The Falkland Arms, Chipping Norton

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The Wadworth run Falkland Arms is certainly a destination pub, which is for the best because it’s very much off the beaten track in the picturesque and well-healed village of Great Tew in the Cotswolds. Previously two cottages, the stone tile roofed cottage to the right houses the bar area and the thatched cottage to the left houses seating, the kitchen, toilets and stairs up to accommodation on the first floor and in the loft conversion above. There are seven en suite rooms, which explains why not long after midday during a recent midweek visit some American tourists, who were known to the bar staff, came in en masse for some lunch. The wooden floored and wood panelled right-hand side of the bar houses seating that was all reserved, mainly for our US cousins. A short wood panelled serving counter is found across the rear wall to the left in the flagstone floored, stone walled bar where it faces a couple of tables across the front wall and a low table in front of a log burning fireplace in the left-hand wall. The only table free and unreserved in the bar area was in the front left-hand window where there were some chairs and a cushion that created a couple of seats in the window recess. Across the ceiling beams are rows and rows of jugs, to the point where you can hardly see the ceiling and I noted a small television that was switched off, Six Nations rugby was advertised on the A-board outside.
On the bar are six premium keg options and six hand pumps that were drawing Wadworth’s 6X, Swordfish, Henry’s IPA, Horizon and Horizon Chilled alongside, Brains’ SA. A chalk board was also advertising Rosie’s Pig Rhubarb cider. As my visit was at lunch, I decided to have a ham and cheese toastie that was tasty and appeared very quickly but could have done with a bit longer in the toaster. To the left of the bar there’s an opening to a flagstone floored stone walled room with seating under lots more jugs, again hanging from the ceiling beams. There also a fireplace that houses an ironwork stove with accompanying utensils. A tile floored corridor leads from this room to the left past the stairs and to the toilets in the left rear corner.
Outside there’s a line of picnic tables across the front of the pub and out the back is a lawned garden with picnic tables, it was smaller than I thought it would be in such a rural location. There’s minimal parking outside the front of the pub, but less than a two-minute walk away is a free car park. I thought the service from the young barmaid was polite and the long detour was worth the effort.

On 20^th March 2026 - rating: 9
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