The Crown & Garter

James II is said to have dropped in to this 17th-century inn en route to visit one of his mistresses; whether he needed Dutch courage, history doesn't relate. In 1676, the bodies of murderers George Broomham and Dorothy Newman were executed on nearby Combe Gibbet and their bodies were laid out in the barn. Today the historic charm of this family-run free house is best seen in the bar, where there's a huge inglenook fireplace and criss-crossing beams, and where Fuller's, Sharp's and West Berkshire beers are on tap. In addition to the bar you may eat in the candlelit, wood-panelled restaurant, on the patio, or even under an oak tree in the garden. A sample meal might consist of Brixham-landed potted shrimps with brown toast; pot roast of English lamb shank; and apple strudel with toffee ice cream. The spacious en suite bedrooms are built round a pretty garden.