GBPA 2024: Best Pub to Watch Sport, sponsored by TNT Sports – the Gardeners Arms/Murderers, Norwich, Norfolk

Though it’s bagged the top award to watch sport, the Gardeners – whose alternative local moniker references a dark chapter in its Victorian history – is a great all-round package: an historic building, traditional charm, 200 years of heritage, live music, pub quizzes, home-cooked food and a dazzling array of local casks ales, including one brewed just for the pub.

The Gardeners’ warren of rooms and alcoves, along with its investment in an array of TV boxes, means multiple sports can be screened at any one time, and the sound can be turned up without imposing on those who want to opt out. Sound bars adjacent to screens give greater clarity for those who do want to audibly tune in.

Inclusive space​

It’s an inclusive space that feels welcoming and safe. Women’s football features heavily alongside the normal pub sport staples of Premier League football and Six Nations rugby union – but there’s an all-round approach with tennis, American football, golf, cricket, hockey, speedway, Aussie Rules, Gaelic football and World Cup ice hockey all getting their moment in recent times.

The Gardeners is an increasingly rare independent presence in a city centre location dominated by big pub groups, owned since 2005 by Philip Cutter, who’s worked at the pub for almost 40 years.

Brewing scene​

Cutter’s impact on the industry extends beyond the walls of the Gardeners as the founder of Norwich City of Ale, a month-long festival which has raised the profile of brewing scene both locally and nationally.

Despite the pub’s long history, Cutter remains alive to new growth opportunities which suggests that the Gardeners will be a popular landmark on the fine city’s pub scene for many years to come.