Grosvenor Arms, Shaftesbury

Official site of Grosvenor Arms - www.thegrosvenorarms.co.uk

Official site of Grosvenor Arms - www.thegrosvenorarms.co.uk

Originally The Red Lion, this 15th Century former coaching inn was bought by the Grosvenor family and renamed in 1820. It has recently been extensively refurbished and now has an open, 21st Century style best described as 'Habitat meets Laura Ashley'. Few of the original features remain, but there is the odd glimpse of original stonework, old fireplace or Georgian wood panel to belie the modern image. The former stable yard is now a central courtyard, complete with working fountain. The ground floor rooms have been opened out to form light, airy dining and function rooms, and there is a large comfortable bar with plush comfy chairs. There is also a function room upstairs, worth visiting as an architectural curio. The clientele are mainly tourists and diners, the prices being so high as to deter most locals other than, as one member of staff told me, those with money to burn. The staff are young, enthusiastic and welcoming. There was one ale on – Keystone Gold Hill, a reference to Shaftesbury's only real claim to fame, the nearby 'Hovis Hill'. The beer was in superb condition but at £4.00 a pint, overpriced by about 12% compared to other local pubs. They change the ale weekly but will only put one barrel on at a time as it's 'not very popular'. If you can get past the prices, this is a good place to spend time if you want good food and drink, and excellent ale, in tranquil surroundings.