The New Inn, Wareham

Official site of The New Inn - www.newinn-churchknowle.co.uk

Official site of The New Inn - www.newinn-churchknowle.co.uk

Hidden away in the village of Church Knowle – the sort of place you’re highly unlikely to ever stumble across – the New Inn is an attractive Purbeck stone-built pub that is famous for its extensive seafood menu. The pub has a multiple room layout, parts of which date back to the 16th Century, when the building was a farmhouse. The main bar is located in a room known as The Tudor barn and has the servery along the rear wall of a room built entirely from the local stone. Some rather uncomfortable pews and chairs in various states of disrepair filled most of this spacious room and there is plenty of décor on show including high shelves and various large display cabinets all stocked with dusty books, old bottles and all manner of vintage items, which makes for a rather nostalgic and interesting bit of browsing. Plenty of old paintings and advertising boards cover the walls as well, giving the place a bit of a museum-like quality. There is a restaurant area off this room, which is the oldest part of the pub and contains two impressive inglenook fireplaces – one at each end of the room with a good number of tables and chairs in between. Various bits of brassware have been collected in here along with more of the same vintage ornaments, plus some photos of the local area. There is another room which seems to be set aside for larger groups, which has been decorated with lots of pictures and items relating to nearby Corfe Castle. This space has a nice vaulted ceiling in contrast to the timber beams seen in the other rooms. There’s a reasonable, compact garden area with a few picnic benches and a covered area, which has good views across the rolling countryside but unfortunately not of the castle. We came here for lunch and found the food to be a bit on the pricey side but the portions were plentiful and my meal was very tasty. The full seafood menu isn’t always available – local catches determine what ends up on the daily menu – so don’t get too excited when viewing their online menu. Just two beers on the three handpulls – Sharps Doom Bar and Ringwood Best – which is a very uninspired line-up, but the Best was at least in decent nick. This is a very attractive pub with lots of interesting features and items on display, good food and fine views. It let itself down a little with the beer range, service and pricing, but on the whole, I enjoyed myself here and would certainly recommend checking it out, even if it’s just for a quick half.