Old Mill Hotel, Harnham, Salisbury

Facebook page of Old Mill Hotel - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Old Mill Hotel - www.facebook.com

Official site of Old Mill Hotel - www.oldmillsalisbury.co.uk

Official site of Old Mill Hotel - www.oldmillsalisbury.co.uk

What a shame that this lovely old building and setting next the mill stream & pond are in the hands of greedy king. Arrived to find ducks & swans swimming around a few yards from the pub doorway, some picnic sets outside allowing an open view of this idyllic scene. It is a hotel (& I think I saw 12c mentioned in some blurb) and has a rather nice looking restaurant I peeked into behind a door labelled grainstore, but the bar itself is accessed straight from the approach road. Ipa, Abbot, OSH, free papers to peruse, more outside seating to the rear where the stream is calmer. Just beyond the pub frontage, a neighbouring cottage has an archway that provides a perfect frame for a long distance photo of Salisbury cathedral in the distance. Very nice, but get some guest ale!

I think Roger B (below) gives a perfect description of the setting for this wonderful historic building, now being usefulyl employed as a pub and restaurant. The food is always good, and the beer is usually high quality, though I have had the odd dodgy pint here before. No ccomplaints on my last visit though which involved Speckled Hen which was well kept. On a warm Summer's day, it is well worth walking across the Watermeadows to find this pub for food and, if needed, a meal.

It would be hard to find a pub in such an idyllic and picturesque setting, gazing across the water meadows to Salisbury Cathedral as the River Nadder pours through the 3 mill races into the large pond inhabited by mallards and swans. Parts of the building date back to around 1135 and it was converted to a paper mill in the mid 16th century. Whilst the pub itself is sited in the old Mill building, the restaurant now extends across to the Victorian warehouse next door where the river can be seen flowing underneath through a viewing window. The pub consists of 2 fairly small beamed rooms with flagstone floors and what does like a fairly modern brick fireplace although I couldn't help be a little underwhelmed with the interior overall. Of course it is on balmy summer's days that the pub comes into its own with a sizeable beer garden next to the river at the back and benches on the front terrace overlooking the pond. 3 Greene King Ales available (IPA, Speckled Hen and Abbott) and if one does have to endulge in Greene King products, then the Old Mill is probably about as good as you can get to do it.