Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Reviewing milestone with Walty
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Swan at Compton, Newbury
Compton
Postal town: Newbury
RG20 6NJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Swan at Compton
We arrived at this village pub to find the car park sealed off. Our Sunday evening visit had coincided with a Christmas Market. Stalls were being set up both in the car park and within the pub.
The interior is brightly lit with bare boards. As you enter from the car park, the bar is to the rear with a dining area on the left as you approach the bar. Walls are lined with plenty of horse racing pictures.
Landlord is the regular cask ale. The guest beer was Rocking Rudolph, with a further vacant handpull. Level Head was on keg and ciders were Inch's & Aspall's.
A few straggling diners were around and having sat down, we felt a bit uncomfortable as staff were moving tables all around us. But we weren't actually requested to move. The pub was very busy with most people seemingly their for the market. My wife even met Santa in the ladies!
Listed in the Good Beer Guide but I'm not convinced. It's clearly popular with the community and perhaps we were unlucky with the timing of our visit.
On 8th December 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3368 recommendations about 3366 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Compton Swan
Exterior is fairly nice with a lot of red flora from hanging baskets. Interior is a lacking charm – modern flagstone floor, beige colour scheme (yuck) and RSJ-heavy; the result of multiple botched refurbs? Overgrown beer garden didn’t help the ambience. More of a plus point was the bar selection - four ales, GK-heavy but a more interesting one (a very good GK Sun Dance) alongside a rebadge ‘house ale’ (probably H&H Bitter), Hydes Finest (if my notes are to be believed) and OSH. The fridge also had a decent selection of stuff too. Needs a bit more imagination to make it stand out, I see elsewhere it seems that this place goes through licensees like socks. There are plenty of decent little boozers in the surrounds and this one didn’t really measure up as a destination though at least the beer drank well. A 5.5 sort of place.
On 5th September 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5964 recommendations about 5943 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
jean-marc bidegain left this review about Compton Swan
conveniently located with easy access to Newbury, Reading or Oxford, the ideal stop for a walk across the Ridge way or to attend races in Newbury. The Compton Swan has been fully refurbished in September 2008, and offer a warm welcome with quality rooms, excellent food and beverages. please browse our website, we are looking forward to welcome you. Penelope and Jean-Marc
On 7th July 2009
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]