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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Moby Duck
Submitted on Sunday, 16th April 2023
With picture contributions to 1195 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (42 more images)
Detail Pages
The Bell, Reading
Waltham St. Lawrence
Postal town: Reading
RG10 0JJ
Served areas
Scott Ganson
CAMRA names 16 best pubs in UK https://t.co/raydMd3QIo Congratulations to all the Regional Winners!
12:03 PM Aug 26th 2022 from Twitter Web App
Reviews of The Bell (Average Rating: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Bell
A lovely old traditional pub set in the Berkshire countryside between Reading and Maidenhead.A white exterior with inlaid black timbers, the pub signage tells us the pub is a 15th century Freehouse, the pub heritage site tells us it became a pub around 1723. Traditionaly laid out inside there are several rooms and a central bar. Five handpumps with Froome Gulp, Loddon Hoppit & Wolf Quad, Bond Scrum Five and Butts Backguard, also ten Ciders were available spread equally from Lilleys and local producer Tutts Clump. Food is understanderbly a big thing here but equally so for beer and cider, the pub being enhanced by both.Getting here involves a bus from Maidenhead or a long three mile walk from Twyford train station, in my instance I chose to take the thirty minute drive from home, there is no pub carpark so somewhere has to be found around the small village to park. Certainly worthy of the trip, it's very good.
On 16th April 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Bell
Continues to be one of the best pubs in Berkshire. Fives in great nick plus Rothaus on keg. Impressive food and a lovely atmosphere.
March 2014
Up there with the Bell at Aldworth as a 'quintessential English country pub' the Bell delivers five good quality ales from local/unusual breweries on a regular basis along with a good selection of cider and perry. The pub itself is a pretty ancient affair (various dates are claimed but it certainly seems to be over 250 years old) and subdivides into three rooms - the main bar, a right hand-side drinking area and a relatively new area up a couple of steps to the left, which has a more modern ambience (plus a well shaft which the curious can peer down). There's a decent garden area out the back too. Apparently the interior is CAMRA heritage-listed. Those of you with a keen eye may have spotted its exterior on an episode of Jeeves & Wooster. Food is available (I've never sampled, too expensive for me) and cheaper-priced bar snacks are available - the pork pie and chutney is good. Dogs are more than welcomed, they are thoroughly encouraged. There's certainly a lot of the green welly brigade that frequent the place - up to you whether you think they're your kind of people or not. The atmosphere is usually quite bustling - there's no electronic distractions here - just chatter and banter. My only real gripe is that bar access is severely restricted because of the layout and barflys - it's not uncommon to see a queue snaking out from the only point of access away from the bar and round the back of the tables which is off-putting. Otherwise, this is a classic and deserves a visit from all discerning pub enthusiasts.
On 24th December 2021
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of the Bell with menu, beer list and beer festival details - thebellwalthamstlawrence.co.uk
- Facebook - The Bell Waltham St. Lawrence
- Twitter - Scott Ganson
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Bell - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 07 May 2014 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : Yes - June - last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 07 August 2013 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 07 August 2013 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 20 September 2015 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Live Music : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 20 September 2015 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : No last updated 06 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes - and occasional perry - last updated 07 August 2013 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
- WiFi : No last updated 29 July 2013 by Quinno _
