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The White Horse, Hertford

33 Castle Street
Hertford
SG14 1HH

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Pub Type

Fuller's

Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


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 27th July 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The White Horse

A small and gloriously-unspoilt pub on the edge of town. As noted below, two rooms with not a great deal to choose between them but both oozing tradition and history with few, if any, distractions. Ales on were London Pride, ESB and Hophead.

On 21st October 2021 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The White Horse

This pub is summed up very nicely by BF below. It is on CAMRA's Regional Inventory of pubs with historic interiors, mainly because of the unspoilt room on the left (signed as the "Trough"), and is also Grade II Listed. The room on the right (signed as the "Swill") was brought into pub use as late as the 1970s, although the building could be as old as the 17th Century.

As to the beers, they had on much of the Fuller's range of London Pride, ESB, Gales Seafarers and Oliver's Island. The two guest beers were the Darkstar pair of hophead and APA - if Darkstar can be regarded as a guest brewery in a Fuller's pub. This is another delightful Hertford pub well worth a visit.

On 16th September 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


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Bucking Fastard left this review about The White Horse

ORIGINAL REVIEW April 2010.
The most attractive pub building in Hertford with low ceilings and a central fireplace which opens onto both bars.To the left of the low front door is the regulars haunt,basic but full of character while the room to the right is slightly larger,quarry tiled floor and settles,old tables,some high backed chairs all creating an authentic interior.From this room there are stairs to a first floor seating area which was closed on my visit.Each room has a counter and there are 8 handpumps dispencing 6 Fullers ales namely Pride,Discovery,ESB,seasonal Swing Low ,"Gales" HSB and Seafarer ,together with one permanent guest Butcombe Bitter and one rotating guest Everards Beacon on my visit.Pricing generally £3.10 but with ESB at £3.85 someone is "havin' a larf."
Ale quality is always reliable ,there is no juke box,fruit machines,muzak which makes this a real pub full of good conversation.Not quite got the ale range of The Old Cross Tavern or Old Barge but still well worth a visit.

UPDATE
There is a regular turnover of leasees at this Fullers tied house,but there is still a two guest policy besides the regular Seafarers,London Pride and ESB .On my recent trip it was noticeable that ale quality has picked up a lot ,so well done to the new team.The CAMRA listed interior is augmented by traditional pub furniture and some new paintwork.When ordering ale ,dont rely on the board in the right hand room,it was woefully out of date and had it not been for an inspection of the handpumps in the left hand room,a very fine Little Beer Corporation Little Smooth would have been missed.

On 24th February 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


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Danny O'Revey left this review about The White Horse

Was shut Monday lunchtime. Check the opening hours!

On 2nd August 2017 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]


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Steve of N21 left this review about The White Horse

Unfortunately since my previous review this pub has gone through some troubled times.
The then landlord left fairly soon after my previous posting and since then a string of temporary landlords and relief managers have come and gone, all failing to make a go of running this place, with Fullers seemingly taking a lot of the blame for that.
However on my visit last weekend the current one has been in place for a few months now and seems to be making a fist of it.
Still the standard fullers range and my pint of Pride was well kept.
Its had a bit of a makeover since my last visit which has modernised it a bit, but fortunately most of the traditional fixtures and fittings remain.
Fortunately I managed to avoid coming here during its recent dark days and my visit found it on the way back up. Although it still has a long way to go to reach the heady heights of when it was a Free House before Fullers took the tie.

On 23rd August 2013 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve of N21 left this review about The White Horse

Decent Real Ale pub tucked away just off the main town centre on Castle Street. Can be a bit off putting to enter sometimes as the smokers tend to congregate outside on the benches around the front door, but a fine Coaching Inn awaits inside with some original 14th Century beams and Tudor brickwork in the upstairs rooms if they are open. But the main part of the pub is the two smallish downstairs rooms well described by Mr Fastard below.
Full range of Fullers Ales on which are a bit on the pricey side, but couldn’t fault my pint of Seafarers which was in good nick.

On 17th May 2010 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about The White Horse

It was great to find some Fullers beers in Hertford; it's just a shame that I didn't explore the pub more as I thought that the two small bars at the front were the extent of the building.

Oh dear, now I will have to make a return visit!

On 16th October 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The White Horse

Tucked away down a side street close to Hertford castle. A couple of guest ales on that I recall (tried Elgood's Cambridge Bitter) which was in good form alongside the usual Fullers fayre. Real fire and bar billiards noted. Didn't really dig the place though, can't really put my finger on why, should go back and give it another go at some point. The beer was good enough and the pickled egg was welcome. Something just didn't quite click. I think it was the grumpy woman behind the bar. Yes, that was it…

On 11th July 2007 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5043 recommendations about 5026 pubs]