The Roadmaker Inn is located on the B4221 just to the east of Junction 3 of the M50. The Gloucestershire / Herefordshire county border runs through Gorsley and the Roadmaker Inn is on the Herefordshire side, just a few yards outside the Gloucestershire boundary. There are no records of the premises in either the 1891 or 1903 Gloucestershire licensing books, confirming the pub was in the Herefordshire administration.

Originally called the New Inn, it had a change of identity in 1976 to become the Roadmaker Inn. Landlord Bill Pierce told ‘Citizen’ reporter David Browne in a Pubwatch feature in 1997: “It doesn’t have anything to do with the M50, which is just down the road from here. The pub was built in 1847 and is named after a local man who built roads with chippings from a nearby quarry, which has long since closed. He built the New Inn as a place where he could brew cider and breed pigs – and probably retire to.”


Western Daily Press, September 1976 – New name: Michael Whitbread picked up a shovel to unveil a new pub sign yrsterday. Mr Whitbread, director of public relations of Whitbread Flowers, Cheltenham. was re-naming the New Inn at Gorsley, near Newent, The Roadmaker.

It has been named after the original owner of the building, Benjamin James, who was a roadmaker in the 1840’s. The building became the New Inn in 1871, but it was decided to remain it after extensive alterations and improvement work. “There are far too many New Inns and we wanted to have something with more local character,” said Mr Whitbread.

One of the oldest customers, Mr Percy Johnson, aged 73, who has been using the pub for 53 years, said: “The change is for the better. I think they have done a marvellous job.

The new licensees of The Roadmaker are Wally and Beryl Baker.


In 2006 four former Gurkha soldiers took on the running of the Roadmaker inn. Together they clocked up a total of 76 years together in the 1st Royal Gurka Rifles. The pub now has a reputation for the excellence of its Nepalese dishes and its popularity means that to dine at the Roadmaker it is advisable to book in advance. There is a large bar area where meals are served.  The restaurant overlooks the pub gardens.


The Forester, 8th November 2007 – Eating out review. (edit) The Roadmaker Inn, Gorsley: From the outside, and on first impressions the inside, this is a traditional roadside pub with real ale handles and lager taps on the bar with a smiling face behind it. The lovely atmosphere is just as it should be on a cold autumnal evening, warm and inviting with an unusual circular fireplace in the middle of the room.

But after we were served drinks in the bar we sat down to peruse the menu and there the similarity to most pubs ended. For almost every dish comes from Nepal and those that don’t are Indian. And there as yet no starters, apart from ice cream, although Nepalese dishes may be offered in the future.

The Roadmaker is owned and run by four veterans who together served 76 years in the 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles. Two do the cooking and the others man the bar and separate restaurant. The kitchen is completely open to the restaurant so diners can watch the chefs at work and see everything being prepared. One of the partners Keshar Shercham said: “We wanted to give all our customers confidence in the quality of our food. So we decided to open up the kitchen so they can see everything we do.”


A dining review in the ‘Citizen’ newspaper in October 2012 noted that ‘on one side of the building you have a very English looking inn but venture into the lounge bar and it has all the red carpet and golden guiding of a town centre curry house.’

The pub sign is still housed in an ornamental metal bracket, which features the castle trademark of the Cheltenham Brewery (West Country Breweries). There is also a ‘West Country Ales – Best in the West’ ceramic ornamental plaque still in situ.


https://theroadmakerinn.co.uk


Landlords at the New Inn / Roadmaker Inn:

1939 George Charles Stevens

1976 Wally and Beryl Baker.

1994,1997 Bill and Joan Pierce

2006,2009 Dil Thapamager, Keshar Sherchan, Ratna Rana & Ganesh Sherchan

Share this Page: