The Chequers, Chipping Norton

Chipping Norton

The town's own living room

Some pubs you visit and some pubs you simply fall into, and The Chequers belongs firmly to the second kind. It sits on Goddards Lane, right at the old entrance to Chipping Norton's market place, in what is reckoned to be the oldest building in town. The bones of it are medieval, well over five hundred years old, and it traded as The Anchor until the name changed to the Chequers in the 1790s. You feel all of that history the moment you duck under the door: low beams, worn flagstones, and the particular hush that only centuries of use can settle into a room.

These days it is a Fuller's pub, which means the cellar is looked after properly. The bar spreads across a few small connected rooms, each with its own flagstones, beams and log fire, so on a cold afternoon you can chase the warmest corner and stay put. There are usually several ales on, a mix of Fuller's own and guest breweries, alongside the wines and craft beers you would expect. Behind the front rooms the pub opens out into an airier restaurant, and the kitchen keeps things honest: freshly cooked pub food built on local seasonal produce, the sort of plates that arrive without ceremony and disappear quickly. It is dog-friendly too, which matters if your walk has ended in muddy paws.

We tend to end up here on the evenings when we want something unfussy after a full day out. There is no need to dress it up or plan it much: you wander in, find a fire, order a pint and settle. For us it is about fifteen minutes by car from the cottage, dropping down into Chippy through the lanes, and there is usually parking to be found in the town in the evening. If you would rather leave the car behind, a taxi back is a short and cheap one.

Pair it with the theatre

The happy accident of The Chequers is where it stands. The Theatre Chipping Norton is quite literally next door, so the pub has long doubled as the green room for anyone with tickets. We like to arrive early, eat before the show, then come back afterwards for a nightcap while the crowd spills out onto the lane. It is one of the easiest good evenings the area offers: a proper little theatre and a proper old pub, side by side, with nothing to organise between them.

Make a day of it in Chippy

Even without a show, the pub rewards a slow afternoon in town. Chipping Norton is an easy place to wander: the wide market square, the independent shops that keep going against the odds, the honey-coloured stone and the steep little streets. Do the loop, poke into a few doorways, and you will arrive at The Chequers ready for it. It sits a few doors from the everyday shops as well, so it slots neatly into a run into town for the M&S Foodhall or a browse before lunch. When you want the fuller picture of where to eat and drink nearby, our guide to eating and drinking in the area runs from village pubs to farm-to-table kitchens.

Good to know before you go

• Where it isGoddards Lane, at the old entrance to the market place, next door to the theatre. About fifteen minutes by car from the cottage.
• The drinkA Fuller's pub with several ales on at once, Fuller's own and guests, plus wines and craft beer. The cellar is well kept.
• The foodFreshly cooked pub food using local seasonal produce, served in the rooms up front or the airier restaurant behind.
• The settingSeveral small connected rooms, all flagstones, beams and log fires. Dog-friendly, and easy to settle into for the evening.
• Best paired withA show at the theatre next door, or a slow afternoon wandering Chippy beforehand.

“If you want a proper pint and a pie without any fuss, The Chequers is where to go. It feels like it's been there forever, and hopefully it will be.”

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Also nearby

• The Blue Boar · Pub · Chipping Norton
• M&S Chipping Norton · Foodhall · Chipping Norton
• The Theatre Chipping Norton · Theatre · next door