I popped into the Sir Daniel Arms pub in Swindon for a quick coffee (well, eight of them as I like to test the caffeine infrastucture of the venue) before my National Express coach to London. I had thought that I had written about this JD Wetherspoon venue before, but it has transpired that I haven’t. Although I did mention it in June 2018 when a group of us visited it before walking the Ridgeway.
I’ll take the history of the pub’s name from the chain’s website:
“This modern building stands on the site of a row of small shops, 1–10 Fleet Street. They served the adjacent railway village which was built by the Great Western Railway in the mid 19th century. The row included the Sir Daniel Arms, which traded until the 1980s, and was named after Sir Daniel Gooch. He proposed that the Great Western Railway Works should be built in Swindon and then ran the works which subsequently dominated Swindon for nearly 150 years.”
A bit of JD Wetherspoon bling. Incidentally, I don’t have a carpet photo, but there’s carpet in this one so that will have to do. I appreciate that this may disappoint the more carpet specialist readers of this blog, assuming that there actually are any. There are two floors to the venue, although the upper floor is closed off during quieter periods.
To help with the lack of photos, here’s a steak pudding that I had in February 2026 at the pub, namely as this venue is at the lowest price band for the chain for this was only just a little over £6 for the food and drink. I don’t claim that it’s a great meal, but for the price it is very hard to complain and so I don’t.
Anyway, onto the reviews as I like browsing through them and this venue is a little towards the higher end of the ratings on Google.
“The main reason for this negative review is how disgusted I am with the service received by what I assume was a member of management. From the moment we arrived she was rude and continued to be for the duration of our visit. I’ve just passed by driving test so surprised my mum with a trip to Swindon for her birthday so this was supposed to be a lovely day, yet her attitude to my mum and I was appalling. It was so bad, two ladies actually approached my mum to ask if she was okay out in the toilets as they were concerned.”
I always wish reviewers would give a hint about how the situation began. It feels unlikely, although not impossible, that a staff member simply appeared from nowhere and selected a customer for a sustained campaign of discourtesy. There is usually a prelude to these things. That said, surprising one’s mum with a birthday trip to Swindon after passing a driving test is an act of confidence, and I respect the ambition.
“Pint if thatchers tasted like water and exactly the same with the Stella, got it changed but still tasted the same, won’t be going back anytime soon”
I would like to note that Thatchers is meant to taste like that, but that would appear to be too churlish.
“I went in with my assistance dog got a drink for me and bowl of water. Then had a manager come over telling me unless had a uk pass couldnt come in and was refused another drink. Wouldn’t mind but we sat outside so was no where near people eating . Disgusting the way was treated. My dog had jacket and lead stating what he was with Canine Partner jacket and lead and lanyard. Disgusting how weather’s poon treated me”
The chain is being questioned over this at the moment and now genuine assistance dogs are potentially being refused because some people have pretended in the past that their dog is an assistance dog when it is no such thing. Sub-optimal for all concerned.
“Unbearably loud music on the weekends”
I’m with the customer here, it’s one of those Lloyds venues and I’m aware that it gets far too vibrant on a weekend….
On the real ale front there were seven available, from breweries including Twisted, Hanlons, Hop Union and Phoenix, all at their low prices of under £3 a pint. I was on coffee rather than beer because I had a coach to catch and sometimes even I make decisions with a vague nod towards responsibility.
Anyway, it’s all cheerful and the coffee is suitably cheap and reliable, so what more could I want.