"Best in the West" T-Shirt — West Country Ales | Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries Heritage Pub Gift

Best in the West. Four words on a ceramic pub plaque that once defined drinking across the Cotswolds, the Severn Vale, and the Welsh Marches — and that can still be found on the walls of former tied houses from Stroud to Hereford to this day.

West Country Breweries Ltd was formed in the late 1950s from the merger of two of the West Country's most established regional brewers: the Stroud Brewery Co. Ltd and Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries Ltd. The new company adopted the distinctive castle and tower logo, the "Best in the West" motto, and the West Country Ales brand — and its pubs became a familiar landmark across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and the surrounding counties. The ceramic wall plaques that adorned their tied houses — robust, handsome, and instantly recognisable — were a fixture of the rural English pub landscape for decades. Many survive to this day on former West Country Ales houses, quietly outlasting the company that put them there.

West Country Breweries was eventually absorbed into Whitbread, one of the great consolidations of the 1960s brewing industry that swept away dozens of proud regional names in the name of national scale. The beer changed. The plaques remained.

This medium-weight vintage cotton tee celebrates West Country Ales, the castle tower, and "Best in the West" — a piece of Cotswolds and Marches pub heritage that deserves to be on more than just a wall. The ideal gift for CAMRA members, pub history enthusiasts, Cotswolds locals, Cheltenham and Stroud residents, and anyone who's ever stopped on a country road to photograph a surviving brewery plaque.

• Celebrates West Country Ales — formed from Stroud Brewery and Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries merger
• Features the iconic castle/tower logo and "Best in the West" motto of West Country Breweries Ltd
• Medium-weight 6.0 oz vintage-feel cotton, classic crew neck — a distinctive Cotswolds heritage pub gift

Product features
- Tubular knit (no side seams) for cleaner drape and less fabric waste
- Ribbed knit collar without seam keeps shape and adds stretch
- Medium-weight, vintage-feel cotton (6.0 oz/yd²) — substantial and breathable
- Runs slightly larger for extra comfort with a classic crew neckline
- Ethically grown 100% US cotton with Oeko-Tex certification; tear-away label for itch-free wear

Care instructions
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F)
- Non-chlorine: bleach as needed
- Do not tumble dry
- Do not iron
- Do not dryclean

EU representative: Belchampian Apparel Co
Unit 160858, Courier Point, 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FH, UK

Product information: Gildan 64000, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC

For adults, Made outside the UK /EU 

Care instructions: Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F), with similar colors , Do not bleach, Tumble dry: low heat, Iron, steam or dry: low heat, Do not dryclean