The White Horse, Hertford

Steve of N21 left this review about The White Horse

Am paying a few visits to this one currently as I have friends who are working for the new landlord of the last six months. This one continues to suffer from a regular turnover of Landlords and hopefully the current one can make a decent fist of it. I hope so as this is a fantastic historic pub and one of the best remaining Tudor buildings in Hertford. And the initial signs are good as the ales have been excellent on my recent visits.
Situated on Castle Street opposite Hertford Castle it is part of three timber framed houses that were originally built sometime in the 16th and early 17th centuries and were extended in the 19th century. Numbers 31 and 33 are now the pub whose earliest reference for use as a beer house is 1838.
Two smallish rooms downstairs you enter into the smaller bar room to the right. This section of the bar has three hand pumps but also a chalk board detailing all beers available as there are an additional line of handpumps and the keg taps in the larger room to the left which is the one favoured by the locals. And me due to its two-tone wood panelling and collection of breweriana, especially the impressive Cotleigh Brewery beer signs, a hangover from the days pre Fullers, when it was a Free House.
The current landlord is trying to make more use of the upstairs rooms, that are accessed by a door and steep staircase to the back of the right hand room. Even if they are not open when you visit ask to take a look, as its really only when you get up here that you fully appreciate the timber frame of this building and the age of some of the brickwork. Here there are two additional rooms , referred to as the Henry VIII and Elizabeth I rooms due to the portraits that hang here. But the right-hand room with the Elizabeth I portrait is also known as the Vinyl room, as it has a vinyl record deck and speaker set up and you can bring in your own LP’s to play. Then there are two further but plainer spaces used as the games rooms, one set up for darts and the other with a free to play bar billiards table.
Currently four fullers beers are kept on with Pride and ESB being permanent, and the other two rotating from the Fullers stable. Recently these have included Seafarers, Dark Star Hop Head and Dark Star Skylab.
It currently doesn’t open until 2 during the week as they are currently not doing food. Personally, I think this works better for the vibe of the pub as its ideally suited as a wet led ale house But the Guvnor will have to turn a profit, so it is likely to return in some fashion.

On 27^th July 2023 - rating: 8
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