Pub in a Graveyard

The Mug House Newton2 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Mug House is a traditional public house located in the English village of Claines that dates back to the 15th century. Traditional in most senses, at least.

The exact location of the pub is near the junction where Claines Lane meets Cornmeadow Lane, just to the rear of Claines church. The position of the pub is such that one has to walk through, or very near, the graveyard of the church in order to access it. It is one of only two pubs in England to be situated on consecrated ground.

Macabre location aside, the centuries-old Mug House consists of four main public spaces inside on the ground floor. There is a back room, bar, hatch and a snug. The back room is most commonly used by diners at lunch time and from this room there is a view of the Malvern Hills. The hatch tends to be frequented when the other rooms are fully occupied. The ceilings inside the Mug House are quite low and as the building is timber framed many of the walls are not straight, as the building has settled over the years.

Know Before You Go

There is parking alongside the parking on Cornmeadow Lane, take care to avoid parking on the section with double yellow lines. To get to the pub, follow the marked footpath straight ahead, the pub is a few yards on the right.