The Old Bar Guidebook
Sightseeing
Lacock: about 5 miles away, a National Trust village dating from the 13th Century that has lots to see and has been used in multiple TV and film productions, including Pride and Prejudice, Emma. Downton Abbey, Wolf Hall and His Dark Materials. Lacock Abbey, which was founded in 1232, also featured in the Harry Potter films and is definitely worth a visit, as well as the Fox Talbot Museum of Photography.
Lacock
Lacock: about 5 miles away, a National Trust village dating from the 13th Century that has lots to see and has been used in multiple TV and film productions, including Pride and Prejudice, Emma. Downton Abbey, Wolf Hall and His Dark Materials. Lacock Abbey, which was founded in 1232, also featured in the Harry Potter films and is definitely worth a visit, as well as the Fox Talbot Museum of Photography.
Castle Combe: about 6 miles away. You may recognise it from chocolate boxes and jigsaws! Often named as the prettiest village in England. Has featured regularly as a film location, most recently in The Wolf Man, Stardust and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. It was also used in the original Dr Doolittle film.
214 recommandé par les habitants
Castle Combe
Castle Combe: about 6 miles away. You may recognise it from chocolate boxes and jigsaws! Often named as the prettiest village in England. Has featured regularly as a film location, most recently in The Wolf Man, Stardust and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. It was also used in the original Dr Doolittle film.
Bradford on Avon: about 19 miles away, an historic Cotswold town, which is a bit like a smaller version of Bath and very picturesque. There is a lovely river/ canal walk that includes some nice pubs.
189 recommandé par les habitants
Bradford-on-Avon
Bradford on Avon: about 19 miles away, an historic Cotswold town, which is a bit like a smaller version of Bath and very picturesque. There is a lovely river/ canal walk that includes some nice pubs.
Cirencester: about 23 miles away, sometimes called the capital of the Cotswolds. A Roman town (Corinium Dobunnorum) that was second only to London in Roman times. Picturesque and lots of places to eat and drink. You can also see the remains of two Roman villas nearby.
373 recommandé par les habitants
Cirencester
Cirencester: about 23 miles away, sometimes called the capital of the Cotswolds. A Roman town (Corinium Dobunnorum) that was second only to London in Roman times. Picturesque and lots of places to eat and drink. You can also see the remains of two Roman villas nearby.
Avebury Stone Circle: about 15 miles away, part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site and dating from around 2850 BC. There is also a museum and Manor House. The nearby town of Marlborough is also worth a visit afterwards and is a good place for food.
332 recommandé par les habitants
Avebury
Avebury Stone Circle: about 15 miles away, part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site and dating from around 2850 BC. There is also a museum and Manor House. The nearby town of Marlborough is also worth a visit afterwards and is a good place for food.
Westonbirt National Arboretum: about 16 miles away, home to 2,500 different species from around the world and includes a tree top walkway.
7 recommandé par les habitants
Westonbirt
Westonbirt National Arboretum: about 16 miles away, home to 2,500 different species from around the world and includes a tree top walkway.
Cotswold Water Park about 21 miles away, is a unique wetlands area of over 40 square miles and 180 lakes. In addition to a wide range of watersports, there are loads of other activities that you can book.
126 recommandé par les habitants
Parc aquatique de Cotswold
Rigsby's LaneCotswold Water Park about 21 miles away, is a unique wetlands area of over 40 square miles and 180 lakes. In addition to a wide range of watersports, there are loads of other activities that you can book.
Longleat House & Safari Park: about 25 miles away, is the UK’s No.1 safari park and has various seasonal events going on through the year.
108 recommandé par les habitants
Longleat House
Longleat House & Safari Park: about 25 miles away, is the UK’s No.1 safari park and has various seasonal events going on through the year.
Bristol: about 27 miles away. Definitely a city worth visiting and again we would recommend travelling by train (about 30 mins). Things to do include visiting the Harbourside Area, including Brunel’s SS Great Britain, and all its bars, shops and restaurants plus a trip on the ferry around the harbour. Cabot Circus is the main shopping area, with the Clifton Village area offering more independent shops.
314 recommandé par les habitants
Bristol
Bristol: about 27 miles away. Definitely a city worth visiting and again we would recommend travelling by train (about 30 mins). Things to do include visiting the Harbourside Area, including Brunel’s SS Great Britain, and all its bars, shops and restaurants plus a trip on the ferry around the harbour. Cabot Circus is the main shopping area, with the Clifton Village area offering more independent shops.
Stonehenge
Historic stately home, home to the Lansdowne family. Great gardens and full of history.
129 recommandé par les habitants
Maison et jardins de Bowood
Old RoadHistoric stately home, home to the Lansdowne family. Great gardens and full of history.
Aprrox. 5 miles away along the A4. 16th century stately home owned by the Methuen family. Corsham is a lovely small town with beautiful architecture and interesting independent shops. The Court park is great for walks.
42 recommandé par les habitants
Corsham Court
Church StreetAprrox. 5 miles away along the A4. 16th century stately home owned by the Methuen family. Corsham is a lovely small town with beautiful architecture and interesting independent shops. The Court park is great for walks.
Neighbourhoods
Welcome!
For many (happy) years, this was “Stu’s bar” and enjoyed by our family and friends on many memorable occasions. Especially as it was free (except to us!). We had lots of fun celebrations and Stu’s excellent (but very strong) cocktails were infamous! We decided to convert the space to a guesthouse in 2020 and knocked out the bar a week before the first lockdown! If ever there was a time we would have liked a home bar, that was it! Work was delayed a little but, once everything opened up, we were able to crack on with the work and we are now very pleased with the result…..
We really want you to enjoy your stay with us as much as possible. We are around if you need anything or just want advice about places to eat or things to do outside of this guide. Stu has lived in Chippenham for more than half a century so knows (almost) everything there is to know about the local area. However, if you prefer to get on with things on your own, that is perfectly ok too!
This is just a brief guide to the essentials.
Local amenities
Coming out of The Old Bar and turning right and first left gets you onto Lodge Road.
If you turn right and walk 5 minutes, you will reach a small group of shops, including a Tesco Express and a chemist, the local GP surgery and The Old Lane, which has standard, value for money pub fare. Here is also Pewsham Chinese Kitchen, with a comprehensive menu of Chinese, Thai and Malaysian Food, pretty reliable most of the time, closed on Mondays
Other good takeaways are:
Langley Fish Bar – traditional fish and chips takeaway only – in our opinion the best in Chippenham.
Buckles Fish and Chips (next to the bus station) is a local chain and also very good and you can eat in.
The Taj Mahal for Indian food, gets mixed reviews but has been fine for us.
If you turn left onto Lodge Road and then right at the roundabout, The Pewsham is about a mile away. It’s a grade 2 listed pub, dating back to 1755, that re-opened in August 2021 after a comprehensive refurbishment. It also has a coffee shop. Haven’t tried it yet but have heard positive things.
Chippenham town centre (about a mile in the other direction) has lots of coffee shops, bars and places to eat. In our opinion, the top picks are Jolly’s Irish Café (amazing breakfasts), La Passione for Italian food, The Gladstone Arms (good food and a good atmosphere) and The Angel Hotel (a 17th Century Coaching Inn, nice for a drink in the garden patio area) and The Prince of Wales Micro-Pub (great for craft beer enthusiasts and handy for the train station)
Further afield, nearby villages have some lovely pubs with good food. Stand outs for us are two just outside Lacock: The Rising Sun, which has a lovely outside area and views over the Wiltshire countryside, and The Bell, which also has great food.
There are so many amazing places to eat and drink in Bath (10 mins from Chippenham by train) but some of our favourites are The Elder for fine dining and Corkage, a great independent wine bar and restaurant with amazing food, Taylor’s Bagels (the biggest and best you will ever find) and Schwartz Brothers (so much better than McDonalds!) for local takeaways. Bar-wise, Wolf The Saloon and The Dark Horse are special.
Pablo’s Bistro is a good tapas restaurant in Bradford on Avon and there is a Rick Stein fish restaurant in Marlborough.
18 recommandé par les habitants
Chippenham
Welcome!
For many (happy) years, this was “Stu’s bar” and enjoyed by our family and friends on many memorable occasions. Especially as it was free (except to us!). We had lots of fun celebrations and Stu’s excellent (but very strong) cocktails were infamous! We decided to convert the space to a guesthouse in 2020 and knocked out the bar a week before the first lockdown! If ever there was a time we would have liked a home bar, that was it! Work was delayed a little but, once everything opened up, we were able to crack on with the work and we are now very pleased with the result…..
We really want you to enjoy your stay with us as much as possible. We are around if you need anything or just want advice about places to eat or things to do outside of this guide. Stu has lived in Chippenham for more than half a century so knows (almost) everything there is to know about the local area. However, if you prefer to get on with things on your own, that is perfectly ok too!
This is just a brief guide to the essentials.
Local amenities
Coming out of The Old Bar and turning right and first left gets you onto Lodge Road.
If you turn right and walk 5 minutes, you will reach a small group of shops, including a Tesco Express and a chemist, the local GP surgery and The Old Lane, which has standard, value for money pub fare. Here is also Pewsham Chinese Kitchen, with a comprehensive menu of Chinese, Thai and Malaysian Food, pretty reliable most of the time, closed on Mondays
Other good takeaways are:
Langley Fish Bar – traditional fish and chips takeaway only – in our opinion the best in Chippenham.
Buckles Fish and Chips (next to the bus station) is a local chain and also very good and you can eat in.
The Taj Mahal for Indian food, gets mixed reviews but has been fine for us.
If you turn left onto Lodge Road and then right at the roundabout, The Pewsham is about a mile away. It’s a grade 2 listed pub, dating back to 1755, that re-opened in August 2021 after a comprehensive refurbishment. It also has a coffee shop. Haven’t tried it yet but have heard positive things.
Chippenham town centre (about a mile in the other direction) has lots of coffee shops, bars and places to eat. In our opinion, the top picks are Jolly’s Irish Café (amazing breakfasts), La Passione for Italian food, The Gladstone Arms (good food and a good atmosphere) and The Angel Hotel (a 17th Century Coaching Inn, nice for a drink in the garden patio area) and The Prince of Wales Micro-Pub (great for craft beer enthusiasts and handy for the train station)
Further afield, nearby villages have some lovely pubs with good food. Stand outs for us are two just outside Lacock: The Rising Sun, which has a lovely outside area and views over the Wiltshire countryside, and The Bell, which also has great food.
There are so many amazing places to eat and drink in Bath (10 mins from Chippenham by train) but some of our favourites are The Elder for fine dining and Corkage, a great independent wine bar and restaurant with amazing food, Taylor’s Bagels (the biggest and best you will ever find) and Schwartz Brothers (so much better than McDonalds!) for local takeaways. Bar-wise, Wolf The Saloon and The Dark Horse are special.
Pablo’s Bistro is a good tapas restaurant in Bradford on Avon and there is a Rick Stein fish restaurant in Marlborough.