2 weeks Ago
NOW spring has sprung, it seems a good time to explore some of the best beer gardens in Worcestershire, from city suntraps to beautiful riverside watering holes. Whether you like a pint by the river in a traditional country pub or a cocktail in a shaded courtyard in a stylish city centre bar, the county's beer gardens cater for a variety of tastes. In this case, the definition I'm going to use is not a beer garden in the strictest sense but any outdoor space serving a pub or bar, such as a garden, patio, courtyard or, in one case, an orchard.
Size is only one consideration. Other qualities are considered more important like the view and atmosphere, intelligent use of available space and whether the space caters for families. Worcestershire boasts an immensely rich and varied landscape from beautiful riverside beer gardens in Grimley (Camp House Inn), Severn Stoke (Rose and Crown) and Upton (the King's Head) to beer gardens in the Malvern Hills such as the Brewers Arms, commanding incredible views out towards the Black Mountains.
But Worcester's city centre pubs also make clever use of outdoor space. Some, like The Foregate, few will have experienced before as this will be its first spring and summer season. BEST: The Rose and Crown in Severn Stoke has a large beer garden with spectacular views (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) Rose and Crown, Severn Stoke: Spectacular Sunsets This has to be one of the most stunning and picturesque beer gardens in Worcestershire, commanding spectacular views out towards the Malvern Hills.
Not only that, but the idyllic space was dramatically enhanced during the Covid-19 pandemic and this touch of ingenuity and vision has made all the difference. Master carpenter Matt Collins and Andy Goodhall built a shepherd's hut bar and a shelter outside. Speaking in 2023, Mr Goodhall said from the beer garden you could see 'possibly the best sunsets in Worcestershire'.
In the spring and summer, it is easy to forget that this pub can suffer flooding but the team here have adapted admirably to the challenges posed by Mother Nature. RIVERSIDE: Jo Wainwright-Scarrott by the river in the garden at the Camp House Inn in Grimley, near Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) Camp House Inn, Grimley: Queen of the River The Camp House Inn in Grimley by the meandering waters of the river Severn is a beautiful riverside pub where you can feel close to nature's rhythms. There is plenty of green space which girdles the pub, allowing you to watch the boats glide by and it even has its own dock.
Though the river can be cruel, efforts to mitigate the flood risk of the pub aim to limit the impact. It is precisely this proximity to the river that gives this pub its sublime quality in spring and summer. As has previously been said, the river is a blessing and a curse for the Camp but when the sun is shining on the Severn, there are few pubs in Worcestershire to match its quality.
EXPANSIVE: The large beer garden at the Barn Owl in Warndon, Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) Barn Owl, Worcester: the family-friendly choice The Barn Owl must boast one of the biggest beer gardens in Worcestershire. It may not command the best views (next to a main road) but for the sheer volume of green space, it has few rivals. Play equipment for children also makes this a first choice for people with young families.
Another reason to visit, aside from the sprawling beer garden, is to see the fruits of a £363,0000 revamp only recently completed. Marston’s Two Door Pub now has two distinct areas: 'a vibrant locals' bar and a warm, welcoming family lounge, designed around the needs of families'. VIEWS: Kim Boughton and Lee Jones on the patio of The Brewers Arms in West Malvern which commands incredible views out towards Wales and the Black Mountains and is known for its sunsets (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) The Brewers Arms, West Malvern: King of the Hills The Brewers Arms in the Malvern Hills is one of the county's highest pubs, 800ft above sea level on the slopes of the Beacon.
Sitting in the beer garden on a warm spring or summer day, you really do feel as if you have your head in the clouds (and quite possibly above them). There's plenty of outdoor seating in this fantastic beer garden patio, looking out towards the Black Mountains and Wales. The end patio, which commands possibly the grandest view, has been restored after it suffered subsidence.
Food is available at the pub on a first-come first-served basis and supports many local breweries including Bewdley Brewery and Teme Valley. MAGNICENT: The orchard in The Fleece Inn in Bretforton has plenty of space and is something a bit different to many beer gardens (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) The Fleece Inn, Bretforton: Folk heaven This visually stunning pub, owned by the National Trust, has something even better than a beer garden - its own apple orchard. This lends it a unique, almost idyllic beauty in spring and summer.
This pub is an English rose in full bloom. You could be forgiven for thinking you had wandered into some corner of The Shire, possibly even the Prancing Pony itself from Tolkien's fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings. With the Asparagus Festival launched on Wednesday, April 23, now is a good time to enjoy the many marvels of The Fleece.
Originally built in the early 15th century by a farmer named Byrd, the pub remained in the ownership of the same family (the Taplins) until 1977. The pub is also a platform for many folk musicians, artists and conserves and celebrates Morris dancing traditions. COURTYARD: The 'secret Courtyard beer garden' at The Foregate in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) The Foregate, Worcester: 'secret' walled courtyard beer garden The Foregate pub at 42 Foregate Street in Worcester only opened during the Victorian Christmas Fayre but it can really come into its own now spring is here.
This is in no small part down to the 'secret' courtyard beer garden. The garden is one of the triumphs of this bar (spreading its wings in the old Thursfields solicitors offices). Nick Carroll, the licensee of the bar (owned by Trinity Group property developers), said: "Come early summer evenings, this will be the place to be, particularly as there are no gardens in the city centre.
" ATMOSPHERIC: The Mug House in Claines (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) The Mug House in Claines: the pub in the churchyard The Mug House is one of only two pubs on consecrated ground in Britain and has an ample beer garden with available outdoor shelter if the weather turns more inclement, an inevitability at some point in any English summer. While some may find having a pint within sight of the churchyard's gravestones a rather macabre experience, it is also a memorable and atmospheric one. This is a pub which showcases the individuality and eccentricity of the English pub beer gardens at their very best.
RECOMMENDED READING: Sky is limit for breathtaking pub high in Malvern Hills with real 'wow factor' RECOMMENDED READING: Best canalside pubs in Worcestershire - a brief guide RECOMMENDED READING: Worcestershire's most beautiful pubs: guide to the top 7 The pub is at least 700 years old and reputed to be haunted. It retains the character of a country pub but is close enough to Worcester to be accessible to many people in the city unable to travel out to the many country pubs dotted about the remoter parts of the county. LOVELY: The beer garden at The Talbot in Knightwick (Image: James Connell/Newsquest) The Talbot at Knightwick: Spectacular riverside beer garden This is a beautiful pub by the River Teme in Knightwick and is on sale with a guide price of £875,000.
The pub has an extensive beer garden. The building has existed in some form or other, since around 1500 and its fortunes are inextricably intertwined with the Teme itself. The inn owes its existence to a nearby river ford - travellers would stop at the Talbot to wait for the swollen river waters to recede so they could cross again.
Owner Annie Clift, who grew up nearby in Lulsley, describes the inn as being in an idyllic setting and has learned that flooding is 'a fact of life'. The inn serves breakfasts, lunches and dinners and is well known for the Teme Valley Market in the second Sunday of every month, one of the oldest farmer's markets in the UK. The Talbot is also the home of Teme Valley Brewery (opened in 1997) based in the old squash courts.
Here they brew the popular This, That and T'other. This, at 3.7 per cent light real ale, is the most popular.
.
