floor, wonky whitewashed stone walls and an incredible high wood beamed ceiling. The bar is immediately to the left on entry, and has a nice dark wood counter and whitewashed brick bar back with old lamps and shelves holding barrels, mugs, steins, bottles, flags, candlesticks and other such bits and bobs. The canopy is draped with netting and has a great collection of earthenware bottles and some huge soda dispensers on display. Rugs throughout the room do a good job of dampening down noise, as do a couple of sofas opposite the bar, in front of an upright piano with what looked like a bedpan with potted plants inside on top. Tables and chairs run down one wall, broken by a fireplace with a crazy engine-like stove inside, whilst there are a series of screened booths along the back wall, with sofas, low stools and other such seating options inside. A high ledge along this wall has been decorated with a vast Delft chinaware collection, a few enamel jugs and some salvers, swinging round to follow the end wall too, where it passes above a fireplace which seemed to be out of action and had some more comfy lounge furniture in front of it. Another upright piano can be found back here, boasting some beautiful woodwork and a collection of impressive ornamental clocks on top. The front wall has been decorated with more earthenware items and a large beer bottle collection among other things. Alternative seating can be found outside in a riverside seating area with views of the bridge - a serving hatch saves punters from having to head inside each time they need a refill. The pub has the distinction of being one of two pubs officially visited by The Queen, who came here in 1998 - a full 39 years after she opened the Pied Piper pub in Stevenage in 1959. The move into the rear room hasn’t affected the beer quality, as the friendly barmaids take orders from the new bar, but then run off to the original bar to pour the pints. The options on this visit were set out on a printed menu on the bar, and comprised Branscombe Branoc. Salcombe Pale, Hunters Royal Hunt and Hanlons Citra and Stormsay plus one Branscome cider. My Salcombe Pale was in excellent shape and demanded a follow-up, whilst the cheery bunch of CAMRA-type locals sat near the bar, were extolling the virtues of the Royal Hunt. I also noticed a food menu which majored on basic, hearty fayre such as sandwiches, ploughman's, pasties and soup. Despite only seeing a fraction of what this pub has to offer, I was highly impressed and could quite happily have spent considerably longer here enjoying the great beer, unusual surroundings and convivial atmosphere. Whilst it’s frustrating that I missed out on the majority of the interior, it was nice that I experienced a part of the pub normally hidden from view, and will have to find a way of returning once things have returned to some semblance of normality. Don’t miss out on this one if you’re anywhere near the general vicinity - it’s a classic.