The Barge Inn has a long and colourful history, built in 1810 to coincide with the opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal, it prospered alongside a waterway then busy with both commercial and passenger traffic. Known in its heyday as the George, the establishment contained a slaughter house, coach house and stabling for four horses, as well as a brew house, hop store, bake house, smoke house and cart shed. The north section of the ground floor included a grocery and general stores, as between 1871 and 1957 a number of licensees also acted as local grocers. Sadly, fire broke out on the 14th December, 1858 largely destroying the original building and preceding what the Devizes & Wiltshire Gazette referred to as a "disgraceful scene. Soon after the fire was extinguished ...... the cellars were entered.... And there was nothing but drunkenness and confusion."

However, due to its importance, the Barge Inn was rebuilt in just six months, an event commemorated by a plaque at the north gable end. The Inn, which now had no fewer than 24 rooms within the main building and 15 fireplaces including those in the bake house and barns, flourished along with other services at Honeystreet such as the sawmills, builders wharf and coal stores.
The canal became more neglected with the arrival of the railways, but this did not prevent the Barge Inn from being sold by auction on Wednesday April 7th, 1897 ("at three o'clock punctually"), to T&J Usher of Bristol, for the then considerable sum of £2,100. Today, a hundred years later, the wheel of history has turned full circle: the present owners, re-acquiring the Barge Inn in 1992, are the well known Ushers of Trowbridge.

This transaction was marginally preceded by the mysterious appearance of crop circles in the vicinity, causing many students of these phenomena to swell the ranks of customers who include cyclists, walkers, canoeists, narrow boat enthusiasts and occasionally musicians. Amongst these people are many who take advantage of the leafy camping and caravan sites to the south west of the main buildings, and who enjoy the clear sight, beyond the canal, of the White Horse of Alton Barnes, commenced at about the same time as the original building and completed after the first of the foremen had - so it is said - absconded with his advance and later been hanged for sheep stealing.

The Barge Inn,
Honeystreet,
Pewsey,
Wiltshire.
SN9 5PS

Telephone:01672 851705

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE CORE OF CORN CIRCLE ACTIVITY?

Adrain & June welcome you to their historic canal side pub. Enjoy a relaxed and friendly drink whilst getting the latest in up-to-date crop circle news.

* GOOD PUB GRUB WITH A WIDE RANGE OF VEGETARIAN FOOD

* CARAVAN AND CAMPING SITE WITH ACCOMPANYING SHOWERS

* 'CROPPIES' MEETING ROOM AND NOTICE BOARD

* FAMILY ROOM WITH TV. AND PUB GARDEN

* GOOD PARKING FACILITIES

Mixing In The Right Circles!

The Virtual Barge is open Now! The only crop circle pub on the Net......