Farmer's Arms, Rhymney

Farmers Arms, Old Brewery Lane, Rhymney, NP22 5EZ

The Farmers Arms is located almost at the top end of the Rhymney Valley and although the heavy industries have disappeared from the surrounding areas, the Farmers has survived for almost 140 years as a pub , witnessing the birth, success and eventual demolition of the nearby Rhymney Brewery of which the pub became the brewery tap for. Today a disused supermarket stands on the site of the famous Rhymney Brewery, whose Hobby Horse logo was once a familiar site throughout South Wales. The Farmers Arms opened its doors as a pub in 1875, although it was a farmhouse before that. The building seen today is an extension of the original farm and this explains why it is set at an odd angle to the surrounding and later-built streets. Today the Farmers Arms is a two-story light-coloured building with a contrasting Welsh slate roof and a single-story extension to the side.

The entrance porch leads to a small hallway with the old serving hatches for off-sales directly in front of the door. These were once a popular feature of many Victorian pubs, though few of them survive refurbishments. To the right is the bar area and there is a lounge/dining area and function room to the left. The bar area has a traditional feel to the place with both flagstone and stripped floorboards. Half-timbered walls, cast-iron table legs and high-backed settles add to the atmosphere in this room with a large stone fireplace occupying one wall of the pub. A modern wood-burning stove sits in the old fireplace and heats up this room, perfect to keep the chill out on cold winter evenings. To the side of the bar the thick internal stone walls that belonged to the original farmhouse have been cut through, providing access to other areas of the pub such as the back room and dining area.

The Farmers Arms is decorated throughout with memorabilia from the former Rhymney Brewery, old photographs of the staff at work, beer bottles and the Hobby Horse logo all feature around the pub. The pub also has a function room and this is used by the Silurian Choir as their headquarters and is decorated with their photographs.

The bar is a central island bar, with three separate counters for serving the different areas of the pub and, of course, the old off-sales hatch. Above the bar, dimpled beer glasses hang down like fisherman's hooked worms, acting as bait for the thirsty customer in this old, historic pub. The real ales are from the Enterprise Inns list with Bass being a permanent beer served from the gleaming handpumps with painted china handles, alongside guests such as Everards Tiger from Leicestershire. 

The Farmers Arms is open all day and serves food from 12-2 and 6-9 (not Monday).

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