The picturesque village near Bristol with the ‘longest village green’ in England and a gorgeous pub

Close your eyes and imagine a quintessentially-traditional English village - and what you will see will not be far off a beautiful place near the bank of the River Seven, just over a 30-minute drive from Bristol.

It has a charming red telelphone box on its main road, there’s an historic pub called The Bell and its small lanes are lined with an interesting mix of Tudor and Georgian homes. But the best thing about Frampton-on-Severn is its huge village green.

At 22 acres in size, it’s said to be the longest village green in England - and on the day we visited last week, you’d have to say it was also one of the most beautiful.

You first catch sight of the common open area on entering the village from the A38. It’s enclosed by Bridge Road at its northern boundary, and the charming 19th Century Bell Inn at its north western point.

There’s a cricket pitch on it too, outside the pub - but the rest appears largely untouched as you walk down a path alongside it which heads to the centre of the village and the St Mary The Virgin Church on the bank of The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.

The walk takes you through The Green conservation area where a beautiful range of homes and old shops also line the road and path; many from the Tudor and Georgian periods.

There is also a second pub, called The Three Horseshoes, and a cafe and a pottery shop. And there is a small garage; serving a reminder that Frampton-on-Severn is a real working/living village, despite the place being filled with weekend walkers and visitors when we were there.

A large part of the village is in the Frampton Court Estate, which is owned by the Clifford family. On one side of the green is the family’s courtly home, Frampton Court, which can be visited on appointment.

But the big attraction on the day we visited was The Bell Inn, which was doing a brisk trade with almost every table on the outdoor terrace taken. I enjoyed a half pint of Butcombe Brewery’s Rare Breed and ordered a small bowl of Cornish mussels in a cream sauce with a serving of bread.

It was delicious, and was finished off by an ice cream purchased at village stores, called The Green Shop, which only opened in 2015.

On getting home, I tried, with no avail, to get the ‘longest village green’ claim firmed up. But really, it didn’t matter. Longest, or not, Frampton-on-Severn is a perfect getaway from the city with stunning scenary, good pubs and walks.