Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/The-Old-Crown-Exterior-2.jpg" alt="The Old Crown Coaching Inn Faringdon" class="wp-image-176904" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/The-Old-Crown-Exterior-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/The-Old-Crown-Exterior-2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/The-Old-Crown-Exterior-2-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-location">THE LOCATION</h2>



<p>True to its name, this is a proper old coaching inn which dates from the 16th Century. You could drive a coach and horses over the cobbles through its massive wooden doors and straight into the Market Place, complete with the Corn Exchange and the timber-framed Market Hall on stone pillars. History buffs will love Faringdon &#8211; and this pub in the heart of the town &#8211; for all these nuggets of interest (here’s a good one: Oliver Cromwell stayed at The Old Crown Coaching Inn during the Civil War). If you’ve got kids in tow, send them off hunting for the random signs around Market Place, put up by a mischievous Lord in the 1930s and bearing messages like: ‘Children Left Unattended Will be Sold to the Circus’.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE</h2>



<p>The hotel is best entered from the Market Place so you get a proper flavour of the place and its cobbled courtyard, although there is parking at the back if you need it. (Plan your entrance carefully owing to Faringdon’s one-way system and bus lanes). The reception is part of the wine and cocktail bar, JJs, which is named after Judge Jeffreys, The Hanging Judge, who earned his moniker thanks to the brutal sentences he handed down in the courtroom on what is now the pub’s first floor. We slept on this floor, eek!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220513.652-1000x667.jpg" alt="JJ's Bar at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176201" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220513.652-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220513.652-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220513.652-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220513.652.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The bar is a modern but inviting space with neon signage, teal subway tiles, lime chairs and peacock wallpaper &#8211; trust me, it all tones in. The best table&#8217;s the cosy banquette under the window. It&#8217;s a convivial atmosphere in winter or summer, with festoon lighting strung outside and backlit spirits bottles lining the shelf behind the bar. In summer the courtyard hosts BBQs and the bar is a live music venue &#8211; it&#8217;s the kind of versatile place every town needs.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pillow-talk">PILLOW TALK</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220626.896-1000x667.jpg" alt="The Courtroom at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176202" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220626.896-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220626.896-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220626.896-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220626.896.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>We stayed in the Courtroom bedroom (the hotel&#8217;s suite), which was up a pleasingly wonky staircase from the courtyard. I was later told it&#8217;s a fine example of an Elizabethan external stairway called the Judge’s Staircase, and one of only two remaining in England. The Courtroom was so-named for its history but could also warrant the title because I reckon you could play a racquet sport in there.</p>



<p>If you like space, this is your place. A massive four-poster bed fits in with bags of room to spare, alongside a dressing table, mirror, two sofas and an enormous flatscreen TV. It’s the perfect room to bed down for a full cinema experience, or just to watch the comings and goings in the courtyard below your windows. The room&#8217;s high plasterwork ceiling, panelling and wide door are all original features, but the furniture and room amenities are bang up to date and ticked all the mod con boxes: comfortable bed, immaculate linen and a decent Nespresso coffee machine. The bathroom was equally spacious, with separate shower and bath and Duck Island toiletries.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220434.121-1000x667.jpg" alt="A margarita at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176203" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220434.121-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220434.121-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220434.121-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220434.121.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>JJ’s has an enticing and extremely reasonable cocktail menu (around the £10 mark). My spicy margarita with homemade jalapeño tequila and a salty chilli and lime rim was perfectly flavoured, with just the right amount of kick. There was also a really strong list of low and no-alcohol cocktails, so the driver doesn&#8217;t have to miss out on the fancy drinks round. There’s also a second bar that&#8217;s more Olde Worlde in feel. It&#8217;s currently undergoing a refurb, so you’ll just have to wait for the Muddy verdict on that.</p>



<p>While we’re on the subject of booze, the wine menu has nine wines by the glass, plus one sparkling wine and a Prosecco. By the bottle, the selection has plenty of crowd-pleasers at a good price point (below £50), but also push-the-boat out options like the £125 cabernet/merlot blend and some unexpected options like a Greek red and an English Pinot Gris.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220715.849-1000x667.jpg" alt="The Ballroom Restaurant at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176204" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220715.849-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220715.849-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220715.849-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220715.849.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>We ordered a delicious Chenin Blanc and settled down at a table in the hotel’s Ballroom Restaurant, which has been cleverly furnished with huge ironwork chandeliers, bronze hares, modern art and a faux cherry tree in blossom to create ambience. This large square room with high ceilings is decorated in neutral hues and has the warmth and the feel of somewhere luxe, but not stuffy. It was quiet on the Tuesday night we visited, but there was a bit of buzz coming up the stairs from chatter in the bar below and decent music playing so it didn’t lack atmosphere.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220656.674-1000x667.jpg" alt="Torched mackerel at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176205" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220656.674-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220656.674-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220656.674-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220656.674.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>We started with a Japanese milk bread and herb butter that was packed with flavour. My starter of torched mackerel with celeriac looked great on the plate with micro leaves and nuts adding zing and crunch on the top, and the crispy chicken with sweetcorn, jalapeno, and coriander cress was seriously good. I could have had a main of it, in fact &#8211; it was really delicate with a crisp edge and fresh accompaniments.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220406.424-1000x667.jpg" alt="Crispy chicken at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176206" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220406.424-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220406.424-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220406.424-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220406.424.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Mains were equally elegantly presented. The burger was obviously homemade with a well-seasoned thick patty, soft bun and piquant red onion jam. As a nice contrast, the Atlantic cod with pickled girolles, parsnip and tarragon veloute was fresh and light with al dente veg in the broth around it.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220335.743-1000x667.jpg" alt="The Apple dessert at the Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon, Oxon" class="wp-image-176207" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220335.743-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220335.743-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220335.743-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-05T220335.743.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Desserts were superb &#8211; it isn’t hard to see how The Old Crown Coaching Inn has earned its two AA Rosettes with chef Samuel Squires at the helm. His take on modern British dining using seasonal ingredients with fun, elegant presentation is really special. Take ‘The Apple’, our superb dessert (above) &#8211; it looked like a neat apple on the plate but had contrasting soft and crunchy textures and tangy/fresh flavours. A real highlight.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When we took breakfast in the bar the following morning, the other guests mostly appeared to be on mid-week business stays, eating alone over a newspaper. I imagine the vibe is very different at the weekends. There was a good range on offer to start the day. We chose porridge with jam, Greek yoghurt with granola and berries, and eggs florentine and smashed avocado on toast with poached eggs. All were served swiftly and cooked perfectly. The coffee was also decent &#8211; what more can you ask?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-amp-about-nbsp">OUT &amp; ABOUT&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Activities of all sorts are available on the doorstep. Right close to the hotel is <a href="https://www.thelotusretreat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lotus Retreat</a>,&nbsp; a centre for yoga, pilates and massages. If you fancy exploring the countryside, you can amble the short distance to Faringdon Folly just outside town, or Lord Faringdon&#8217;s Buscot Park is 3km away to check out this gorgeous National Trust stately and art collection. Feeling active? The hotel can organise bike rental through <a href="https://www.farcycles.org.uk/">Farcycles</a>, based in Faringdon, or Frilford Heath Golf Club is 5km away. If you need more diversions, hop in the car for 20 mins and explore the endless delights of Oxford.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-accessibility">ACCESSIBILITY</h2>



<p>Access to this Grade II listed property is challenging due to the cobbles and steps throughout.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ev-charging">EV CHARGING</h2>



<p>Nearby&nbsp;Southampton Street car park (SN7 7DX) has 12 charging points.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dog-friendly">DOG FRIENDLY?</h2>



<p>Some of the 14 bedrooms are dog friendly &#8211; just ask when you&#8217;re booking. A small £10 charge will be added to the bill for pets.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="674" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/TOCCI-exterior-1.jpg" alt="Old Crown Coaching Inn" class="wp-image-176907" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/TOCCI-exterior-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/TOCCI-exterior-1-800x539.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/TOCCI-exterior-1-400x270.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Foodies looking for a date night or groups of friends after really decent cocktails at a reasonable price. The food and drink has all the finesse of a Cotswold gastropub but without the pretentiousness of some trendy spots. It&#8217;s also well placed between Oxford and Swindon and close to the Oxon/Glos/Wilts border, making it a perfect stopover point.  </p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong> The restaurant&#8217;s food has more flair than most kids&#8217; palates will appreciate, so it wouldn&#8217;t be my first choice for a family meal. However it does a great children&#8217;s menu for Sunday lunch, so head to The Ballroom at the weekend if you&#8217;re looking to dine out <em>en famille</em>. </p>



<p><strong>The damage:</strong> Starters are around £11 and mains £25. If you&#8217;re looking for a night away, the Courtroom starts at £210 per night, or £242 with breakfast. Doubles range from £84 to £105 per night, or £116 to £137 with breakfast.</p>



<p><strong><em><a href="https://www.theoldcrowncoachinginn.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Old Crown Coaching Inn</a>, 25 Market Place, Faringdon SN7 7HU. Tel: 01367 242744</em>.</strong></p>


Review: The Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon

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