The pub that provides a community feeling and a place of peace for its busy owner

The Green Man in Swindon forms a place of normality for Councillor Patrick Harley away from the attendant stresses and responsibilities of leading the borough council.

The pub, which is located on the high street of the South Staffordshire village, is a community pub which has been described by its co-owner as traditional and old-fashioned, with a particular focus on good, home-made food.

Originally built on the high street as a butchers, the Green Man became a pub for the first time in the 1830s and Councillor Harley said it had remained as a pub since, providing a feeling of a community hub.

He said: "It's been a pub since the 1830s and has always had the feeling of a proper community pub and home from home, and we get all sorts in here.

"There are those people who live locally in the village and people who travel further from places like Kingswinford, Wall Heath, Wombourne and other places around there.

"I think we do pretty well for passing trade as well as we get a lot of walkers, plus we're not far from the canal, so we get a lot of boaters too."

The pub combines a mixture of traditional and modern touches on the inside, with a large bar full of hand pulls and memorabilia from the local area, as well as a roaring fire which was renovated in 2023.

There are decorations on the wall which give the feeling of a library through a books mosaic, while the outside beer garden has a more modern feeling, with new tables installed on wood-panelled flooring under cover.

Councillor Harley said he was in charge of the cellar and the drinks, while his wife Donna was the licensee and responsible for the day to day running of the pub since December 2018.

He said it was something they had both wanted to do and said it helped him to deal with the stresses of his role at Dudley Council as he could have a joke with the locals.

Councillor said: "It's a good way to deal with the stress as you come here and be part of the community and help to welcome people in.

"People do know me as both Patrick from the council and Patrick behind the bar, and if they come in and say they've seen me on TV again, I don't charge them any extra.

"We don't really get into any serious conversations around politics here and they're more likely to pull my leg as they've seen me in the local news again."

Mr Harley said the trademark of the pub was the food and the beer, being a real ale pub, and said that anyone coming in could expect good, old-fashioned pub grub.

He said: "We have a good selection of ales on offer, with everything from Holdens to Wye Valley Beers and good beers like Town Crier, Golden Glow, Butty Bach and HPA on hand-pull pumps in a cosy pub with an open fire.

"We also have a great reputation for our cobs, which I think are great value and really large and full of fillings.

"We also do a great selection of food, with homemade food such as faggots and peas and steak and kidney pie, plus we do a Sunday lunch as well, and every meal comes with a complementary dessert, be it an apple crumble or some type of sponge.

"What I think makes this pub special is that people get a warm welcome and we have had the same staff for years, so you get friendly faces, quality food and drink and we take pride in keeping a good clean ale and ensuring the best pint."