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The Swan in the Rushes, Loughborough
Loughborough
LE11 5BE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
Was a traditional Castle Rock pub when I last visited some 15 years ago, but recently repurposed by Punch as a Unity Social sports-type pub of no particular distinction. Retains a central bar serving two main rooms on either side of the entrance plus a small back room, all refurbished in unsympathetic style that makes nothing of the few remaining heritage features. Just a pair of handpumps on the larger counter these days, offering 'brewery fresh' Wainwright Gold and Five Points XPA Five Points XPA (£3.40) as a guest.
On 9th February 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 9063 recommendations about 9063 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
This pub was bought by Punch in March 2025 and was refurbished in December, reopening just in time for a celebration of some sort. There is now just one cask beer on, with another hand pump serving a Wainwright Gold brewery conditioned beer from a keg (boo!). The pub's GBG status is therefore under review, as should be its heritage interior, though to be fair I didn't do a thorough survey in the short time I was here towards the end of a pub research trip, and reading the description suggests it was fairly low quality anyway.
My half of Five Points XPA was nothing like the beer I've had in London or at Kirkstall Brewery pubs in Leeds (NBSS 2.5, £3.20/pint), in fact it reminded me of their Best Bitter which I had at the Pembury Arms back in the days when they thought you just put the beer in a cask and then put the beer on the bar. In other words, this beer was green. The pub's Facebook page is full of comments from people bemoaning the change in ownership and emphasis, but to be fair, Castle Rock must have had their reasons for giving it up. It must be hard trying to sell cask beer at a reasonable price when there's a Wetherspoons directly opposite.
On 6th February 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4673 recommendations about 4282 pubs]
Quinno _ left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
No change here. It’s a scruffy and disappointing pub in my view – we were the only customers on an early afternoon. Luckily my Charnwood Outfoxed was in good form (NBSS 3.5) so someone is making an effort to get the ales prepped. Whether it would have scored that an hour later, who knows? Castle Rock really are missing a trick here by not spending a few quid on tidying the place up a little.
November 2022
Was looking forward to this one as a Castle Rock run CAMRA National Inventory pub but sadly what I got was a down-at-heel place. There’s a bit of heritage over the two rooms off an impressive entrance porch. The lounge was deserted but in the public bar were a smattering of punters. Quite shabby here with the banquette fabric worn to the quick and scuffed magnolia woodchip wallpaper. Tinny modern music to detract further from the ambience. Three Castle Rock beers and a guest in the form of Charnwood Vixen which was in good shape (NBSS 3.5), saving the visit a bit. The brewery need to pull their finger out of their shive and spend a few quid getting this place back up to muster. It’s GBG’22 listed. Rated 6
On 19th June 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5992 recommendations about 5971 pubs]
Strongers . left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
Swan in the Rushes is a Castle Rock Brewery pub with left and right-hand bars, so hearing some noise coming from the wooden floored right-hand bar I decided to give that a go first. There were five or six customers sat at the counter across the rear, that extends across both bars, and a couple of young ladies were sat at a table. It soon became apparent that everyone either worked in the pub, was family or was staying in rooms upstairs. I ordered a pint of Harvest Pale and sat on the banquettes that run under the front window and up the right-hand wall. I noted fairy lights across the ceiling and a jukebox in the right rear corner before deciding to give the empty parquet floored left-hand bar a try where banquettes run around the walls and a fireplace sits on the left-hand wall. There are five hand pumps on each counter, in addition to Castle Rock’s Harvest Pale were Wainwright Gold, Tollgate Brewery’s Billy’s Best, Milestone’s Italia and Honey Porter as well as Little Brewing’s Taj. I think this is the weakest CR pub I’ve visited, much like their Harvest Pale.
On 7th June 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6560 recommendations about 6522 pubs]
Old Boots left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
Housed in an impressive, built 1932 building, a two bar pub belonging to Castle Rock. I used the bar to the right but they’re both similar, five pulls on the counter in each bar with four in use, a brace from Castle Rock plus one from Brewsters and one from Grainstore, a low T-Bar has a quartet of national keg brands. They sometimes have different beers on in each bar so check the blackboards. Another blackboard lists 11 kegs so that’s mostly in the left hand room. There’s a fridge with bottles and cans behind the counter, but largely uninteresting. The room has a lived in look and is equipped with screen, machine and juke box, banquette seating round two walls with cast iron based tables and brown wood chairs so fairly traditional. No modern toys in the left hand bar, you could be in the 1930s in a quiet moment. There’s a selection of odd pictures, maps and adverts on one wall otherwise the walls are blank dirty white. The left hand bar has more older photos including one when it was called the Charnwood and another when the site was occupied by the Charnwood Railway Hotel. It’s GBG 2025 listed and the beer was impeccable, Camra also list it as an Heritage pub due I guess to the unspoilt 1930s fittings. It has a games room that’s at the back accessed via the left hand bar with pool and darts. Upstairs has a function room called the Hoploft. Merv’s kitchen supplies burgers, wings, dogs, pizza and stuff in the evenings.
On 25th April 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3937 recommendations about 3601 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Swan in the Rushes
This is a nice traditional two bar pub opposite the town’s main shopping centre. You enter via a porch with some beer engines mounted to the rear and doors for each bar on either side, each with etched glass panes with a swan in rushes motif. The doors lead into roughly equal sized rooms on either side of the centrally positioned servery, with fixed bench seating around the perimeter and plenty of chairs in support. The walls are painted in plain colours, with large bay windows to the front with Castle Rock branded panes, and scuffed parquet flooring throughout. The walls have been decorated with some nice arty photos of the local area, a few framed certificates, well stocked bookshelves, and plenty of blackboards listing the beers, ciders and snacks on offer. A nice fireplace in the left-hand room looks like it gets plenty of use in the colder months, with large buckets of old newspapers stood on the hearth. The right-hand room has a decent juke box judging by the tunes that periodically became audible from that side of the pub, and I spotted a few TV screens here and there, although none were in use at the time of my visit. The servery spans both rooms and has a modern timber fronted counter and somewhat chopped out bar back. A door to the rear leads through to a games room, dominated by a centrally positioned pool table.
Castle Rock beers accounted for most of the cask range, with Harvest pale, Preservation, Elsie Mo and Our House available alongside Charnwood Black Fox and Salvation plus one from Nene Valley, the name of which I didn’t catch. There were also a few real cider options and the friendly, if somewhat bored looking, barman poured me a good pint of the Preservation, which I enjoyed supping in near isolation, with just one other customer on my side of the bar.
I thought this was a decent enough Castel Rock pub which perhaps doesn’t quite measure up to some of the brewery’s best houses, but was a decent enough place to start my crawl from. The interesting beer selection and pleasant two bar layout were big plus points for me and perhaps I’d have felt even more favourably towards the place had I caught it at a busier time.
On 9th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
For me, the best pub in Loughborough. Two rooms that contained drinkers and a fine selection of Castle Rock ales, including Screech Owl which is one of my favourites. Definitely return to this place.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
I remember coming to this one years ago long before a micropub, a Blue Monkey and even JDW came to town. As you would expect from Castle Rock you get an old school multi-roomed traditional boozer. Back in the day this was the real ale venue for Loughborough but now tends to get overlooked, it's not in the 2017 GBG. One plus point for this one is that certainly in the left bar where I went there are no TV screens.
Of the nine beers on offer four were from Castle Rock and the five guests were Dukeries De Lovetot, Daleside Stout, Roosters Yankee, Charnwood Vixen and Little Valley Cragg Vale Bitter. I went for the De Lovetot and Cragg Vale Bitter (both 3.20) both of which were excellent.
I'm not sure why this one is out of favour, it doesn't sell Bass or Pedigree and doesn't have TVs. My only criticism is that all the guests were around the 4.0% ABV mark. As far as I'm concerned it's well worth visiting.
On 7th December 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
A very good traditional pub run by Castle Rock Brewery. This is a two roomed pub with a bar and a large lounge side. We opted for the lounge side, which was very comfortable and along with the original parquet floor, there was a 1950's fireplace, which was lit on our visit. Alongside their choice of four CR ales, they also had five guests on. We went for the Charnwood Try Hopped and Imperial Brewery Lincoln Blonde.
On 12th April 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3745 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Swan In The Rushes
Excellent CR pub with the usual selection of brews and some guests. Sampled a pint of Elsie Mo and a half of Harvest Pale, both excellent. A must do pub in Loughborough.
On 1st March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]