Bakers Arms is in the small village of Badbury, within a couple of miles of the Swindon junction of the M4. Its postcode is SN4 0EU.
Prior to becoming a public house the Bakers Arms was the village bakers – hence the name. The building dates from before 1841. It’s constructed from sarsen stones, brick and chalkstone with a slate roof. For some years, up to 1885, the Horton family ran it both as a bakers and as a beerhouse. Beerhouses differed from public houses. Beerhouses could only sell beer and only for onsite consumption. They had less strict regulation than public houses and weren’t normally subject to the supervision of local magistrates. This changed in 1869 when they became subject to the same regulations as public houses.
Badbury is quite an important place for Pendon Museum. Next to the Bakers Arms is Badbury Farmhouse which is modelled at the museum, and about 100 metres up Berricot Lane are a group of cottages that at Pendon form 'The Chapel Group'. From there, one has good views of Liddington Castle with its Iron Age hill fort, and on which Pen Tor in the Vale Scene is based.
As owners Arkells say "the Bakers Arms is probably as close as it is possible to get to the archetypal little, down-to-earth, country local" and what the CAMRA pub guide describes as "a bright, sparkling little pub". Further information is here.
