Eat and drink
The Bell, Shenington
An ironstone country pub on the village green at Shenington, opened in 1700, with a log fire, flagstones, a short chalkboard menu that changes with the seasons, and dogs and muddy boots welcome.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
The kind of village pub this corner does well: ironstone, flagstones, a fire, and an owner-run kitchen writing a short chalkboard menu. Dogs, children and muddy boots are all welcome. It keeps few hours, with no opening on Monday or Tuesday and only evenings midweek, so check before driving out.
- Good: Owner-run by Mike Hendry and Jennifer Allott since January 2016
- Good: Short seasonal chalkboard menu, mainly meat and fish
- Good: Dogs, children and muddy boots all welcome
- Good: Steak nights on the first Wednesday of each month
- Worth knowing: No hours listed for Monday or Tuesday; evenings only on Wednesday and Thursday
- Worth knowing: Vegetarian or vegan meals need advance notice
About
The Bell faces the village green at Shenington, in the ironstone country west of Banbury. The pub says it first opened in 1700. It is built of local ironstone with original flagstones, exposed beams and a log fire. Mike Hendry and Jennifer Allott have run it since January 2016, with about 25 years in hospitality between them and Max the dog.
The kitchen works from a short chalkboard that changes with the seasons, using local ingredients and mainly meat and fish. Vegetarian and vegan meals can be made with notice. The current menu is posted on the site, dated in its file name: 7 September 2026 when we read it on 4 November 2026. The bar has local ale and wine.
In March 2026 the pub announced steak nights on the first Wednesday of each month, and in 2026 it also ran an Asian evening and a two-for-one pizza offer on Good Friday. Its special evenings are booked by phone. Edgehill and Upton House are on this side of Banbury too, so it fits a day out there. Dogs, children and muddy boots, the pub says, are always welcome.
Opening hours and season
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 18:00 to 23:00 |
| Thursday | 18:00 to 23:00 |
| Friday | 12:00 to 14:30, 18:00 to 23:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 to 23:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 to 17:00 |
The pub lists no hours for Monday or Tuesday.
The details
- Serving
- Lunch · Dinner
- Dietary
- Vegetarian dishes · Vegan dishes
- Features
- Open fire · Real ale · Restaurant · Bar
- History
- First opened in 1700, by its own account
Photos
The front door 
Local ales on the bar 
A pint by the fire 
A main course
Location
Places to stay nearby
-
The Castle at Edgehill
Pubs · Edgehill and Radway
A pub and restaurant in the castellated 18th-century tower on top of Edgehill, above the 1642 battlefield, with Hook Norton ales, large gardens, five en-suite rooms and a gin school in the tower.
Family-friendly · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Wroxton Hotel
Hotel · Wroxton
A 32-room hotel made from three adjoining stone cottages, partly dating from 1649, on the edge of thatched Wroxton, a few minutes' drive from junction 11 of the M40, with free parking and its own tea room.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
-
The George at Brailes
Pubs
A village inn on the high street at Lower Brailes, part of the Freespirit Pub Company, open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with local ales, a garden, first-floor bedrooms and a full calendar.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Upton House and Gardens 2.8 km away
- The Castle at Edgehill 4.5 km away
- The Wroxton Hotel 4.7 km away
- The Roebuck Inn, Drayton 5.8 km away
Sights nearby
-
Edge Hill viewpoint
Sight · Viewpoint · Edgehill and Radway
The long view from the top of Edge Hill, north-west of Banbury, across the plain where the Battle of Edgehill was fought in 1642. There is no signed viewpoint: the ridge road, the footpaths and the garden of a 1740s sham castle are how you see it.
-
Edgehill battlefield
Sight · Monument · Edgehill and Radway
The first pitched battle of the English Civil War was fought below Edge Hill on 23 October 1642. Most of the field is now closed Ministry of Defence land, so you see it from the ridge and from a roadside memorial stone. Registered by Historic England.
-
Swalcliffe Barn
Sight · Historic building
A ten-bay medieval barn of ironstone, built for New College, Oxford, in about 1401, with its medieval timber roof. Grade I and a scheduled monument, six miles west of Banbury, and open free on summer Sunday afternoons.
-
Tysoe Windmill
Sight · Historic building · Tysoe
An eighteenth-century ironstone tower mill on Windmill Hill above Upper Tysoe, Grade II, which worked until lightning struck it in 1915 and still holds its machinery. Seen from a public footpath that passes beside it; not open inside.