Our Story
Becky, Fi & Family
Welcome You to
The Golden Ball
We are a mother and daughter team that between us have years of experience in the hospitality industry, both in the kitchen and front of house.
Having worked in the Golden Ball in her teenage years whilst living in Lower Swell with her parents and then later at different stages in her 30’s and 40’s for previous Landlords, still living in the Village now with her own family, Fi is very happy to have been given the opportunity to be able to run what has been her local for so long with her daughter.
Becky, who is Donnington Brewery’s youngest Landlady, is very much looking forward to this new adventure with her Mum. Becky has worked in hospitality all her working life and for her it is not just a job but a passion. Having lived here her whole life, Lower Swell holds a very special place in her heart.
Together we strive for good beer, great service and delicious food! Along with a friendly welcome and a good chat we believe we have a recipe for success.
So whether you are local, or have come from afar our door is open and we look forward to welcoming you!
The Golden Ball & Donnington Brewery.
The Donnington Brewery building dates back to 1291, when it was a mill of the Broadway Manor Estate. In the 16th-century the mill house was used for the production of cloth thanks to the roaring wool trade that gave the Cotswolds their name. Later, in the 1580 the mill was converted by the Manor Estate into two corn mills
In 1827 Thomas Arkell bought the now world-famous 13th-century watermill from the Broadway Manor Estate.
It wasn’t until 1865, 38-years later, did Thomas’s grandson, Richard Arkell, begin to brew beer on the site and the business now known as Donnington Brewery was born.
The business thrived and was later run by Richard Arkell’s sons, until Herbert bought his brother out of the business to run the enterprise himself. From the mid-60s Herbet’s son, Claude, ran the Brewery with tremendous success.
Claude passed away in 2007 leaving the brewery to his cousins Peter and James Arkell.
So although the brewery has been passed through the Arkell family very little has changed since this early days of Thomas Arkell.
Donnington Brewery now owns 18 pubs spread across the Cotswolds.
A little about our iconic ales…
Up until the middle of the 1960s, Donnington Brewery grew its own barley and malted it on a special malting floor which can still be found in the brewhouse today.
Nowadays the Maris Otter malt is purchased from trusted growers in Norfolk and is milled traditionally at the brewery.
Donnington use hops that come from Herefordshire and Worcestershire and the water is drawn from a natural spring beside the millpond. The only imported ingredient of the Donnington brews is the sugar.
The Bobby Mill is still used in the brewing process and an internal water wheel drives belts for mashing and pumps for the copper. The tradition way is alive and thriving!
At The Golden Ball we have Donnington’s Best Bitter ‘BB’ as our house ale and have chosen to have Donnington Gold as our other permanent ale. We also have Donnington’s crisp, light Cotswold Craft larger on tap too.
In our famous Fish & Chips supper we mix a good slosh of BB into the batter for the perfect golden crispy crunch.