The White Hart Inn, Exeter

The White Hart Inn is a 500 or so year old coaching inn that is now a substantial hotel. A central cobbled courtyard allows access to the pubs amenities, the right hand side was closed during a recent Wednesday afternoon visit, but I didn’t mind because I was more interested in the pub to the left. In this left-hand side is a bar area with a flagstone floor and at the rear steps lead down to a wooden floored seating area. Premium keg was available alongside Neck Oil and the two hand pumps were drawing Pedigree and Hobgoblin. The service was polite and the pub certainly has some historic character, but they could do with a more interesting ale range that I’m sure would be popular in a place like this.

I was amazed at the interior here, proper old style coaching inn, with a labyrinth of rooms descending back from the bar area. To add to this illusion someone had the idea to stick mirrors at the ends of partition walls, which was a bit too much. The front small lounge area overlooking the street was a decent spot to relax. However the downside on our visit, was they only had one beer on handpump, which was a Marston's Pedigree.

The White Hart Inn is approached by a passageway with gnarled old trees and a statue (a cherub, as I recall). There are bars either side of the passageway. I headed for what appeared to be the main bar on the left-hand side. The bar has 4 handpulls. Pedigree is the regular beer. Guests were Directors & Forty Niner, whilst the fourth handpull was unclipped. Neck Oil was the most adventurous beer amongst the keg selection, whilst cider got no better than Inch's & Thatcher's Gold. The main bar room descends to a lower section and then to a corridor leading off left to a secret garden, which was where most punters could be found on my Thursday evening visit. Others were in the bar itself, whilst there were also a handful in the passageway. This is a really nice pub and could easily become one of the highlights amongst Exeter pubs if only it wasn't operated by Marston's.

Very traditional coaching inn and now a Marston's pub / restaurant / hotel. The slightly split-level bar, accessed by non-residents via the courtyard, has been refurbished but in a reasonably sympathetic way. Disappointingly, though, just Pedigree (£6.20 with a packet of salted peanuts) available from the four handpumps.