An all-welcoming and inclusive community hub, The Castle Tap is a noted real ale pub in Reading, UK,serving its passionate patrons with a rotating selection of beers, ciders, perries and spirits. Rather uniquely for Reading, it also provides a selection of artisanal cheeses, reflecting its history of partnering with local cheese shops and suppliers.
Its fine pedigree of publicans and patrons alike makes it more than just a local boozer - it has flourished into a safe third space for people of all persuasions, with many groups calling it their home away from home. Featuring a darts team, an open mic night, regular gigs, a story-telling group, regular board games groups and the increasingly-popular shanties night - Reading's only such event - The Castle Tap is proud to support all.
Built in 1823, the current two-floor brick building at 120 Castle Street was Grade II listed in December 1978. Now owned by landlord Richard Burrows, the site has been developed piecemeal over the years, with evidence of a stable block in the late 1800s/early 1900s which was removed in the mid 1980s, as well as a back room extension and The Armoury, currently being converted for use as a nano brewery.
A pub at 120 Castle Street was first recorded in Reading in 1699. By 1779, it was known as The Horse and Jockey, selling tickets and entry for horse racing in the town, and is said to also have served as a weighing station for jockeys before and after horse racing in the town.
The public house was rebuilt in 1823, and in 1900 the pub was used as a staging post for time trials of motor cars run by the Automobile Club. In 1903 it was reported as having a smoke room and tap room with stabling for two horses and six traps.
In the early 20th century, the premises were leased to the brewers Blandy, Hawkins and Co., and the Horse and Jockey appears on a 1958 list of pubs owned by Simonds Brewery - itself formed in the town in 1785 on the site of what is now The Oracle - prior to their acquisition by Courage. Ownership of the lease then passed through Greene King and Outside Inns - a reminder of which can be seen on the pub sign today.
The current leaseholder Trelowen Mor Limited was formed in 2013 to take over the running of the pub, renaming it The Castle Tap. With a background in pub management and food & drink retail, the pub was opened in February 2015 offering an excellent selection of real ales, craft beers, ciders and cheeses.
In the decade since, The Castle Tap has built a passionate clientele and an excellent reputation for its selection of drinks - alcoholic and non-alchoholic alike - as well as continuing to promote a focus on diversity, equality and inclusion.
The Count Me In Collective (CMIC) was founded in 2023 by Becky and John Whinnerah - notably also behind Art Brew, a brewery frequently featured at The Castle Tap - as a training brewery for adults with disabilities, particularly those with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions.
In early 2025, planning permission was granted for CMIC to establish a permanent brewery in The Armoury, an outbuilding of The Castle Tap, and they hope to launch their first beer brewed on the site in late 2025. The CTCIC intends to continue and support this partnership into the future, as it reflects and shares values and focus.
