Higgledy-piggledy. If there was one word to describe the White Horse pub in Westbury-on-Trym, it would be higgledy-piggledy. This pub has numerous areas both upstairs and downstairs, and more corners than the British Grand Prix at Silverstone which was showing on the big screen as I visited last Sunday.
Turn left as you enter this 300-years-old former coaching inn and you will find yourself in a small snug with an old fireplace and a grandfather clock. Wander further into the pub and a small alcove allows one person to order drinks away from the main bar, behind which is a view of what looks like an ancient cellar.
Also behind the bar are various emblems from White Horse Scotch Whisky, alongside a photograph of a grimacing Gordon Ramsay, the chef having presumably popped in for a drink between lauding accolades on Casamia just a few doors down the road.
In the high-ceilinged part of the pub where the big screen is, there is horse paraphernalia aplenty, as well as an odd selection of random items beloved in pubs like this. I found a bagatelle board, sadly just for show, a fish tank with some very shy fish, and a stuffed bird with a fine white plumage.
There is also a dart board in this back room, an increasingly rare sight in pubs nowadays, with a sign outside warning those entering from the smoking area that they might be in the line of flying miniature spears.
The beer choice on offer at the White Horse does absolutely no justice whatsoever to what could be a delightful pub. The only two when I visited were Bass and Butcombe, with Blackthorn the only cider on tap. Both varieties of Stella Artois lager might be a subtle clue as to what the pub’s clientele favour.
I was last in the White Horse on an epic 21-stop Westbury, Clifton, Redland and Cotham pub crawl. My drinking companions and I were unsure then as to what to make of it and I remain unsure now. This could be a very nice pub, but sadly it’s not, and despite its higgledy-pigglediness, its not super-duper.
The White Horse, 24 High Street, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol. 0117 9507 622.
