Salisbury Pub Bought Back to Life makes Good Beer Guide

A Salisbury pub, which was brought back from the dead by its new owners in 2023 after being closed for nine years has been voted into the prestigious Good Beer Guide.

The Coach & Horses in Winchester Street is one of just six pubs from the city voted into the 2026 Good Beer Guide by members of the Salisbury & South Wiltshire branch of CAMRA.

Inclusion in the Guide marks a remarkable turnaround achieved by the team, which breathed new life into the historic pub, parts of which date from the late 15th or early 16th centuries.

When Christian Airey, whose locally based family had bought the old coaching inn, and landlord Chris Meaker opened the front door in 2023, they were confronted by a scene that might have come from a horror movie.

Pint glasses were on tables exactly where they had been left by the drinkers who had last used them nine years previously, a thick layer of dust covered everything, a plant had grown out of a gutter, and it was impossible to open the back door into the courtyard.

The previous landlord had literally locked the door and walked away without even bothering to wash up.

After an intensive six-month restoration project sparing no expense, The Coach & Horses reopened on 6th October 2023. Today, you would never know that the pub had been left to rot for nine years.

Local CAMRA members, have noted with approval the pub’s emphasis on real ales, mostly from local breweries, and cider from the surrounding region. There are three handpumps at the bar and a row of taps immediately behind it.

Keith Foster, the Good Beer Guide co-ordinator for the local CAMRA branch, said: “In less than two years since reopening, The Coach & Horses has established itself as one of Salisbury's destination pubs. A good selection of cask and craft beers, many local, is complemented by a friendly atmosphere and good food. It is a deserved new entry into the Good Beer Guide.”

Keith presented Chris Meaker, who runs the pub with his wife Theresa, with his Good Beer Guide certificate. Chris said, “This is something that we have been working towards for the last two years. We have an emphasis on local ales and ciders. At the start it was just me making sure that the beer was kept well but now we have got the staff trained up it is a team effort.”

Altogether, there are 19 pubs from South Wiltshire in the 53rd edition of the Good Beer Guide. It is the complete book for beer lovers and anyone wanting to experience the UK’s finest pubs.

The foreword for the 2026 Guide has been written by Ed Byrne, the comedian and beer lover famous for his #preshowpints on social media.

The recommended retail price of the Guide is £16.99, and it can be ordered from https://shop1.camra.org.uk/product/good-beer-guide-2026