CAMRA was formed in 1971 because there was a real danger that real ale was going to disappear - to be replaced by keg beer. Many brewers had already stopped brewing real ale.

CAMRA in Swindon & North Wiltshire began on 18th October 1974 when a small group of enthusiasts held the first meeting at Wadworth's Brewery. At that time there were very few pubs in Swindon and the surrounding area that served Real Ale.

In the early 1970s, the big six breweries were rapidly acquiring such power, that they were telling us that we had to drink what they produced. That was an insipid, straw-coloured, gassy concoction, laced with chemicals to provide long life and high profits for the breweries. Who can forget Watney’s Starlight and Whitbread Trophy! Then along came the Campaign for Real Ale. Locally its champion was historian, music impresario and ale devotee David Backhouse. He not only created and led one of the earliest CAMRA branches in the country, but began the Swindon Beerex in October 1976, at the time in the Mechanics Institute. This was a building David loved, and to which he left £12,000 in his will, for its future preservation.

It’s fair to say that, at least his work to promote proper English beer, has turned out to be a stunning success, with still more breweries and real ale on public house bars, every year that goes by.

Help save a local pub's beer garden

The Hop Chapel in Broad Town has had retrospective permission to keep its beer garden marquee rejected.
Please sign the Petition to change this.

How to get to Old Town without walking up the hill: see Transport page

Good Beer Guide 2024

The process to select pubs for the 2024 Guide is about to start. The local branch draw up a list of candidates in December and they are surveyed from January to March for suitability. Swindon and North Wilts are limited to 17 pubs so there normally has to be a vote at the end to determine who eventually goes in! If you are doing a survey you can download a form here: GBG 2024 Survey Form

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