The Bell, Waltham St Lawrence - pub details

Bell
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Address: The Street, Waltham St Lawrence, Reading, Berkshire, RG10 0JJ [map] [gmap]

Tel: 08721 077 077 (ref 7825)

Nearest train stations Twyford (2.7 miles), Wargrave (3.5 miles), Shiplake (4.2 miles)

Pub facilities/features:
Cask Marque accreditation

Pub suggested by Lee Newton on 10 May 2004

NB: Information may be incomplete or out of date as this pub is not currently registered.

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> Current user rating: 8.2/10 (rated by 23 users)
> Local guides: Reading pub guide, Berkshire pub guide
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other pubs nearby:

Star Inn, Waltham St Lawrence (0.2 miles), Beehive, White Waltham (1.2 miles), Royal Oak, Reading (1.2 miles), White Hart, Reading (1.4 miles), Bird In Hand, Knowl Hill (1.5 miles) - see more nearby pubs

 

user reviews of the Bell, Waltham St Lawrence

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

5 most recent reviews of 20 shown - see all reviews

What can I say? If this was my local I'd be in there FAR too much. Beer is always in good nick, although service can be a bit hit-and-miss.

A local pub for local (exceedingly rich) people?
dromdick - 15 Nov 2009 15:15
Up there with the Bell at Aldworth as a 'quintessential English country pub' the Bell delivers quality ale from local/unusual breweries in top condition on a regular basis (the West Berks house brew of Old Tyler is re-badged Good Old Boy). There's usually at least one cider/perry available too.

The pub itself is a pretty ancient affair (various dates are claimed but it certainly seems to be over 250 years old) and subdivides into three rooms - the main bar, a right hand-side drinking area and a relatively new area up a couple of steps to the left, which has a more modern ambience (plus a well shaft which the curious can peer down). There's a decent garden area out the back too. Apparently the interior is CAMRA heritage-listed.

Food is available (I've never sampled) and dogs are more than welcomed, they are thoroughly encouraged. There's certainly a lot of the green welly brigade that frequent the place - up to you whether you think they're your kind of people or not. They certainly knew all the Jade Goody jokes a few weeks back so they can't be that bad. The atmosphere is usually quite bustling - there's no electronic distractions here - just chatter and banter.

My only real gripe is that bar access is severely restricted because of the layout and barflys - it's not uncommon to see a queue snaking out from the only point of access away from the bar and round the back of the tables - most off-putting.

Otherwise, this is a classic and deserves a visit from all discerning beer lovers and pub enthusiasts. Well done.
Quinno - 14 Jul 2009 20:42
This pub was in a great location at the centre of a village and had loads of character. In fact it ran the Bell at Aldworth very close in our tour around 10 Berkshire pubs. This was a fitting end to our day. West Berkshire No. 1 Brew, Moles Best, Awdwell Resolute and Cottage Tornado were the 4 real ales on offer. Although I was more impressed by the Salthill Berkshire Scrumpy and the Mr Whiteheads Midnight Special Perry. The food was also good - I had the venison with noodles, which at £14 was a little pricey but very tasty. I could imagine spending many enjoyable evenings in here. The service was professional and the locals were friendly.
blue_scrumpy - 5 May 2009 21:25
Plenty of choice of real ales, and also of rooms to drink it in. Pleasant surroundings and lovely building.
fromedrinker - 1 Mar 2009 19:40
still the best pub around by far. always great selection of changing ales and food. everyone is friendly and welcoming. will be going back for more.
saffron - 25 Dec 2008 06:13

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