About the besom...
The Besom is an early 19th Century C listed building and is officially recognised as a structure of "special architectural and historical interest".
the pub....
There are early indications that The Besom may have been a home prior to becoming a pub.
You will still find original fittings from significant changes made in 1910 which include the etched glass doors upon entry, one of which is to the "smokers room" that no longer exists. In 2022 "the wall" that divided the smokers room from the main bar area was removed to create an open plan bar.
The Besom functions as a "de facto hub" for the Coldstream Guard regiment's history and veterans and whilst the Besom is not an official branch of the Coldstream Guard you will find lots of photos and memorabilia dotted throughout the pub with a visitors book that is signed by serving and veteran Coldstream Guard's that visit.
what is a besom?...
We're often asked what a Besom is and there are two answers...
A Besom is traditionally a broom made from twigs or straw bundled together and tied to a long handle, usually Hazel, and whilst traditionally used to sweep floors it is heavily associated with folk lore and you will recognise them today as a Witch's broom.
"Besom" is also used in Scotland and Northumberland as a tongue-in-cheek name for a cheeky wee girl or as derogatory term to insult an ill-tempered and opinionated woman who has attitude, behaves badly or is ill mannered...
Back to the witches again... are you seeing a theme here?
about us...
We are a family run pub and you will meet all of us.
Mr. Besom is an HGV driver and is away all week, so you'll find him at the weekend doing the list of jobs Mrs. Besom has kept for him. He is paid in pints that Mrs. Besom then makes him pay for.
Mrs. Besom (aka the current "Besom"...) is usually behind the bar or in the office and ensures there is a list of jobs for Mr. Besom to complete when he's home at weekends.
You will find our eldest daughter behind the bar, and our youngest daughter in the kitchen. Our middle daughter, whilst living in Orkney, does her bit by liking and sharing our social media posts (Mrs. Besom sometimes has to remind her!)
Our almost 3 year old granddaughter is our chief log carrier for the fire, head plant waterer and makes sure there is enough "purple juice" (J20) stocked in the fridge - she generally runs the place.