The Bear at Marlborough, Marlborough

Popped in here while in Marlborough for a brief time. Arkells house with 3B and Wiltshire Gold on. I chose the Wiltshire Gold but was not impressed with it at all.

Attractive, imposing corner building. An Arkells house with three of theirs on, my Wiltshire Gold was warm and rather poor all-round. Two levels within; the upper (a weirdly large and open-plan room but with few tables) had just been decorated by someone who likes loud things (silver fern wallpaper and an epileptic striped carpet). The bar area further down was a bit more traditional. All furnishings were wobbly, “an earthquake simulator” quipped a companion who almost fell off his chair. Overall, pretty poor – I think Arkells really need to get a grip on some parts of their estate, having been let down by a few of their pubs in recent months.