Olde Black Bear
68 High Street TewkesburyTewkesbury
GL20 5BJ
See more about this pub on CAMRA's national web site
Ye Olde Black Bear serves Wye Valley and a number of changing beers as well as meals. It has undergone major, sympathetic refurbishment during the last six years. The oldest inn in Gloucestershire, dating from 1308, features many separate rambling bar areas, one boasting leatherwork on the ceiling that dates to the 17th century. Note the glass covered stairwell by the bar - this leads to a passage supposedly linking the inn to the abbey. Part of the building was originally the stables. The inn's front door is reputedly the second oldest in the area. Reports suggest resident ghosts (including an old lady and a cavalier). A pleasant terrace patio overlooks the garden, the river Avon (moorings available - where children under supervision can feed the ducks) and St John's bridge. The former stables, now an integral part of the pub, was used as a hospital during the Battle of the Roses.