Portsmouth's Lost Pubs A-C

These pages focus on some of the city's pubs that have closed over the years. Some have sadly been demolished, whilst many have been converted to other use. Portsmouth has lost literally hundreds in the last century, many of which still stand. These can often be identified by looking for evidence of glazed tiling on the frontage or half timbered decoration to the upper floors of the buildings. The last decade has seen a spate of closures and demolitions, though thankfully these have mostly centred on post-war houses of little or no architectural merit - although any loss is of course regrettable.

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"When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England" Hilaire Belloc

	The Abercrombie Arms	Abercrombie Street, Landport
	Located by the H M Dockyard, close to Unicorn Gate, Abercrombie Street has been lost without trace since the end of the Second World War. The pub in the photograph replaced a beerhouse of the same name and was built in 1911, as depicted on its tiled façia. Part of the Longs Brewery estate, the Abercrombie was the victim of a bombing raid in 1941. It was one of a number of pubs that could be found on this street, including the Lion and the Trafalgar.

The Admiral's Head	90 Kingston Crescent, North End
Located a hundred yards or so from the White Hart (see elsewhere), the Admiral's Head occupied a small corner plot at the junction of Kingston Crescent and Gamble Road. Dating from around the middle of the 19th century, the pub was once part of the Pike Brewery estate until ending up in the Brickwoods portfolio. Whitbread's takeover of Brickwoods in 1971 led to the demise of dozens of pubs across town and the Admiral's Head closed its doors in 1981 to become offices. As can be seen in the left-hand photograph, it has now found new use as a Pizza parlour.
Left-hand photograph 15th July 2007

The Air Balloon

Mile End Road (formerly 598 Commercial Road), Mile End

The Air Balloon, situated on the corner of Flying Bull Lane, Mile End is one of Portsmouth's architectural gems, designed by architect A H Bone. Similar in appearence to his White Swan on Guildhall Walk, it comprises a mixture of stone, flint and wood on its exterior and is built in half timbered brewers tudor style, popular around the turn of the 19th/20th centuries.
Of particular note are the ornately-carved caryatids that flank two of the entrances. Sadly, by the summer of 2005 the pub stood empty awaiting conversion to flats.

On 22nd May 2007 the pub was extensively damaged by a suspected arson attack which resulted in the loss of its ground floor stained glass windows. News of the incident made front page headlines in the Portsmouth News the following day. Fortunately, the building is to be renovated following the damage caused. The listed nature of the pub means that faithful reproductions of the damaged doors and stained glass windows shall be installed to retain the building's character.

The Air Balloon (Brickwoods) 19th Century

The Victorian photographs seen here show the original Brickwoods-owned Air Balloon standing at the junction of Commercial Road and Garfield Road. This was the building that immediately pre-dated the 1888 structure that stands today. The right-hand photo depicts a naval parade as it heads past the pub and along Commercial Road towards the city centre.

The left-hand photograph depicts the pub in the 1960s, clearly showing the adjacent housing that stood in this part of the city at that time. Today, the area is a mix of ugly council flats and office blocks, which has done nothing to enhance the character of the city, giving the centre of Portsmouth one of the worst main approaches of any British city.

Top left-hand photograph 14th August 1988

Top right-hand photographs 6th August 2005

architects drawing
of pub elevation

architects drawing
of ground floor plan

architects drawing of
basement and first floor plan

details of pub listing

The Albany / The Mighty Fine		106 Commercial Road, Landport
Originally the Commercial Hotel and also once trading under the names of Smiths Hotel and The Dive during the late 19th century, many will remember this pub during its time as the notorious Mighty Fine. Rechristened as such in 1976, the pub sported a new guise, but mighty fine it certainly wasn't! The pub soon became known as one of Portsmouth's most infamous drinking establishments - note the lack of windows in the photograph to the left! The Webmaster recalls a cavernous one-roomed pub, with a DJ's booth in one corner. The pub also featured strippers and was thus popular with the Royal Navy. The Mighty Fine eventually became seriously rundown and a major refurbishment in 1991 saw it reopen once more as the Albany (reflecting the name shown on the attractive tiling by the entrance doors). The house enjoyed a resurgence in popularity from then on, once again with the Royal Navy for whom the pub arranged 'service personnel only' nights. For reasons unknown, the pub closed its doors some time in 2006 and in May 2007 was the subject of a planning application to convert the premises to a Northern Rock bank, with flats above, though the company later backed out of plans to go ahead with the occupancy. There now remains only two pubs trading on Commercial Road - once a street containing numerous drinking establishments.
Far left-hand photo 9th July 2007	Near left-hand photo 19th September 2004	Right-hand photo 18th February 1990
architects drawing of pub elevations	architects drawing of proposed elevations	architects drawing of ground floor pub plan

The Alver Arms	Alver Road, Fratton
This long-closed street-corner tavern could be found at the junction of Alver Road and Guildford Road, in Fratton's densely populated residential district. No further details available at present. Photographed 29th July 2007 (courtesy Rob Hall)

The Ashburton Arms

52/54 Church Road, Fratton

Still to be found at the western end of Church Road, at its junction with Union Place, this old Jewell's pub traded from the 19th century and retained the same name until its closure in 1982. Still instantly recognizable as a former pub, the house was part of the Brickwood's estate when it served its last pints (see right-hand photograph). It has long since been converted to housing.

Left-hand photograph 15th July 2007

The Bakers Arms	Commercial Road, Landport
Once located in the area now popularly known as Commercial Road South, the Bakers Arms existed for around two hundred years. As can be seen in the photograph, the pub was owned by Portsea brewers Brickwoods, having earlier been in the hands of local rivals Pike Spicer. The pub served its last pints in 1914 at which time it was demolished - at a time when the city was losing many of its pubs. The Bakers Arms was reportedly the subject of a court case involving the pub's licensee, Mr Pitt, and a local clergyman, Charles Joseph. The Reverend was proved to have slandered the pub during a sermon and was fined the hefty sum of £200. After refusing to pay the fine, the congregation of Lake Road Baptist Church had a collection to save the reverend from a gaol term.

The Barleycorn	42/44 Great Southsea Street, Southsea
This late-Victorian street corner local on Great Southsea Street was built in 1898 to replace an older pub on the site. Part of the Symons brewery's estate, the house survived until 1988, at which point it was closed and converted to flats. Photographed 4th February 2007

	The Barrack Cellars	2 Eastney Road, Eastney
	Occupying the site of the former World's End pub on the corner of Eastney Road and Henderson Road, the Barrack Cellars was another of those Eastney pubs to be named with reference to the local Royal marines Barracks located nearby. The building in the photograph dates from the late Victorian era and was owned by Portsmouth United Breweries. The pub later transferred to the Brickwoods portfolio and survived until 1972, when, under new ownership of the mighty Whitbread, it was demolished due to road widening. Photograph kindly supplied by Alan Reeves

The Belgrave Tavern

56 Albert Road, Southsea

Situated on a street still synonymous with drinking establishments, the Belgrave Tavern stood on the corner of Duncan Road, one block east from the King's Theatre. This old Longs pub later traneferred to the Brickwoods portfolio and survived until 1976, when it fell into dereliction. A new lease of life for the building came in 1979, when the premises reopened as a restaurant. Today it houses the Citrus Café Bar.

Photographed 15th July 2007

	The Bell Tavern	67 High Street, Old Portsmouth
	This imposing old pub stood at the junction of High Street and Broad Street, Old Portsmouth and dated from the latter part of the 18th century. Known variously as the Bell, Little Bell and Old Bell Tavern during its life, the inn survived until the 1920s, when it was delicensed and converted to housing.

The Binsteed Arms

7/9 Binsteed Road, Buckland

The Binsteed Arms stood facing its neighbour, the Druids Arms, from the opposite corner of St Stephen's Road. Owned by the Miles Brewery toward the end of the 19th century, this little cornerhouse retained the same name throughout its long history. Unfortunately, time was called on the pub in July of 1981 - a particularly bad year for Portsmouth pub goers, when national brewer Whitbread had a purge on 'underperforming' pubs in its estate and shut a number of houses across the city. This particular premises was converted to flats.

Photographed 15th July 2007

Black Bar & Brasserie	11 Victoria Road South, Southsea
This modern bar and brasserie in Southsea's primary eating and drinking district emerged from the former Rickshaw's Restaurant and hosted live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The premises closed in November 2007 for conversion to a new live music venue. Photographed 19th September 2004

The Black Dog

301 Arundel Street, Fratton

This house was erected in 1965 as a replacement for the recently demolished pub of the same name which was located a few yards to the west, at 261/263 Arundel Street (see right-hand photograph). Since the left-hand photograph was taken in the late 1980s, the pub saw a number of different identity changes including Bailey's, Kennedy's and Grizzly's until eventually being closed and demolished in June 2002 to make way for a new apartment block.
Left-hand photograph July 1990

The Black Prince (Jimmy'z)

Middle Street, Somerstown

The Black Prince, a modern multi-level pub built in 1968 to service the inhabitants of the Somerstown estate, was one of the few Eldridge Pope pubs in the city. After being sold in 1989 to South Coast Taverns it spent a time trading under the name of Churchill's before adopting its final identity of Jimmy'z. By this time the pub had turned its emphasis towards live music and strippers to pull in the punters. Closed in 1999 and demolished following an arson attack, there now stands a large university halls of residence and convenience store on the site.
Photographed 2nd July 1999

The Blue Anchor

21 Queen Street, Portsea

The pictured building which housed the Blue Anchor was opened in 1962, the previous structure having been bombed out during the war (see the Western under Closed Pubs S-Z). Constructed in typically austere '60s style, the pub was very much a local's local and not the most salubrious of establishments! The pub spent a large part of the early 1990s closed before reopening later in the decade and eventually being refurbished and renamed Tradewinds in 1999. However, the bar was unable to be turned around and in 2000 was closed. The pub was demolished in late 2006.

Photographed 11th May 1989

The Brewery Tap	Chapel Street, Buckland
The Brewery Tap once stood on Chapel Street and was owned by Young's of Thomas Street, Landport. The St Thomas Brewery was later renamed the Victory Brewery and was taken over by another local company, George Peters & Co, with Young's estate of around 63 pubs being transferred to Peters'. The Brewery Tap has long since been demolished.

The Brewhouse

139 Queen Street, Portsea

Located close to the Brickwoods brewery on Queen Street, this pub outlived the former by quite a few years and was even renamed the Rising Sun [Brickwood's logo], presumably in honour of its previous owner, following demolition of the brewery buildings to make way for a car park in the mid 1990s. The pub eventually succumbed to the same fate, but not until the start of the 21st Centuy. There now stands a large apartment block on the site of the pub.

Photographed 11th May 1989

The Bridge Tavern

224 Somers Road, Southsea

Named after nearby Turner's Bridge, which once spanned the Portsea and Arundel canal (later to become the trackbed between Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea railway stations), the Bridge Tavern once served the inhabitants of the high density terraced housing that once covered this part of town. Surviving until 1983, this old Brickwoods house (latterly in the hands of Whitbread) was demolished to make way for road improvements. The run-down nature of the neighbourhood is evident in the photograph.

The British Flag	1A Kassassin Street, Eastney
The British Flag on Kassassin Street, Eastney ceased trading around 1990 and was converted into private residences. This attractive little former United Breweries pub occupied an angular plot on the corner of Eastney Street and was later transferred to Whitbread's portfolio, where it remained until closure. Photographed 11th May 1989

The Briton Tavern

34 Harley Street, Fratton

Occupying the corner of Harley Street and Wimpole Street, in an area which is now covered by inner city council flats, the Briton Tavern was built in 1862 as a beerhouse, to which the Britain Brewery was attached. The pub later became part of Brickwoods large pub estate, with beers supplied from its Queen Street brewery in Portsea. Externally decorated with the brewery's familiar glazed tiled façia, it also sported two painted murals advertising the company's ales at first floor level. The pub traded into the 1920s and was eventually demolished.

The Bush Hotel	2 Elm Grove, Southsea
Occupying the corner of Elm Grove and Castle Road, the Bush Hotel was an imposing Victorian building, owned by the George Peters Brewery and dating from around 1891. In 1910 it came under ownership of Portsmouth United Breweries and lasted for a further thirty years, when it fell victim to German bombing during World War II.

The Byron Arms	214 Queens Road, Copnor
Constructed in 1900 to a design by architect A E Cogswell, the Byron Arms stood on the corner of Queens Road and Byron Road and had recently ceased trading when the left-hand photograph was taken in 1988. As the picture shows, the Byron was a former Brickwoods house and later transferred to the Whitbread portfolio. It was converted to flats in 1989. Photographed 14th August 1988

The Cambridge (The Town House)

2 Portland Road, Southsea

Dating from 1953, the Cambridge Hotel occupies a large plot on the corner of Portland Road and Serpentine Road, Southsea. By the 1980s the hotel had ceased trading and the building became a large two-level pub, owned by Whitbread and popular with shoppers by day and clubbers in the evenings. In 1995 a major refit saw the pub reopen as the Town House. This sadly marked the start of the pub's decline and by 2005 the pub had been purchased by Ascott Leisure, an owner of bars in both the UK and abroad, but also a property developer, who's main aim was to demolish the pub and build apartments on the site.

A three year battle between Ascott Leisure, T Ware Developments and Portsmouth City Council ensued, concerning the redevelopment of the site (which stands in a conservation area) and specifically the proposal to build nine houses on the plot. A breakthrough eventually came in May 2008, when permission was given by the council to demolish the long-closed pub after revised plans were submitted.

Photographs:
Top left 11th May 1989
Top right 6th August 2005
Bottom right 30th September 2006

The Camden	1 Camden Buildings, Queen Street, Portsea
Originally the Hat In Hand and rebuilt in 1904 by A E Cogswell for the Pike Spicer brewery, the Camden stands on Queen Street, at its junction with Havant Street and still sports its brewers tudor timbering at second floor level. The pub survived as such until 1976, when it was converted to a Royal Navy hostel. The ground floor appears abandoned in the photograph, taken 14th August 2005.

The Castle Bannerman	108 St Mary's Road, Fratton
Still partially recognizable as a former public house to this day, the Castle Bannerman occupied the corner of St Mary's Road and Samuel Road, opposite the Battle of Minden. Originally the May Flower, the renamed pub traded from the mid 1920s up until 1976, when the property was sold to Portsmouth Housing Association and converted for residential use. Photographed 15th July 2007

The Centaur Inn

66 Elm Road, Buckland

Once standing on the corner of Malins Road and Elm Road, the Centaur Inn was built in 1888 to a design by architect A H Bone (who was responsible for many of Portsmouth's grand pub designs). As seen in the photograph, the pub was part of the vast Brickwoods estate and featured a large sculpture of the mythical Centaur at first floor level. The terraced streets in this district of town were flattened in the 1960s and '70s to make way for what has since become the run down Buckland council estate. The pub hung on until 1972 when sadly it was demolished along with the road on which it stood.

The Charles Dickens

52 Thomas Street, Landport

The Charles Dickens was once one of at least eight pubs which, at one time or another, stood on Thomas Street. Occupying the corner of Martha Street, the pub spent Victorian times trading as the Old Countryman under ownership of Young & Co. and also spent a couple of years named the Brewery Tap. The premises eventually ended up in the hands of Ind Coope following a series of takeovers and mergers and the pub was demolished in 1988 to make way for redevelopment.

The Charles Dickens / Navy Arms	15 Common Street, Fratton
Surrounded by post war council flats to the east of Holbrook Road, the Charles Dickens spent the large majority of its life trading as the Navy Arms (see near right-hand photo). It wasn't until 1988 that the pub was dedicated to Portsmouth's famous author. Owned by Allied Breweries at the time the left-hand photo was taken in 1990, it was put up for sale in 1994 and eventually reopened as Casey's Bar (see far right-hand photo) [owners John & Gail Casey] in 1996, which is how it remained until 2006 when the house was demolished to make way for more flats.
Left-hand photograph 18th February 1990	Right-hand photograph 2nd July 2005

	The Cherry Tree	19 Queen Street, Portsea
	One of a pair of pubs standing side by side at the junction of Queen Street and St James's Street, Portsea, the Cherry Tree was owned by the Young's brewery of Portsmouth. The pub started life in 1887 as the London Stout House before being renamed in 1914. Sadly, the tavern lasted less than another twenty years and was closed way back in 1933. The building still stands, though it looks in need of renovation. Photographed 14th August 2005

The City Arms	10 Isambard Brunel Road, Landport, PO1 2DU
This rather unattractive detached building located on Isambard Brunel Road and adjacent to Guildhall Square was built in 1972 to replace the earlier Sussex Hotel. Its comparatively short history was a chequered one, and at times the pub suffered by attracting a shady clientele. The house was refurbished in 1994 and reopened as the Old Dog & Frigate, presumably to breathe new life into the pub and regain a better reputation. This guise was shortlived, and little more than a year later it became yet another pseudo-Irish bar (as was the trend), trading as O'Hagan's. It finally regained its original name (albeit with Arms being replaced with Bar) in the late nineties, but this further change was still not enough to make the pub viable and trading ceased in 2006. Local property developers Ascott Leisure had plans to reopen the premises as a wine bar in 2008. Unfortunately, this appears to have fallen through and the premises remains closed and boarded as of July 2008.
Left-hand photograph 18th February 1990	Right-hand photograph 15th July 2007

The Clarendon Arms

33 Hampshire Terrace, Southsea

The Clarendon Arms dates from the mid 19th century and spent a short time in the 1880s known as the Clarendon Hotel. The building stands on the corner of Landport Street, opposite the Wig & Pen, which is thankfully still trading. Owned by various local brewers throughout its history, including Holland's, Longs, Brickwoods and eventually Whitbread, the Clarendon closed its doors for the last time in 1981. The bracket for the inn sign is still in situ and now sports a sign depicting the building, with the wording Clarendon Housebelow. The premises is now in a rather shabby condition and could well do with an external facelift by the present owners.

Photographed 15th July 2007

The Cock & Bottle

20 Queen Street, Portsea

The Cock & Bottle (Brickwood) archive photo

Located next door to the Cherry Tree [see above] on Queen Street, the Cock & Bottle also originally started life in the 19th century as the London Stout House before metamorphosing from the Cock & Battle through the Cork & Bottle to the Cock & Bottle in 1887! Owned by the nearby Brickwoods brewery, the pub closed its doors way back in 1914, when the Great War was getting underway. Until recently the building was in a rather sorry state (see left) but has since been refurbished as a small apartment block.

Left-hand photograph 14th August 2005

The Colliers Arms	Pipers Alley, North Quay, Old Portsmouth
This old beerhouse was owned by the Stannard brewery of Warblington Street and stood on the Camber Dock in the 1880s. As can be seen in this ancient photograph, the pub soon fell into dereliction and was demolished soon after.

The Contented Pig	249 Fratton Road, Fratton
Originally the Shipwright's Arms and later the Museum Gardens (as seen in the top right-hand photograph), this well-known pub on Fratton Road received a partial rebuild courtesy of pub architect A E Cogswell in 1932. In 1986 its name changed to the Frog & Frigate and it began serving its own ale - it being the sister pub to one of the same name on Canute Road, Southampton. By the late 1980s it had received a further name change and became the Landmark - retaining its basic interior with an emphasis on real ales and live music. Yet another change came in 1992 when the pub was rechristened the Contented Pig. A further refurbishment in 2005 saw the heart ripped out of of the old pub when an ill-advised attempt, by an independent pub company, to reinvent the house as a modern wine bar style pub failed disastrously. This ultimately proved to be its downfall as the previous clientele turned their backs on the pub and the main reasons for coming here - the good choice of real ale and the quality live music - were both lost. The pub ceased trading in late 2007. A sad loss of a once-characterful pub. In early 2008, the site is rumoured to be the subject of redevelopment plans.
Top left-hand photograph 18th February 1990 Bottom left-hand photograph 14th August 2005	Bottom right-hand photograph 18th March 2008
More information regarding this house can be found on the Pubs Reviews page

The Country House

342 Commercial Road, Landport

Located on Commercial Road, at its junction with Church Street, this large Victorian pub was owned by Blakes of Gosport and leased to Portsea's Brickwoods Brewery. It later became part of the Brickwoods estate following the demise of Blakes and in 1971 was absorbed by Whitbread. The pub served its last beer in 1982 and was demolished in September of that year. The plot has long since been redeveloped and the road layout altered beyond recognition. Note the former ABC cinema on the opposite side of the Commercial Road in the photograph.

Cox's Hotel

26 Little Charlotte Street, Landport

Starting life as the Queen's Head (and Queen Charlotte's Head), this once-popular pub took its later name from former owners Cox & Fry. Trading as Cox's Hotel from 1928, the pub became part of Horndean brewer George Gale's estate, under which it remained until its closure and demolition at the start of the 1980s to make way for the new Cascades Shopping Centre. The Webmaster recalls the pub from childhood visits to Charlotte Street market. Sadly, it was one of a number of pubs that were lost to the developers at this time.

	The Criterion	102 Commercial Road, Landport
	One of a large number of hostelries that could once be found on Commercial Road (which was once double the length of its existing route), the Criterion was built in the 1880s to replace another hostelry by the name of the Crimea. Originally owned by the Lush Brewery, and later transferring to Jewell's, the premises survived until as recently as 1973, when it was demolished in October of that year to make way for road improvements.

The Crown (1)	244 Commercial Road, Landport
Another Commercial Road pub, the Crown occupied the corner of Paradise Street, opposite the Emperor Of India. Dating from the mid 19th century, the pub was originally owned by Messrs. Garrett and later passed to Brickwoods, as seen in this photograph. The house survived until 1962, at which time it was demolished.

The Crown (2)

Commercial Road, Landport

Built in 1961 to replace the pub by the same name which was due to close on the opposite corner (see above), the Crown was sited at Commercial Road's junction with Charlotte Street, on a plot once occupied by the Monarch Tavern, which itself survived until 1940. Owned by Brickwoods, the pub survived just fifteen years before being converted to retail use. The premises is now occupied by a shop by the name of Mr Cheap.

Photograph kindly supplied by Rob Hall

The Crystal Palace	1 Fawcett Road, Southsea
This imposing three storey pub and hotel once occupied the northern extremity of Fawcett Road, opposite Fratton Bridge, and was designed by prolific pub architect A E Cogswell. Completed in 1888, the pub would have sourced much of its custom from travellers and railwaymen due to its proximity to Fratton railway station. The pub replaced a tavern of the same name and the later building survived until 1972, when its last pints were served on 28th August. Demolition soon followed.

The Cumberland Tavern	130 Eastney Road, Eastney
Another long-closed pub, the Cumberland Tavern was a former Brickwoods house, built in a rather austere style by prolific Portsmouth pub architect A E Cogswell, dominating the corner of Eastney Road and Bransbury Road. Its last pints were served in January of 1989, when it was closed and converted to apartments. Photographed 11th May 1989

	The Cuthbert Arms	9 Cuthbert Road, Fratton
	This small Victorian mid-terraced tavern stood amidst the tightly packed houses of Fratton's backstreets. Trading since the 19th century, the pub remained open until at least the mid 1930s. The building today displays no obvious signs that it was ever a pub and is now divided into two flats. Photographed 15th July 2007

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