The Three Villages

Nestled between the towns of Bushey and Radlett are a number of quaint villages noted for there bucolic cottages, luscious village greens and their local pubs, maintaining that chocolate box quality that wouldn’t look out of place on a Kinks album. Keen to explore these areas, on a crisp Autumnal day I set off from Radlett Station in search of beer by the village green. After trudging through mud and leaves for a couple of miles, I had built up quite a first by the time I reached my first pub, The Round Bush in Aldenham. Owned by Wells & Co, it has been going strong since 1876, although parts of the building date back to the 16th century. Its rustic Victorian features extend from its charming redbrick exterior that is the cross between a cottage and a rural railway station from the period, whilst inside modernity and Victoriana combine to give the place a homely and cosy feel that is redolent of a typical country pub, with its wooden framing, exposed brick walls and a unique double fireplace on either side of the bar. Some Victorian era features remain such as the wood panelled bar area surrounded by a terracotta tiled floor. Above the bar, shelving units replete with wooden framing and frosted glass are another original feature from the era. The former public and saloon bars have been ripped out in order to allow for plenty of seating space. As is typical with most country pubs nowadays, a good deal of their service is lent over to restaurant dining in order to make ends meet in these difficult times. The restaurant area is reserved at the rear of the pub, though dining facilities are available at all tables. Beyond the interior, the pub also boasts a large beer garden with a children’s playground in order to keep the youngsters entertained. On the drinks front aside from the usual lagers, they had a reasonable selection of real ales which included Tribute (4.2%) and Ghost Ship (4.5%) which happened to be available that day, although there were four handpulls present it was unknown why they had restricted their cask ale selection. I had sampled some Ghost Ship, which was well maintained, refreshing with a distinctive citrusy hoppy kick and shed loads of malty and bittersweet flavours. Overall, the pub was a classic example of a charming country style pub that has retained its rustic character, despite some modern additions. It is effectively a family friendly restaurant style place, although it’s welcoming enough for drinkers as well; and out of the three pubs I visited that day this was the most favourable.

After exiting the pub, we passed by Aldenham village with its imposing church St John the Baptist which has stood in the area since the 13th century. We then traversed along a Turnip field before reaching our second village Patchetts Green. A quiet village nestled by the M1, it boasts a modern housing development, a children’s playground but not much else. The centrepiece of the area is The Three Compasses that lies adjacent to the village green; currently owned by Wells & Co this pub dates back to the 19th century. The pub was recently reopened following a major refurbishment and now features a restaurant that offers Italian fine dining mixed with traditional British pub fare. The owners have maintained the look of a traditional country pub with slatted wooden flooring, exposed beams and a low hanging ceiling, although the splash of grey paint gives the building a contemporary feel that detracts from its bucolic heritage. It also hosts an intriguing collection of curios that include a model of a Bull’s Head with a cowbell around it’s neck, some Bierra Moretti serving plates, a woven recreation of the Aldenham parish symbol and a regency style sideboard. There is plenty of seating inside the pub, and it has a beer garden and some outdoor seating by the entrance; although the pub is primarily geared towards the restaurant trade, there is some seating reserved for drinkers by the bar. Towards the bar area, the late Victorian era counter has been preserved along with its ornate trellises and a monochrome tiled floor motif that surrounds the contours of the bar. It also features an impressive array of wines and spirits, yet for the discerning real ale drinker there were only three handpulls present with two available on tap that day featuring the likes of Ghost Ship (4.5%) and Anchorman (4.1%). The latter is a session IPA sourced directly from Wells & Co’s very own Brewpoint Brewery based in Bedford, I found it to be rather smooth, malty with a tangy hoppiness that seeped through the background that helped give the beer more flavour and strength than its relatively low ABV suggests. Although the pub was cosy and rustic, its over reliance a restaurant means it can get quite busy at weekends and drinkers tend to be exiled to the extreme corners of the building, which clouded my experience of the place. It may be a great place to have a meal, yet not so rewarding if you’re just looking for a quiet drink.

The sun was hanging low in the sky as we exited the pub, so we headed down the narrow roads towards the final destination, Letchmore Heath. A chocolate box style village, it proudly features a triangular village green and Victorian era cottages which have be utilized as a set by a number of film & TV productions from the nearby Elstree Studios. Notably, it was also the residence of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the Hare Krishna Movement whom was generously donated with the nearby Bhaktivedanta Manor which was gifted to him by George Harrison in 1973. Another focal point of the village is The Three Horseshoes, the pub dates back to the 18th century although parts of the building such as the timber hall date further back to the 16th century, whilst the majority of the current building was substantially renovated in 1803. The pub was formerly a freehouse owned by Danny Williams whom subsequently sold the place to a pub chain Peach Pubs who also happen to own two other pubs in Hertfordshire. The pub was substantially renovated and reopened early last year and now operates as a Modern British restaurant, the majority of the building is devoted to restaurant service in a section adjacent to the main entrance whilst the drinking area is restricted by the bar, yet regrettably these two areas are segregated which I found rather disconcerting. The drinking area was rather small and compact, featuring a marble top bar with wood panelled walls and an ornate tiled floor motif surrounding it. There were only several tables and some stools by the bar, which means it can be difficult to find a seat if you’re just looking for a drink at busier times, though the pub also features a large beer garden at the rear of the building along with some tables by the entrance, which allows for more seating on warmer days of the year. The pub only has two cask beers on handpull, on this occasion the likes of London Pride (4.1%) and Side Pocket (3.6%) were available. Since the latter beer was from Tring Brewery, I thought it was appropriate to sample a beer created within Hertfordshire. I found it rather pleasant with a mild bitter kick and some malty flavours although its lacks the complexity and strength of its stronger bottled version that the brewery also produces. Regrettably the pub was busy at the time I visited, and since I was restricted to the bar area, ultimately, I had to drink standing by the bar. This was not helped by the brusque and offish attitude of the staff whom affected my experience of the place and I was forced to drink up quickly in order to exit as soon as possible. As a location, it is a great place for a restaurant yet since Peach Pubs have taken over, they have ripped up its genteel country pub charm and turned it into a corporate modern style restaurant effectively. I visited this same pub many years before, and the place was markedly different in character and style to what it is today. Although it is good that the pub still exists in this area, its heritage as a homely community pub has all but vanished.  

Overall walking around these three villages makes for a rewarding day out around the countryside, yet on the pub front it was a bit of a mixed bag; all three pubs had been part converted into restaurants in order to make ends meet which is a worrying sign of the times as these places grapple with higher inflation and increasing taxes. Some of these places had more of an emphasis on restaurant dining than others, with some going to the lengths of literally segregating the drinking and dining areas into two. If I did this walk a decade ago, I probably would have gathered a vastly different perception of the pubs to what it is like now; and although iti s heartening to see that these areas still feature village pubs, its rather disconcerting to see what they have become in recent times. I’m in the camp where I think pubs and fine dining should be kept separate, and I dispair of the scourge of gastropubs that have popped up in villages over recent times that have ripped out the heart and soul of many of these historic pubs that have stood for over two centuries or more. None of these three pubs would make to the Pub Heritage guides, although if you are in search of real ale then you are in luck, at least for the time being.