The Ship Inn: a historic pub with a capybara story

There is a pub about a mile from Marwell Zoo that has spent the last few months being talked about for something other than its beer. The Ship Inn, at 2 Whites Hill in Owslebury, is a historic New Forest pub that has become a local curiosity thanks to a giant garden and a rather unlikely connection to capybaras.

The building itself is the real story. Built in 1681 using timbers from an old sailing vessel, it is one of the oldest buildings in the area and is believed to have hosted the King's messengers on their way to Marwell Hall. Inside, the Old Bar still shows off the exposed beams from that original construction, while outside sits a beer garden big enough to seat hundreds, looking out over the South Downs. It is built for families, with a children's play park, a pétanque pitch and even a horse pen.

The capybara connection came about in March, when a nine-month-old female named Samba escaped Marwell Zoo. She and her sister, Tango, had arrived at the zoo from Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park in Ipswich on Monday 16 March, and Samba was on the loose the very next day. The Ship Inn was where she was first spotted, before she turned up in Twyford near Winchester and later in a waterway between Twyford and Brambridge Garden Centre. A dog walker, Claudie Paddick, caught sight of her, but her dog spooked the animal and Samba swam off into the Itchen. The search that followed was a proper local saga: drones, live traps and specialist sniffer dogs were brought in, with sightings reported as far as Stonehenge, about 20 miles away. More than 20 members of the Marwell team carried out ground searches, and as recently as early July, camera traps were being set up in the Brambridge area after a fisherman reported seeing her. On 7 July, the zoo welcomed a different capybara, Ripple, while the search for Samba continued.

For a visit, the pub is closed on Mondays, so plan around that. Tuesday to Thursday it runs 12:00 to 22:30, Friday and Saturday it stays open until midnight, and Sunday it closes at 22:00. The kitchen is the part that catches people out: food is served 12:00 to 14:30 Tuesday to Thursday, and 12:00 to 16:00 Friday to Sunday, so it is very much a lunch and early-evening spot rather than a late-night dinner. The menu is homemade pub grub — curries, pies, lasagne, Hunters Chicken, jacket potatoes and cheesy chips — and the drinks lean local, with Flower Pots ales from the nearby Flower Pots Inn & Brewery in Cheriton alongside fruit ciders. Manager Emma Ough, who took over a year ago, describes the place as chilled and family orientated, and it doubles as a venue for weddings, festivals, quizzes and the odd night of live music.

Whether you go for the history, the garden or the chance of a capybara sighting, it makes for an easy stop near the zoo. If you are heading that way, it is worth knowing the kitchen hours before you set off, because once 16:00 rolls around at the weekend, the cooking stops while the bar keeps going.