Best 5 cosy fireside winter pubs in and around Worcester

The nights are drawing in, the clocks are about to go back and there will soon be a chill in the air so here is a guide to the best five cosy winter fireside pubs in and around Worcester where you can banish the seasonal blues.

Whether you're a romantic at heart looking to snuggle up by the hearth or simply looking to get in and out of the rain, sleet and snow (or seek refuge from supernatural shenanigans), this is a list of pubs with roaring fires to keep you warm this winter.

(1) King Charles House in New Street, Worcester

COSY: The fire in King Charles House in New Street, the perfect place to spend a cold winter's day (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

King Charles House, with its dark carved wooden panelling, creaking timbers and log fires in winter, is perhaps the perfect cosy pub in Worcester. The King Charles, famous for its pies, conjures up a bygone age - the time of the Elizabethans and the Stuarts.

The pub earns its name thanks to a prime piece of city history - when King Charles II was said to have fled from the building (which dates to 1577) after the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651. The pub is a lot cosier than the oubliette - a sort of dungeon - in the floor which is sealed for the safety of patron but can be opened upon request.

(2) The Paul Pry 

GRAND: The fireplace in The Paul Pry in Worcester which is a cosy and intimate pub in the winter (Image: Supplied)

The Paul Pry is a stunning late Victorian pub with all the intimacy and conviviality of a lounge in a private house. This is only enhanced when the fire is lit and the warmth and beauty of the pub really come alive. The pub reopened in February, 2017 and since then it has become a firm favourite in the city with its Sunday lunch menu proving especially popular.

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The name Paul Pry derives from the play of the same name, which was written by John Poole and first presented in London at the Haymarket theatre in 1825.

(3) The Cardinal's Hat

FIREPLACE: The Cardinal's Hat in Friar Street with the wood burner (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Based in Friar Street, the Cardinal's Hat always has a warm fire burning in the winter months and sometimes some candles to enhance the cosy atmosphere. The pub is nestled in one of the most ancient parts of the city and lays claim to being the oldest pub in Worcester.

First mentioned in 1497, the Cardinal's Hat with its floor-to-ceiling oak panelling has the atmosphere of a medieval tavern despite its Georgian facade. Its cellars are said to date from the 1300s. 

The Cardinal’s Hat was one of many ecclesiastical inns first established to accommodate the many travellers and pilgrims who visited Worcester during the Middle Ages.

(4) The Fleece Inn in Bretforton 

MAGICAL: One of two large log fires at The Fleece in Bretforton, near Evesham, both of which have unique 'witch marks' or 'witch circles' to ward off evil spirits (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Although it is quite a way from Worcester, it would be impossible not to write about fireside pubs without mentioning The Fleece in Bretforton, near Evesham. The Fleece has to be one of the most interesting and intriguing fireside pubs in Worcestershire - probably the whole country.

The roaring fires here are always welcoming in this pub (the building dates back to the Middle Ages) unless, perhaps, you are a witch. The fires here provide not only warmth but also fascination mainly because of the ancient witch marks or witch circles which may date from medieval times - and are designed to stop witches or other maleficent forces coming down the chimney. 

(5) The Rose and Crown in Severn Stoke, near Kempsey 

WARMTH: Andrew Goodall, landlord of The Rose and Crown in Severn Stoke, believes it is a cosy and welcoming place to come in winter (Image: Supplied by pub)

The Rose and Crown in Severn Stoke has been dealt a few hard blows in winter as it is prone to flooding from the River Severn. Yet the team under Andrew Goodall has done more than most to proof the pub against the cruel whims of Mother Nature.

 The Rose and Crown has a roaring fire to keep visitors warm in this ancient pub which may be 500 years old. Offering hearth and hearty food, it has more than earned its place in this list.

The pub is the winner of the Great British Pub Awards for Marston's in September.  This placed it firmly on the throne after it came out on top amongst over 1,550 Marston's pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.