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The New Inn, Gloucester

16 Northgate Street
Gloucester
GL1 1SF

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


hondo . left this review about The New Inn

Old style courtyard pub with 5 real ale taps none on during my visit.

On 20th October 2022 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about The New Inn

Four handpumps on the bar, with only one in use serving Bristol Beer Factory Independence. Luckily for us it was fresh on and tasted terrific. I found the pub to be quite dated and the two seater settee in the rear pool table room looked as though it was ready for a skip. Another downside was the large wall mounted TV showing daytime crap and the gents toilets across the courtyard needed a good revamp. I think this place has lost its soul, it lacked atmosphere and customers.

On 26th March 2020 - rating: 4
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


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Blackthorn _ left this review about The New Inn

Although accessed through a nondescript entranceway off of Gloucester’s rather uninspiring pedestrianised shopping street, the courtyard within is really quite impressive, dating from the 15th century and said to be one of the finest galleried inns in the country, which I can well believe. The pub buildings entirely surround the courtyard, and although it looks as though these days much of it consists of a hotel, there are still many original signs for the businesses that were there such as Grey’s Coffee House, The Tap & Barrel and the Pilgrim’s Brewery. It was then something of a disappointment when I poked my head in the door of the brewery only to find some extremely smelly toilets.

The main part of the pub seems to be off to the right of the courtyard and the main bar was an attractive old room with thick black beams on the ceiling and black wooden boards around the perimeter of the room, although the central part was carpeted. A fireplace with an ornately carved wooden surround was off to one side, although this appeared to be no longer in use and the TV screen showing a music channel that had been mounted on the wall next to it detracted from the effect somewhat. To the rear was a slightly smaller room, and this too was quite attractive with more black timberwork and white plaster.

Whether they had some problem with their beer supply I’m not sure, but none of the seven hand pumps appeared to be in use, with five of them unclipped and the other two for Doom Bar and Sharp’s Atlantic having reversed clips. I have seen it closed previously when walking past, so perhaps they have had a change of management and have yet to get their supplies sorted. What they did have was You’ve Got Pale and Session IPA from the local Gloucester Brewery in boxes on the bar counter. The other fonts all appeared to be similarly out of use, although more boxes for Rosie’s Pig cider and Weston’s Still Country Perry were also on the bar top. This is a tricky one to mark as it’s certainly a lovely old building, but doesn’t seem to be fulfilling it’s potential at the moment with the odd beer arrangement and the lack of any atmosphere, perhaps because there were only two other punters in on my visit. One to watch though.

On 12th September 2018 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


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Helen Iwanczuk left this review about New Inn Hotel

I wish I could report that things have improved since the last reviews, but alas it is just the same. The New Inn is a gem of a building, but the first indication that all is not well, is the annoying piped music that hits you, as you enter the courtyard. It sets the tone for what awaits you inside!
The interior is really dated - granted there is lots of character, but it is like stepping back in time, and not in a good way.
When we called in on Sunday, quite a few of the pump clips were turned round, so there was not much quality ale to be had. Only Hobgoblin hit the spot!
If the characterful surroundings fail to impress the curious visitor, they can easily turn their attention to the whacking great flat screen television on the wall in the bar. We were treated to Lady Gaga and some obscure football match (not at the same time!) This would be fine if the television had a decent picture, the reception was quite poor.
The New Inn is a real enigma, it is located in the very heart of Gloucester City centre and should be a must visit attraction. Instead, you are left with a sinking felling with each new visit.

On 19th January 2015 - rating: 4
[User has posted 255 recommendations about 195 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


ROB Camra left this review about New Inn Hotel

I had a similar feeling to Will when we visited this pub. It looked great, but just didn't deliver on any level. The bar service was haphazard. There were only 2 beers on out of 8 and they were boring. The decor is tired with an unmaintained feel. Despite the age of the building it managed to feel like a hotel bar, which it is of course. My pint of Exmoor Gold was OK though not great. Ms CAMRA's red wine was cheap crap at premium price, which is very poor. If this place had been good, with some atmosphere we'd have probably visited again on our second day in Gloucester. It wasn't, so we didn't. It should be so much better than it is.

On 19th December 2013 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3216 recommendations about 3127 pubs]


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Will Larter left this review about New Inn Hotel

Danny's review below sums this place up well: a little tired and needing a little more love. My visit was outside the tourist season (is there such a thing in Gloucester?) and the five beers available at the time of Soup Dragon's visit had dwindled to a very lonely-looking two (out of eight hand pumps) by the time of my appearance on the Sunday. (I'm not stalking him, honest.) There was no atmosphere about this place, and however genuine all the black beams may or may not be, this just felt like a tired and very ordinary pub. Perhaps my opinion was tainted by my vivid impression of the just-visited Robert Raikes's House, but I could have spent two hours there, while ten minutes here was enough.

On 1st November 2013 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3699 recommendations about 3440 pubs]


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Soup Dragon left this review about New Inn Hotel

An hotel, restaurant, coffee shop and pub,with courtyard area. The medieval rebuild (with later additions) is predominantly in white plaster and wood and plays host to a plethora of hystorical myths, ghosts and poor karaoke renditions befitting of its status. As my fellow reviewers have pointed out, it has central courtyard, overlooked by a gallery level. We stayed here a for a few days and, as Danny and Roger say, the hotel element is a little tired. The pub part is called the Tap and Barrel. It is a dog-leg shaped single room, which is in white and wood, with white and wood beam ceiling. The narrower back part has wood settles, tables and chairs and is the more loungey element, the front area, wider, was used for a karaoke one night - the semi-pain being relieved to some degree by the strange animatronic butler figure, who looked like something from the Rocky Horror Show. There is a TV - which had Sky Sports News on and the music in the daytime seemed charty, but at a decent level. A pumpclip collection jostles with standard prints and brasses for supremacy of the walls. There is a nice wood surround fireplace. The service was fine and the place seemed more full of locals than hotel guests - but a general mixed crowd. Beer; usual tap stuff with Exmoor Gold, Doombar, Hancocks HB, Butcome Bitter and Adnam's Broadside on handpull - although this had dwindled by the Saturday night. The Broadside, Hancocks and Butcombe were all fine, especially the Broadside. Definitely one to visit in my opinion, but the better time was the Friday evening, when there was more choice.

On 31st October 2013 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Danny O'Revey left this review about New Inn Hotel

Very old building in less than old setting, the court yard and building are ancient and fantastic.

However, inside, despite keeping an old feel, beams n all, I can't help but feel its a little tired. Sure its old, but it has a feeling of needing a little more love. The loud piped music doesn't help.

4 real ales kept ok

10 for the outside, harsh 6 for the in

On 8th May 2013 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]


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Old Boots left this review about New Inn Hotel

An ancient building, built 1430-1450 so not that new now, originally owned by Gloucester Abbey until the Reformation. Reached through a narrow archway leading into a small galleried courtyard. There are multiple rooms leading off this yard, one labelled Pilgrim Brewery, another Chapman’s Emporium, at the front is Grey’s Coffee House, there's so much going on in fact that a signpost is needed on a gas lamp in the middle of the yard. The bar is to the right in a long room running down one side of the courtyard. There’s quite a mix of wooden tables, chairs and settles and lots of old beams but it doesn’t feel like a museum piece, and there is a good mix of customers. The long dog-leg counter has a group of seven pulls but only three in operation with a pedestrian choice of Pedigree, Spitfire or Butcombe Bitter which was in really good condition. The gents are across the yard behind the “Pilgrim Brewery”.

On 8th October 2012 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3209 recommendations about 2920 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Roger Button left this review about New Inn Hotel

It’s fair to say that this historic coaching Inn dating back to 1430 is one of the more spectacular pubs you will come across. It is recognized as being the best preserved medieval galleried inn in the country at one time was also thought to be the country’s largest pub. The baffling name for such an old building refers to the fact that there was a previous inn on the site.

From Northgate Street, a large double door leads from the street into a flowed decked open central courtyard surrounded by 3 storeys of timber framed buildings. If the main doors are closed (outside of normal opening hours) there is a small entrance down New Inn Lane through which it is usually possible to gain access. Shakespear is reputed to have performed here (possible but no concrete evidence to support it) and it is also a haven for paranormal activity (didn’t see any evidence of this either). It is known that Lady Jane Grey was staying here when she was proclaimed Queen. It is certainly not hard to imagine old coaches pulling in and the sound of hooves against the flagstones but for all its olde worlde charm, the pub sadly lets itself down in several areas.

The main bar to the right of the courtyard as you go in has all the pre-requisite historic nuances but on closer inspection is looking very tired and tatty around the edges and in need of a good overhaul. Adjacent to the main bar is an extended area with big screen TV that was empty despite the pub, and the courtyard in particular, being very busy. Service was quite poor and I had to check to see that I hadn’t accidently worn my invisibility cloak. I noted 8 hand pumps of which 3 were initially off, the rest offering a Best Bitter (brand unknown), Morland Old Speckled Hen, Greene King Bonkers Conkers, Hancocks Penned In and Hancocks Plum Treat. Whilst we were there O’Hanlon Stormstay was put on but was very cloudy. On the whole we were not too impressed with the service or cellar management.

The other sides to the courtyard housed what appeared to be more in the way of restaurant and dining areas so aside from having a peek, I didn’t really venture that far. A mock up New Inn Brewery display can also be seen through a window next to the toilets.

Any first time visitor to Gloucester will inevitably have the pub on their list of must visits even if it is just to soak up the historic atmosphere of the place. Whether regular discerning drinkers will be keen to make it a regular stop is however open to debate. With a bit a good clean and brush up and better management, the place would easily be worth a couple of extra points in the ratings. I hope it eventually gets there because the place doesn’t really need much else to sell itself.

On 13th September 2011 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]