It was with a sense of certainty and stillness that I sat with a pint looking out over St Aldhelms head and the stunningly pretty village of Worth Matravers, which is hiding in the valley. Little has changed at the Square and Compass since the Newman family took over the pub in 1907 - well there is now a roof on the toilets and electricity. It is a living gem, which offers the timeless qualities of a classic rural English pub in a stunning location - a decent pint, simple food and wonderful company.

Inside, staff serve the beer straight from barrels through a hatch, as there is no bar. Two small rooms lead off and both, aged by time, feel and look like well-worn comfortable brown shoes. On a clear day most of the pub's customers sit outside using the weather beaten and bleached wooden benches or tables and chairs cut from local stone.

Drinkers at the Square and Compass are a mixture of high Tory and hippy with top of the range Porsches and battered VW camper vans vying for the limited parking space. Sensible people park in the village's car park a few moments' walk away.

The food is beautifully uncomplicated - cheese and onion pie or a pasty - with perhaps a bag of crisps as a starter.

The pub's name derives from the many stonecutters who lived in the area. The Norman built St Nicholas church, in Worth Matravers and one of Dorset's oldest, is an example of their work. The local Purbeck stone is also used in Westminster Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral. Each year in August the pub hosts a stone carving fortnight, with some choosing to camp in a nearby field.

The Square is a hard pub to leave and reluctantly I drove away back to the busy A351 Wareham to Swanage road. However, as it was a clear day, I knew that my reward would be some stunning views of Corfe Castle.

Square and Compass Inn,
Worth Matravers,
nr Swanage,
Dorset,
BH19 3LF
Tel: 01929 439229

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Regional Winners 2005

Overall Winners 2006
Regional Winners 2006