Pubs And Inns Near Corsham
With a history dating back more than 1,000 years, there is plenty to learn about Corsham. Many of our Wiltshire pubs are within close proximity to Corsham, offering the perfect place to have a bite to eat or a refreshing drink before (or after) exploring this ancient market town.
The Crown
Settle in front of the cracking open fire at The Crown pub in Dyrham with a pint of Butcombe real ale. With its rustic stone-clad interior, authentic wooden beams, and a beautiful beer garden, you can be sure of a relaxing drink at The Crown after a busy day in Corsham. Sample the comforting menu at the on-site restaurant, chock-full of pub classics, with options for all dietary requirements, and the pickiest eaters.
The King’s Arms
The King’s Arms pub is a charming, 18th-century inn located in picturesque Melksham. Whether you’re stopping by after a visit to Corsham to sample their hand-pulled real ales, enjoy their menu of seasonal, home-cooked food or while away the hours in their inviting beer garden, you can be sure a very warm welcome awaits you.
The Methuen Arms
Formerly a nunnery, The Methuen Arms pub was transformed into coaching inn and brewery from 1608, full of history and character. With a passion for great food and drink at its core, the pub serves up a mouth-watering menu of food lovingly made with ingredients sourced from its kitchen garden. It also boasts a tasty range of award-winning beers and ales, perfect for sipping al fresco style in the pub’s spacious beer garden after a lovely day in Corsham.
The Northey Arms
Located in beautiful Box on the outskirts of Bath, The Northey Arms is a stunning pub and inn steeped in history, with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. We’re passionate about great food and drink, with an all-day food offer focused on seasonal, locally sourced produce and hearty pub classics. Behind the bar you’ll find plenty of award-winning Butcombe beer and cider, and a wide range of wine and cocktails. A haven for families, walkers, cyclists and locals fresh from a visit to Corsham, The Northey boasts a large beer garden, an extensive children’s play area and huge carpark.
The Quarrymans Arms
The Quarryman’s Arms inn is a family-friendly country pub located in picturesque Box Hill. The boozer offers a mouth-watering menu featuring pub favourites made with the finest seasonal produce, as well as award-winning pies and sausage rolls and the best Sunday roast in the area. Behind the bar, you’ll find a delicious selection of ales, craft beers, local ciders and wines, while outside the pub’s newly-covered and heated beer garden is an ideal place to unwind after a visit to Corsham.
History Of Corsham
With Royal Saxon origins, Corsham was historically a centre for agriculture, but like many of Wiltshire’s towns, it developed a thriving wool industry during medieval times.
Even after the decline of the wool trade, the town maintained its prosperity through the export of Bath stone (also known as oolitic limestone). Initially quarried for local use, the stone was discovered in droves during the digging of the nearby Box Tunnel for the Great Western Railway, meaning there was not only enough stone to sell to other English towns, but also an easy way of transporting it thanks to the newly-built railway line.
Corsham has links to the literary world as the inspiration for Charles Dickens’ novel The Pickwick Papers, with the novel’s name is thought to be borrowed from Moses Pickwick – a Corsham local who ran coaches between Bath and London.
What To See And Do In Corsham
Corsham’s must-see attractions include Corsham Court – a Grade I-listed country house with a famous art collection and beautiful landscaped gardens. Elsewhere, the town’s historic High Street is home to an array of interesting and independent shops, mostly built from Bath Stone.
Other interesting sights include the Flemish Weavers Cottages – a row of Grade II-listed, 17th century houses situated at the end of the High Street. They were built for a group of Flemish weavers that had fled from religious persecution in their homeland and became integral to the town’s weaving industry. Corsham’s vibrant hub of music, theatre and art – The Pound – also shouldn’t be missed.
Visitors should also keep an eye out for Corsham’s famous peacocks, which roam freely from their home at Corsham Court throughout the town’s cobbled streets!
Corsham Court
Belonging to the Methuen family for eight generations, Corsham Court is one of England’s finest stately homes.
Upon buying Corsham Court in the mid-eighteenth-century, Paul Methuen began transforming the Elizabethan manor into a setting for his collection of Italian and Flemish paintings. He commissioned Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown to design a picture gallery, which still houses the famous Methuen/Sanford art collection to this day, and features Old Master works by Van Dyck, Carlo Dolci and Lippi.
Corsham Court is surrounded by stunning gardens and parkland, again designed by Capability Brown, as well as a 13-acre lake.
Corsham On The Big Screen
Corsham has provided the backdrop for a number of film and TV productions, including The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Larkrise to Candleford and The Remains of the Day.
Most famously, the town featured in the BBC hit drama Poldark starring Aidan Turner. The High Street was reimagined as an 18th century version of the busy Cornish town of Truro, with modern shop fronts and neat parking spaces replaced by dirt-covered roads, rickety carts and wandering horses!