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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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The Marlborough Arms, Cirencester
Cirencester
GL7 1QW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about The Marlborough Arms
Handsome traditional pub with an M shaped alehouse interior – wood fixtures and fittings and simple décor enhanced nicely by breweriana, mirrors, pump clips and lots of old bottles. Friendly guvnor presiding over six cask (plus ciders) with a good range of micro and regionals, if perhaps a little samey style-wise. GBG listed. My Cotswold Best was poured through and was in great shape (NBSS 4) even if the actual brew itself wasn't to my taste. Downside - the glass was manky, which shouldn’t really happen. Should I find myself in this neck of the woods again I’d happily prioritise this one and if I get a crisp glass it might get that elusive extra point…
On 6th December 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Marlborough Arms
This pub now appears to be the best in the town, with a good selection of ales and ciders.
We arrived to find the barmaid had disappeared to the cellar to sort something out. Another guy was filling in and didn't know much about the drinks range. In fact, the barmaid did a few disappearing acts, leaving quite a few customers waiting when they entered.
The interior of the single room has plenty of old brewery signs to admire. Of note for me was a mirror in the gents featuring the London Apprentice pub not a million miles from me in Isleworth (west London). In addition, the ceiling is covered in old pump clips.
5 cask ales were on for our visit - Severn Double Hopped Pale Ale, Potbelly Hop Trotter, Slater's Premium & Blitzen & Goff's Twelfth Knight. The Twelfth Knight was a blackcurrant porter similar in style to two others I'd had earlier in the day. It was very enjoyable indeed.
Ciders are dispensed from boxes on shelves at the right-hand side of the bar. The range was Rich's Legbender, Chant Badger's Spit, Cotswold Cider Company Freak Show, Gwatking Game Cock & Snail's Bank Very Perry.
It's easy to see why this pub gets plenty of accolades from the local CAMRA group, with its good ale and cider selection, its convivial locals and its nice surroundings. In fact, it was only let down by poor service.
On 1st January 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Marlborough Arms
This is in alehouse style, which has unfortunately necessitated stripping out all internal walls and replacing them with screens delineating sketchy ideas of separate areas. Perhaps I'm being too critical - certainly it's in better taste than the Crown in the town centre. The beer and cider range is better too, with eight beers on hand pumps and several boxed bags of real cider. The beer range was interesting and tempting (see photos), which is more than I can say for the 21st century pop music that was being provided for our delectation. I called back for another beer towards the end of the evening when the background music was more attuned to my generation's ears and I was able to relax a little. Being more demanding, critical and cynical than the previous reviewer, I have given it an 8 rather than his 10, but this doesn't mean I wouldn't return here the next time I'm in Ciren.
Date of visit: 10th May 2018
On 1st June 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Marlborough Arms
I thought this pub was perfect. Hence the 10 rating.
All the architecture in Cirencester is lovely, but the inside of this place was a gem. Full of vintage pub memorabilia that could keep you entertained for a while. Like being in a beer "art" museum.
Six or seven real ales on - ordered from left to right in terms of colour. I went for the middle ground with a North Cotswold Brewery Windrush Ale. Superb condition.
Friendly staff, who obviously love what they do.
Worth seeking out.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2xA5PfP
On 25th September 2017
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about The Marlborough Arms
One of the best pubs we have visited in 2016, is The Malborough Arms. An attractive stone built facade invites you in to explore further. The interior consists of one room, but it is divided by the wooden furnishings - tables, chairs and floor make it a cosy environment. Sports fans are catered for with large TV screens to keep them occupied. They have a good selection of music in the background. A wide selection of ales and ciders are available. There is no food as such, but they do pies, and sometimes rolls and sandwiches. There is a small open space at the back of the pub (you can't really call it a beer garden!) There is a small bar within this open space, must be nice to sit here of a summer evening.
One word of warning though, it can get quite busy when the local students decide to visit the pub. It isn't really a problem though - they don't bite!
On 4th January 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 255 recommendations about 195 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Marlborough Arms
The Marlborough Arms is a stone built pub that is in the middle of Cirencester.
This was a fairly decent pub inside but was let down because there was no real ale on here the two keg beers were John Smiths smooth and Tetley bitter so i had a Guinness which was ok.
Pub visited 3 August 2002.
On 3rd August 2002
- rating: 5
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]