What can we say about The Bridge Inn? It is a totally singular and unique public house that has been in the same family for more than 120 years. Landlady Caroline Cheffers-Heard’s great grandfather William John Gibbings moved into the inn in 1897 and the family has been there ever since. In truth, there is much here that will have changed very little since that time.

The Bridge Inn is renowned by beer lovers for the range and quality of its cask-conditioned ales. The beers are dispensed by gravity directly from the cask, and Caroline ensures that they are always kept in perfect condition. Regulars may be invited personally into Caroline’s ‘parlour’ where seats are actually behind the bar itself. Otherwise there are two rooms, both with fires. In fine weather, there are outdoor tables that overlook the meandering Clyst River. While The Bridge is not known as a food pub, you can get very good if limited food here indeed: soups when available are always homemade and the likes of hot local meat and vegetarian pasties, pork pies or ploughman’s lunch are always very well done.

The Malt Room, where the malting of barley once took place (the historic malt kiln is still in place – ask to see it), today is furnished with old chairs and sofas and the room is used for private gatherings as well as regular music events. World renowned folk artists regularly perform here.

The Bridge was the first (perhaps the only) pub that HM The Queen ever visited in 1998. You can find out more here.