Bridgnorth pub dating back to 1820 unveils the secret to its success

The Bandon Arms in Bridgnorth is a pub which follows the history of the town, with records dating back as far as 1820 to when it was called The Bottle In Hand, with records even dating back as far as 1726.

Since then, it has been a place of many things over the years, having had a kids ball pit in it, been a nightclub and a ballroom with dance floor and even had cockfighting as a part of its history.

In modern times, it has remained as a popular stopoff in the Low Town area of Bridgnorth and a place within easy reach of Severn Park, the River Severn and the town centre.

Currently owned and operated as a signature brand pub by Marstons, the Bandon Arms has developed a reputation as a place with good beer and staff who work hard and have a passion for making people feel welcome.

Manager Brian Nixon runs the bar, as well as helping out with cooking on occasion, and has done so for two years, having originally run a pub in Walsall.

He said: "I started with Marstons a couple of years ago and the opportunity came up to work at and run this pub and while I lived in Walsall, I decided to give it a go and try a change of pace.

"It's a very different town and there's not always a lot to do unless you eat and drink and it's very seasonal and a very touristy town, so we keep our heads above water by doing a lot of offers.

"While most pubs in Bridgnorth run the same kind of offers, Marstons made this pub a signature brand, which means that we do a different take on things, particularly food as we take traditional pub food and make it slightly different."

The interior of the pub has two distinct areas, one for drinkers and the other for diners, both served by one large central bar.

Meals are served in both areas with the dining area having table service, whilst meals for the bar area are ordered at the bar, which was refurbished in the autumn of 2018.

Other offers done by the pub include a steak and wine night on Thursdays, pie and a pint on Wednesdays, two pints of Estrella for £7 on Fridays and Marstons Pedigree at 30 per cent off at numerous times of the year.

Mr Nixon said the pub was a place of welcome and always seemed to be praised by people who visited.

He said: "We pride ourselves on our reputation and we get a lot of positive reviews from people who visit and say how well looked after they were and how nice the staff are and how comfortable the surroundings are.

"Visitors will just get a good family welcome from us here and what helps us is that while we are a Marstons pub and we don't go away from that, we can serve a different range and have drinks on that people who come from Wolverhampton might not have had before.

"We have drinks like Banks's Amber and Jennings Cumberland, which people are really liking at the moment, as well as the Pedigree, but we do change around a lot as people like a bit of change."

Cider drinkers and spirit lovers are also catered for, with a range of bottled ciders continually changing and a range of gins and whiskys always available for people to try, while the food is a big selling point, full of meat dishes, steaks, burgers and other pub classics.

Mr Nixon said that people were coming in from Wolverhampton, Telford and other parts of the region and were doing so specifically because of the warm welcome they received and the quality of service he said he was passionate to provide.

He said: "It's my job, it's my home and it's everything to me as it's paying bills and the thing is that I am a passionate person and love my job.

"Our guests can tell that I'm the boss and that I like people and I want to make sure that people enjoy themselves and have that warm welcome."