BISLEY'S PUBS
In the 1500s and 1600s, Bisley was a much busier place - at the height of the medieval wool trade, which then accounted for half of England's wealth, it was an important link in the chain between Gloucester and the sea to the west, and Cirencester, and on south to London.
Merchants and drovers passed through daily, and there were nine thriving pubs and inns in the village to quench their thirst.
By 1870, with wool supplanted by more practical cloths, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales was describing Bisley as ‘a decayed small town', and most of the pubs were closing.
Today we are left with only two - The Stirrup Cup and The Bear Inn. (Four of those which closed can be seen on this website.)
The Stirrup Cup was originally known as The New Inn, and has changed outwardly very little since the 1800s, as the photograph above shows.
The Bear Inn is a sixteenth-century building which was originally the village court house and assembly room. It was originally recorded as a pub in 1631 and has been in service ever since. It has a priest hole above the fireplace, and is reputedly haunted. Various landlords and landladies have attested to this, and on two occasions the webmaster and his wife have seen odd things in there (even by Bisley's standards). One night a book flew off the bookcase above the log-burner in the middle bar and landed some feet away. (It was The History of Murder.) On another occasion a handled glass sitting on a hook above the bar lifted off the hook and smashed on the floor. It's hard to explain these events without recourse to paranormal explanations, or at least the very unusual, but on the other hand the webmaster and his wife had been drinking.
Merchants and drovers passed through daily, and there were nine thriving pubs and inns in the village to quench their thirst.
By 1870, with wool supplanted by more practical cloths, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales was describing Bisley as ‘a decayed small town', and most of the pubs were closing.
Today we are left with only two - The Stirrup Cup and The Bear Inn. (Four of those which closed can be seen on this website.)
The Stirrup Cup was originally known as The New Inn, and has changed outwardly very little since the 1800s, as the photograph above shows.
The Bear Inn is a sixteenth-century building which was originally the village court house and assembly room. It was originally recorded as a pub in 1631 and has been in service ever since. It has a priest hole above the fireplace, and is reputedly haunted. Various landlords and landladies have attested to this, and on two occasions the webmaster and his wife have seen odd things in there (even by Bisley's standards). One night a book flew off the bookcase above the log-burner in the middle bar and landed some feet away. (It was The History of Murder.) On another occasion a handled glass sitting on a hook above the bar lifted off the hook and smashed on the floor. It's hard to explain these events without recourse to paranormal explanations, or at least the very unusual, but on the other hand the webmaster and his wife had been drinking.
The Stirrup Cup
The Stirrup Cup is a friendly local pub serving real ales (at time of writing, Wye Valley Brewery HPA, and Butcombe Original), lagers, ciders, wines and spirits, as well as a range of good, home-cooked food.
Original paintings by local artists are exhibited in and sold from the pub, too.
CARPARK
OPEN FIRE
BEER GARDEN
DOGS ARE WELCOME
Landlord: Julian Partridge
Address: Cheltenham Road Bisley GL6 7BL
Telephone: 01452 770007
email: stirrupcup.bisley@gmail.com
The Stirrup Cup's website
The Stirrup Cup's instagram page
The Stirrup Cup on TripAdvisor
The Stirrup Cup on Facebook
Original paintings by local artists are exhibited in and sold from the pub, too.
CARPARK
OPEN FIRE
BEER GARDEN
DOGS ARE WELCOME
Landlord: Julian Partridge
Address: Cheltenham Road Bisley GL6 7BL
Telephone: 01452 770007
email: stirrupcup.bisley@gmail.com
The Stirrup Cup's website
The Stirrup Cup's instagram page
The Stirrup Cup on TripAdvisor
The Stirrup Cup on Facebook
The Bear Inn
The Bear Inn - about 100 yards from the Stirrup, so a mini pub crawl is entirely plausible! - is also a friendly local pub serving a range of real ales, good wines, and some excellent food cooked by the chef, Pierre.
There's a quiz night on the final Tuesday of every month, and lots of other promotions and events going on - see the website or The Bear's page on Facebook for more information.
TWO LOVELY LETTING ROOMS
CARPARK
LOG BURNER
BEER GARDEN
DOGS ARE WELCOME
Landlord: Darren Bealing
Address: George Street, Bisley, Gloucestershire, GL6 7BD
Telephone: 01453 702353
email: beal.inns.1@gmail.com
The Bear's website
The Bear on TripAdvisor
There's a quiz night on the final Tuesday of every month, and lots of other promotions and events going on - see the website or The Bear's page on Facebook for more information.
TWO LOVELY LETTING ROOMS
CARPARK
LOG BURNER
BEER GARDEN
DOGS ARE WELCOME
Landlord: Darren Bealing
Address: George Street, Bisley, Gloucestershire, GL6 7BD
Telephone: 01453 702353
email: beal.inns.1@gmail.com
The Bear's website
The Bear on TripAdvisor