Pubs are closing at an alarming rate in Britain, but The Inspector reveals why this village inn with rooms – part of the Pig group – is proof ‘it’s not all doom and gloom’

Pubs are closing at an alarming rate. But it’s not all doom and gloom, certainly not in Barnsley, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, where The Pig group has worked its magic on what was The Boot and turned it into The Village Pub.

It really is the village pub. On day four after its opening, most punters are locals. 

They seem chuffed that the now iconic brand has transformed this 17th-century inn (and is doing something similar across the road at Barnsley House, where the great gardener Rosemary Verey once lived).

There are just six rooms at the pub. Ours is the only one with a bath, priced at a hefty £265 (breakfast included, unlike at other Pig outlets), and has all the trademark features of the litter: sisal floor in the bedroom, wood floor in the bathroom; distressed chest of drawers; portrait of a mischievous-looking young woman above the bed; vintage standard lamp; massive exposed beams, a couple of marshmallows.

Walls are dark green, perhaps a little too dark in a relatively small space. But that’s the theme throughout, making for a moody downstairs with copper-topped bar and low ceilings. 

The Village Pub has just six rooms. Pictured right is the ‘moody downstairs’

To be here in winter with three or four fires burning will warm the spirits. The stand-out feature is a high-backed wooden banquette at a table laid for six – but ours near a stuffed boar’s head is gorgeous, too, and more chic than shabby.

The chef, Will Parkes, has come from the Canterbury branch and he’s in sensational form. His ‘Gentleman’s Relish on Toast’ is a joyous snack, which we follow up with tender jugged beef and a rabbit, leek and bacon pie.

Young ‘pub landlord’ (as he’s called) Luis recommends a bottle of pinot noir from Norfolk. ‘Trust me,’ he says. He’s spot-on. The same can be said for everything about The Village Pub. On the way there, I wondered if The Pig might be getting a little predictable. I don’t think that now. Trust me.

The Inspector stays in the only room with a bath, pictured, which costs him £265 for the night

The chef, Will Parkes, has come from The Pig’s Canterbury branch and he’s in ‘sensational form’, says The Inspector