THE RAT TRAP

Highworth Road

Stratton St Margaret

SN3 4QS

Tel: 01793 823282

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

Originally called the Speed the Plough, the pub earned itself the nickname of the ‘rat trap’ thanks to its iron-fisted landlady Fanny Stroud.

She had a foolproof method to ensure her customers paid their accounts promptly. She simply locked them in the pub until they did.

Pretty soon the locals were calling the pub The Rat Trap and the moniker became so interchangeable with its official name (usually shortened to The Plough) that even court records referred to both in 1875.

These days the landlord is under strict instructions not to lock the doors until all the customers have left.

An unusual Pied Piper motif on the carpet of the lounge echoes the story.

WHO GOES THERE?

The Rat Trap is popular with Stratton residents and, standing on the main road between Highworth and Swindon, it is also a handy place for travellers to break their journeys.

Families can often be found filing into the restaurant on Sunday for a good old-fashioned roast.

PRICES

Carling £3.50, 3B £3, Strongbow £3.50. A bottle of house wine is £8.95, a glass is £3.25.