The Berkeley Arms

About

The Berkeley Arms at Purton reopened in June 2026 after nearly six years shut, and it is not the pub older reviews describe. It stands above the River Severn about 200 yards from the lift bridge over the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, and the freehold belongs to the Berkeley Estate, which had been looking for a tenant since 2020. During that closure the historic bar counter and bar-back were taken out, which cost the pub its three-star place on CAMRA's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors; it now holds one star while the interior is re-assessed, and very few of the original fittings survive. The small bar has been enlarged and modernised, the flagstone-floored room to the left keeps its log burner, a smaller room to the right opens through patio doors onto a large grassed garden with bench seating, the parking areas have been much enlarged, and there is piped music indoors. On a CAMRA Mid Gloucestershire branch survey of 25 June 2026 the pub was open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 10pm and closed Monday and Tuesday, serving brunch from 10am to 2pm Wednesday to Sunday as well as bistro dining, and pouring two regular real ales including Fuller's London Pride with no changing guest beers. The building is not listed. Its old Food Standards Agency registration has lapsed and no hygiene rating had been published for the reopened pub when this listing was last checked.