The Bell Inn was built in 1801 as a small wayside inn and was extended about a century later. For over fifty years from 1890 it was run by one family and also acted as the village bakery. The pub garden and conservatory overlooks the village cricket ground.
The Citizen: Friday, July 1st 1983: New-look Pub – Outfitter Mr. Jack (76) yesterday re-opened the village pub where he had his first drink back in 1927. Whitbread-Flowers, the Cheltenham-based brewers, have spent £25,000 on a facelift at the Bell Inn, Shurdington. The pub is run by Mr Alan Markham and his wife Patricia, formerly of the Crown Inn, Tetbury.
In the early 2000’s the traditional bar and lounge were knocked through to create a larger drinking area. For a while the Bell Inn gained something of a reputation as a fine fish restaurant. However, when Nick and Sharon Green took over the running of the pub a review in the ‘Gloucestershire Echo’ put things firmly into perspective; “It has turned back into a traditional village inn. Many of the swankier dishes on the menu (like roasted monkfish on grain dauphinois with lemon and lobster beurre blanc, caviar and chives) have been replaced by good old-fashioned pub grub.”
This page will be updated with additional information.
Map Reference: SO 924188
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: John Thomas (free from brewery tie)
Rateable value in 1891: £22.10s.0d.
Type of licence in 1891: Beerhouse
Owner in 1903: Cheltenham Original Brewery
Rateable value in 1903: £22.10s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Beerhouse
Closing time in 1903: 10pm
Landlords at the Bell Inn include:
1891 John Thomas
1902,1906 Evan Morris
1919 John Townsend
1927 John Edward Townsend
1980 Alan and Pat Mankham (from the Crown Inn, Tetbury)
1993,1996,1998 Peter and Diane Fryar
1999 Steve and Kim ?
2000 Stewart Goddard and Vivienne Heaney
2001 (May) Peter and Diane Fryar (moved to the Swan, Coombe Hill)
2003 (Dec) – 2006 Paul and Ruth Hunter
2006 (Nov) – present day ( 2008 ) Nick and Sharon Green
