The Horse & Groom, Windsor

Date of visit - August 2013 In the very heart of Windsor, virtually directly opposite the main entrance to Windsor Castle, is The Horse and Groom, an attractive looking, but smallish pub, apparently established in 1719. It’s a low ceilinged pub with fake looking black ceiling beams, dark half height wood panelling and dark padded comfortable fixed seating and low bar stools. Perhaps not surprisingly, the walls are decorated with old prints of horses and their riders, although pride of place goes to a large impressive framed photo of Winston Churchill in one corner by the small bar server. The traditional feel of the interior is enhanced by some attractive coloured leaded glass inserts on the bar gantry and several old style gas lamps by the front window. To a large extent, I suppose it’s what you’d expect a visitor orientated pub in a tourist magnet place like Windsor to be like. Given the location, it’s hardly surprising that food is a major part of the offering with condiments and laminated menus on each table. The back of this menu contains an interesting potted history of the building, first recorded as a pub in 1719. Previously owned by a long gone brewery in Egham, it fell into the hands of Courage and now appears to be privately owned by a group called wpc Inns. It was previously known as The Lower Rose and Crown and was a two bar pub. There’s still two separate entrances, one on the main street and a second one down the cobbled pedestrian passageway at the side, where there’s some outside bench seating. Somewhat unusually, given the pub’s location and tourist emphasis, live music is offered on Thursday and Sunday nights, the latter featuring “The Skin and Blister Band”, who do Lemon Rock, whatever that is. There’s 3 handpumps which were offering Hook Norton Hooky, Windsor and Eton Star and Garter and – a rare sighting this – Wells Eagle IPA. The pub is listed in the 2013 CAMRA Good Beer Guide and the sticker, as well as the LocAle sticker and Cask Marque symbol are prominently displayed by the front door. The Windsor and Eton beer – at a predictably pricey £ 3.90p – was in good form, but it is clear that beer is not the emphasis here and I didn’t see anything to suggest that the range changes at all. I’d be happy to call in here again, but I imagine it gets mobbed with tourists at prime meal times. There’s more room, and a much more extensive beer range, at The Carpenters Arms, a few doors down the cobbled street which runs along the side of the pub.