This is the courtyard entrance to the Stonegate operated Ye Olde George Inn, part of their Social Pub and Kitchen chain. They claim on their website that it’s the best pub in Christchurch. I don’t think it is, but there we go….
The real ale selection was a little uninspiring, but they had a couple of options at least, the Gold from Hobgoblin and London Pride from Fullers.
Some preserved wattle and daub. The building dates to the fifteenth century when it was a private residence, although it became an inn by the seventeenth century (earliest records say 1630) so it’s likely the oldest licensed premises in Christchurch. It was reconstructed after the English Civil War and it’s thought that some of the stone was pinched from Christchurch Castle which Cromwell had ordered to be destroyed. It’s also mentioned to be haunted, but I think that’s said for any vaguely old pub.
The interior of the pub, which has also been known as the George and Dragon, felt historic and interesting. There’s a large exterior area, which is rather necessary as the inside isn’t the largest. The toilets are external, which is something of a throwback. The venue is also keen to note that they’re dog friendly, although the large and spacious garden helps with that aspiration.
The London Pride tasted as expected, with the Pipers crisps being delicious as ever. The prices though were way towards the higher end of the scale and really over the top for a Stonegate pub.
The venue’s food menu, which was still a little expensive, although not unreasonably so. The service in the pub was friendly and engaging, with customers being served in turn despite the relatively small bar layout.
There was some Stonegate signage saying that you could get a free drink by signing up to their app. I have endless enthusiasm for this sort of thing, so I managed to get a free pint of Guinness, even though the manager was initially unsure this was included in the offer. But, it scanned through and I felt that overall we received rather decent value for money with the addition of this beer to proceedings.
All told, it’s an interesting venue given the heritage of the building, but I can’t help but think that Stonegate could do a lot more here. There is a disparity between the price of half pints and pints, something CAMRA doesn’t like (quite rightly in my view) and the pricing seems rather high.
However, much as I might think they’re making a mess of matters, it’s still well reviewed and it was reasonably busy and so they obviously know far more than me about this one. I liked the building and the service, but it was the free Guinness that surprised and delighted me most of all.