Issue 96 August - September 2016 FREEFREEFREE please take one the Oxford Drinker The free newsletter of the Oxford and White Horse Branches of CAMRA www.oxford.camra.org.uk www.whitehorsecamra.org.uk August - September 2016 96 2 the Oxford Drinker 96 August - September 2016 Contents Welcome Branch Diary 5 Pubs closing and pubs 15 What’s going on in Oxford opening branch Prost! 16 Oxford CAMRA’s trip to Bavaria The OOxfordxford Drinker is the newsletter of the Oxford and White Horse Volunteers needed branches of CAMRA, the Campaign 17 Do you want to vote for for Real Ale. our Pub of the Year? 5000 copies are distributed free of charge to pubs across the two Tony’s Travels branches’ area, including Oxford, Abingdon, Witney, Faringdon, 18 Mr Goulding looks at the Eynsham, Kidlington, Bampton, pubs of Kidlington Wheatley and Wantage and most of Eynsham the villages in between. 6 A crawl around the pubs Brewery News We have recently relaunched our of Eynsham 20 New beers and new website and pdf downloads are now breweries available there once again. Memory Lane 8 Angels, greyhounds and From the Stars Editorial team: meadows 22 Matt reports on another Editor: Dave Richardson successful festival [email protected]@oxfordcamra.org.uk Pub News Advertising: Tony Goulding or Matt 10 A round-up of all the White Horse Bullock latest news locally 24 White Horse branch news [email protected] [email protected]@oxfordcamra.org.uk and diary Tony: 07588 181313 Matt: 07977 517514 CAMRA’s Future 12 CAMRA’s revitalisation Festival Diary Layout/Design: Matt Bullock 27 project A selection of summer Valuable contributions have been festivals to enjoy received for this issue from Richard Save your pub Queralt, Matt Ford, Chris Bamford, 14 Abingdon visited Dick Bosley, Matt Bullock, Tony Explaining Assets of Goulding, Pete Flynn, and Michael Community Value 30 Pete’s guide to Abingdon Sibbald. pubs—part 1 Please send contributions to the editor at the above email address. Pub news can be sent to [email protected]@oxfordcamra.org.uk The views expressed in this publication are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Oxford or White Horse Branches of CAMRA, or of CAMRA Limited. Messing about Printed by Ox Uni Print, Kidlington 31 ….on the River Thames www.oxuniprint.co.uk from Abingdon © Copyright Oxford CAMRA 2016 the Oxford Drinker 3 August - September 2016 96 4 the Oxford Drinker 96 August - September 2016 Welcome ….. as one pub THE OPENING of one new pub and anymore, and that story has likely closure of a long- been repeated time and time door opens, established village hostelry are again. Will it be missed? Could among the things you can read it be revived as a gastro-pub, or another closes about in this issue, and both whatever? Maybe we should developments are symptomatic accept that some places have of what is happening on the too many pubs, and in Eynsham pubs scene nationally. While – unlike small villages and there are arguably too many some parts of Oxford – there pubs in some places, there are other pubs within easy never seem to be enough in walking distance of the Queen’s others. Head. Oxford City is of course the In this issue you can also read place that can’t get enough, and about how CAMRA can help yet another drinking save threatened pubs, by establishment opens on George getting them listed as Assets of Street this summer in the shape Community Value (ACVs). of Pint Shop (see Pub News). It Listing doesn’t guarantee a promises up to 24 beers, 92 pub’s future but it does offer a gins and drinking and dining stay of execution in case space for over 200 people, and someone can come up with the while many of the beers will be money, and it does ensure that craft kegs, there is likely to be a planning permission is good choice of real ale too as at necessary before conversion to the first Pint Shop, in other uses. Cambridge, listed in the Good BELOW: Peter Jones at the Beer Guide. As many drinkers feel, the battle Queens Head in Eynsham for real ale has been won but George Street’s pubs and the battle to save pubs is restaurants appeal to a mainly ongoing. Read about scenarios young crowd, so Pint Shop may for the future direction of well succeed despite all the CAMRA on pages 12-13, and competition around it. But the your views are always welcome outlook for pubs in the suburbs by using the Contacts of Oxford and in towns and information. villages is more variable, and there have already been many Enjoy the rest of the summer, closures. but spare a thought for people running pubs who give good As you will read in the Eynsham service to the community but feature (on page 6) the Queen’s find life a struggle. They can’t all Head may well close later this set up shop on George Street, year as the long-serving tenant and with every pub that closes, – over 30 years at the same a little of our traditional way of pub – calls it a day. It’s sad to life disappears along with it. hear that such a hard working person can’t make a living DAVE RICHARDSON the Oxford Drinker 5 August - September 2016 96 Anyone for Eynsham? Dave Richardson BEARING IN MIND the national have a broader range of beer climate, Eynsham has led a and a broader range of visits a village charmed life in recent years customers. midway between with only one pub, the Star Inn, Oxford and Witney having closed. Sadly there may We found Punch Taverns’ Jolly soon be another, as I Sportsman closed temporarily discovered when visiting seven for a revamp, with only a Doom of the eight pubs in this Bar pump visible through the attractive village (the eighth is window. But just along the the Evenlode, a carvery pub on street is the Swan Hotel, where the main A40 road). I found some decent beer in the shape of Otter’s Amber (4%) In Market Place I read about the and Purity’s ever reliable Ubu history of a village once (4.5%), with a half of each going dominated by a medieval down a treat. Hook Norton abbey, which includes this: beers are regularly available “With the mass of people and here and recent guests had availability of alcohol, the included Timothy Taylor markets could be dangerous Boltmaker and Upham places and on one occasion, Brewery’s Punter – evidence two Oxford students were killed that the pub, with four hand in a riot.” It’s more peaceful pumps, takes its beer seriously. nowadays. I turned my steps towards the Red Lion. The Swan is a 17th century building which is also a small This is a large pub sorely in hotel, and it opened a Thai need of some TLC, and I wish restaurant in February. new landlady Marion Roberts Landlords Keith O’Malley and good luck in her efforts to Alexandra Davies have been at restore it. The Red Lion is a this Enterprise Inns property for former Greene King pub now just over a year and seem to be owned by Hawthorn Leisure, making a success of it, whose agreement to source including live sports, pool, Aunt beer from GK appears to have Sally and darts. lapsed. Sharp’s Doom Bar and Timothy Taylor Landlord were It was now time to move into the on the bar but both were off, so back streets to seek out the I had to have a keg cider. White Hart, a building dating Marion hopes to get a third from 1366 which became a pub hand pump in service as she in 1750, adopting its current recognises the importance of name in 1835. It was once a real ale, and she also hopes to coaching inn and still does bed resume basic pub grub as no and breakfast, with a large food was being served in July. garden at the rear which you might not notice if you don’t go It’s a pub with great potential, through the gate. with lots of space and a large garden. But at present it’s not a It’s obviously very old with two place I wanted to linger, and deep fireplaces (one hopefully on my next visit it will functioning) and thick walls, and 6 the Oxford Drinker 96 August - September 2016 this is another pub with great close. Peter has run it for while a third hand pump usually potential for its new landlady, Courage, Watney Mann, dispenses another local or a Cynthia Caspers, a Namibian Whitbread, Morland, Greene Cornish ale. The railway who welcomed the chance to King and then Admiral, but the themed lounge bar is a treat – move from London via the returns have been diminishing. Eynsham lost its passenger Three Horseshoes in service in 1964 – but the Garsington. It’s a Greene King “We’ve always been a mementoes will go to a good house with only two real ales on traditional pub selling a bit of home. – the insipid IPA and a summer food, but Eynsham has become special, Doosra, a distinctly a retirement village and people On the way back home – malty 4.2% pale ale named don’t come out as much as they courtesy of Tony Goulding’s after a cricketing manoeuvre. used to,” he says. “Young wonderful not-for-profit taxi Let’s hope guest beers from the people don’t seem to drink service! – there was just time to GK range make an appearance much, as the health message stop off at the food oriented in future.