Stratford’s Historic Ale Trail: A Pub Passport

Six of Stratford-upon-Avon's most historic pubs, from the Garrick to the Old Thatch, with a passport you can tick off on your phone as you go.

By Alex Harrington 4 min read Fact-checked
The Black Swan (Dirty Duck) pub on Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon’s old pubs are some of the best places to feel the town’s history: timber frames, low beams and centuries of stories. This trail takes in six of them, all within walking distance of the town centre apart from the Bell in Shottery, which is a pleasant walk out past Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Tick each one off as you go. Your progress is saved on your phone. Wondering which is the oldest? Two of them claim the title: here’s what the records say.

On this page
  1. Your Historic Ale Trail passport
  2. Which is the oldest pub in Stratford-upon-Avon?
  3. A suggested route
  4. Good to know

Your Historic Ale Trail passport

0 of 6 pubs visited

  1. Reputedly Stratford’s oldest pub, in a timber-framed building from the 1590s rebuild after the town’s great fires. An inn since 1718, it was called the Greyhound until 1795, when it was renamed after the actor David Garrick.

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  2. The only thatched building in the town centre, licensed since 1623, with its own claim to be the oldest pub in town.

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  3. The newest stop: a family-run micropub that has poured more than 1,600 different beers since 2013. Check opening hours before you go.

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  4. The actors’ pub for generations, opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, with RSC photos on the walls and a terrace over the river.

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  5. Part of the Swan’s Nest Hotel by Clopton Bridge, tracing its history to 1662, with wood panelling, two fires and a pewter-topped bar.

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  6. A village local near Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, dating back to a 1728 coaching inn. The local CAMRA branch held its very first meeting here in 1981.

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Which is the oldest pub in Stratford-upon-Avon?

There’s no single agreed answer. Two pubs claim to be Stratford’s oldest, the Garrick Inn on High Street and the Old Thatch Tavern on Greenhill Street, and they’re a few minutes’ walk apart. Here’s what the official records say about each.

PubThe buildingA pub sinceListed
The Garrick Inn, 25 High StreetTimber-framed, about 1596 (front restored about 1912)An inn from 1718; an earlier inn on the site is said to be where the plague of 1564 beganGrade II*
The Old Thatch Tavern, 23 Greenhill Street16th century, with an early 19th-century additionLicensed since 1623, the pub says; the county’s records date the pub to about 1600Grade II

The case for the Garrick. It has the best-documented old building still serving pints. Historic England dates it to about 1596, after the fires that swept the town in the 1590s, and lists it at Grade II*, a higher grade than any other pub in the town centre. Its listing says it has been an inn since 1718, and that it was called the Greyhound until 1795, when it was renamed after the actor David Garrick, whose 1769 Shakespeare Jubilee put Stratford on the tourist map. The story that Stratford’s 1564 plague outbreak, the year Shakespeare was born, began in an earlier inn on the site comes from a note in the parish burial register, so it can’t be proved either way.

The case for the Old Thatch. The pub calls itself the oldest in Stratford and says it has been licensed since 1623, which would make it the longest-running pub in town. Its building is also 16th century, and it’s the only thatched building left in the town centre. Warwickshire’s Historic Environment Record dates the pub to about 1600. You’ll also see claims online that ale was brewed here as early as 1470; we couldn’t find a record that backs that up.

Our verdict. The Garrick has the oldest firmly dated building, and the Old Thatch has the longest claimed run as a licensed pub, so it depends what you count. The fairest way to settle it is to visit both, which is exactly where this trail starts.

Other old pubs worth a pint: the Bear at Bridge Foot traces its history to 1662, the Bell in Shottery was a coaching inn by 1728, and the Dirty Duck on Waterside has been the actors’ pub for generations. See our guide to the best pubs in Stratford for food, dogs and beer gardens.

A suggested route

Start at the Garrick on High Street, then head up to Greenhill Street for the Old Thatch and the Stratford Alehouse, which are close together. Walk back through town to Waterside for the Dirty Duck, then cross the river by the Tramway Bridge to the Bear at Bridge Foot. Save the Bell in Shottery for another day, or combine it with a visit to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.

Good to know

  • Pace yourself. Stopping for food helps. Most of these pubs serve it; see our best pubs guide for details.
  • Opening hours vary, especially at the Stratford Alehouse, so check before you set off.
  • In October, the Mop Fair fills High Street and Greenhill Street around the Garrick, the Old Thatch and the Alehouse. See our Mop Fair guide.
  • Getting home: see our parking guide, and please don’t drive the trail.

Alex Harrington

Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.

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