Free Press

About

Close to Parker's Piece, this intimate, friendly pub serves high quality food and great beer. The rare Greene King XX Mild was its best seller until Greene King stopped brewing it. Guest beers include both beers from local brewers such as Buntingford and Milton and from Greene King's seasonal and guest lists, including Jarl from Fyne Ales. A Weston's Old Rosie cider is also available. It has an interesting selection of unusual spirits such as English whisky and a range of bottled beers. A pub since 1834, it just survived the 1970s Kite area redevelopment. Only the tiny snug is from the original pub. The other two rooms are a loving reconstruction and the quality of the restoration means that the pub is included by CAMRA in its listing of pubs that are Outstanding Conversions or Restorations. Local pictures, historic newspapers and printing type cases containing nick-nacks decorate the walls. The rowing eight bow hanging from the front bar ceiling is from the crashed 1984 Cambridge varsity boat. When students relished a frivolous challenge, Downing once got 59 in the snug. Bench seating out front and a walled garden at the rear. The "press room" in the garden was added a couple of years back.