Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
New pub visits 2025 with Pangolin
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Coach & Horses, Doncaster
Barnburgh
Postal town: Doncaster
DN5 7EP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Coach & Horses
I'm fairly sure I came here once and found this pub closed. It has since re-opened under the stewardship of the Don Valley Brewery and they have done an excellent job of restoring the pub to its previous glory, meaning the pub is listed on CAMRA's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
The pub consists of a large entrance area with rooms either side. Rooms feature wood panelling, leather banquette seating, impressive tiled fireplaces and access to a bar with glazed panels above it. We chose to sit in the lounge where a TV was showing coverage of the British Grand Prix from Silverstone. Music was also playing.
Outdoor areas included some seating on a grassy area next to the car park and a nice undercover area for both drinking and dining on the other side of the building. The pub's only other customers were outside. Other than the young barmaid who had chastised us for trying to enter the pub through the kitchen door (!), we were the only people inside.
Don Valley Atomic Blonde is the regular cask ale. Although it seems that Timothy Taylor Landlord is also regularly available. For our visit, there was a glass over the pump handle. Other cask Don Valley beers on were Gangsta's Paradise & Sweet Mild O'Mine. Craft beers were Don Valley Zest For Life & Trench Town Rock. Meanwhile, keg ciders were Aspall's, Old Mout Pineapple & Raspberry & Rekorderlig.
Mrs S reported that the toilets were very impressive with some nice tiling and small sinks. I was very impressed with the overall decor, which was very much in an Art Deco style. Dogs are welcome and a wifi password is provided on the bar.
This is a very nice pub. Although it did seem to lack atmosphere with no other customers inside. This was our first pub of the day. So it's very difficult to judge a pub when they've only just opened. Ideally I'd like to see it at busier times.
On 8th July 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3204 recommendations about 3202 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
aleand hearty left this review about Coach & Horses
Has reopened after a long period of closure. Now owned by the same team behind Don Valley Brewery. CAMRA has described the recent refurbishment as 'exemplary'.
On 19th May 2021
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 669 recommendations about 649 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Coach & Horses
There's not much I can usefully add to John's copious review below. Since his visit, it looks like trade may have gone down a little, as there's only one real ale available - at least, that was the case at the time of my visit on a Monday afternoon: Everards Tiger, and even that was a little tired.
Date of visit: 27th July 2015
On 7th September 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4391 recommendations about 4036 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Coach & Horses
Situated in the heart of the village of Barnburgh, 7 miles or so west of Donaster, is The Coach and Horses, one of only 3 South Yorkshire pubs to be listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors ( the others being The Bath Hotel in Sheffield and The Plough in Doncaster). It’s a multi roomed large suburban roadhouse style pub which, so we’re told, has largely survived untouched since being built in 1937.
The main entrance leads into a typical northern stand up drinking lobby with the “Refreshment Room” off to the left. This room is effectively the games room and contains a snooker table. It’s decorated with several framed football shirts ( including a signed Wednesday shirt from a few years back ). On the other side of the lobby is the Smoke Room, which is the most comfortable room and features fixed padded seating. Original bell pushes are still in situ. The walls are decorated with photos of old Doncaster and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, on my recent visit, this room was hosting a local bingo club afternoon , so, after a quick look around, I retreated to the Tap Room ( public bar ).
The Tap Room has an entirely separate entrance round the other side of the building. Here there’s a dart board and TV screen. It’s basically furnished and decorated with horse racing photos and prints. High up on one wall is a celebrated 1970’s Andy Capp mural showing him leaning against a barrel of beer , pint in hand, with the caption “I’m only ere for the beer” underneath.
Of particular note throughout the pub are the drop down glazed counter-screens which, apparently, are still in use after “last orders” have been called. These bear the wheatsheaf logo which is not, as you might initially think, that of Timothy Taylors of Keighley, but of a former brewery, Whitworths, based in nearby Wath-upon-Dearne. Note also the simple bar back with its unusual drawers.
In overall terms, the basic simplicity of this 1930’s pubs contrasts dramatically with the more lavish and extravagant pubs of the Victorian area – Liverpool’s Philharmonic, London’s Salisbury ( Covent Garden ) and Birmingham’s Bartons Arms spring to mind.
Despite its basic simplicity, this pub is clearly right at the heart of the local community. Notably “ egg rolling” was being advertised for Easter Monday and other events were lined up for St George’s Day and the Royal Wedding. I was told that the egg rolling was an annual event, often bringing the main road through the village to a standstill as the eggs are rolled down the incline from the car park at the front of the pub.
I doubt that the pub gets much in the way of passing trade, but I received a warm welcome from Andy, who is clearly committed to keeping the pub unchanged.
Three real ales were on – Ushers 1824 ( £ 2.60p ) , Copper Penny from Colwick ( Nottingham ) Flipside Brewery ( also £ 2.60p ) plus Greene King IPA. Andy would like to offer a wider range of real ales, but is constrained by the volume of trade. The pub is not in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, but both the Ushers and the Copper Penny were fine pints.
The pub can be reached by bus ( route 224 ) from Doncaster on a hourly service and the return fare is about the price of a pint in a Central London pub. The journey takes about 35 minutes.
Despite the limited beer selection, do make the effort to seek it out, and pop in if you get the opportunity, but watch opening hours – except for Sunday, it doesn’t open till 2pm and it’s often closed between 6 and 7.30 pm.
On 8th April 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
James Joines left this review about Coach & Horses
Real Ale available
On 28th March 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 841 recommendations about 835 pubs]