A COUPLE with a totally appropriate name will help celebrate their pub's 450 anniversary this weekend with a beer that looks as if it was brewed in their honour.

Wadworth has created Talbots Tipple for three days of partying to mark the birthday of the White Bear Inn that was originally known as The Talbot.

Landlord and landlady Geoff and Fiona Talbot are delighted that their name features in the title of the 576 pints of the limited edition ale and back in 2012 when they took over the pub they were were pleased to find the link.

Mrs Talbot said: "It was as if we were destined to take over the pub. Brewer Richard Burton has done an excellent job in producing eight firkins of Talbots Tipple Ale.

"We are very grateful to Wadworth Brewery for helping us celebrate our 450th birthday in such a special way. With only 576 pints of this ale being produced it is truly limited edition and exclusive to The White Bear Inn.

"They have also donated some brewery tour tickets as prizes for our quiz on Sunday night and we will add lunch to this prize."

Celebrations will start at 7pm on Saturday with live folk music from The Carpet Baggers. On Sunday the Wadworth shire horses will be outside the pub from noon and there will also be the chance to dance along with Devizes Jubilee Morris Men.

Mr and Mrs Talbot are keen for people to dress in historic costumes to help mark the pub's long history and those that make an effort will be rewarded with a free pint of Talbot's Tipple.

At 7pm a quiz will be held for teams of up to four people who pay £2.50 per person.

On Monday there will be more music between 4pm and 6pm when Clive Buckingham performs folk and blues.

The White Bear is thought to date back to 1567 and this is the first recorded date of a landlord working from the pub in Monday Market Street.

According to local historian John Girvan, the White Bear has a strange history. When it was known as The Talbot, it was an old drovers' inn. Once it was visited by an old lady who wanted to stable her horse.

On leading the horse through the front passage, it slipped and fell into a cellar, the door of which had been left open. The horse died and the owner disclosed she was a witch and would curse the cellar, vowing it would always be dark, dank and useless.