Originally a farm on the Mapledurham House estate dating from the 1600s, and a former Gales pub, this Grade II-listed Brunning & Price owned establishment is now a cosy pub and comfortable restaurant. The original low-beamed bar has seating for drinkers, although all tables can get booked for diners during busy periods. It serves four ales, with at least one local brewery usually featured, quite often Loddon.

Real ale prices are discounted by 60p per pint from 5-7pm Mon-Fri. The larger restaurant area is furnished with bookcases and numerous prints and has a wide-ranging good-value menu. A large secluded garden at the rear has a shaded seating area overlooking fields and also has a kid's play area. The pub holds numerous food and drink related events through the year, such as gin, rum and wine-tasting evenings and holds a mini-beer and cider festival in July at which local brewers attend to give samplings of their ales. Huge gin selection of around 140 types, purportedly the largest of any bar in Oxfordshire.

Monthly dog-walks on a Saturday morning are also very popular with locals.

The Instagram account for this pub is viewable by left clicking on https://www.instagram.com/thepackhorse.

The Historic England website entry for this pub is viewable by left clicking on https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1368947.