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.
CLICK ON A PHOTOGRAPH TO SEE THE FULL SIZE IMAGE
"When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England" Hilaire Belloc
|
S |
| The Sailor's Return |
427 Commercial Road, Landport |
 Located on the corner of Commercial Road and Prospect Road, Mile End, the Sailor's Return stood opposite the Osborne Hotel, which can also be glimpsed in the foreground of this photograph. Part of the Young's Brewery estate in the 1930s, the pub was later transferred to Peters before ending up with Friary Meux of Guildford in the '50s (as seen here). The death knell came when the whole of Mile End was redeveloped in the mid 1970s, destroying the character of the area and giving the city some of the ugliest buildings in Britian. The house was demolished in 1973 - outlasting the Osborne by three years.
Photograph courtesy of M Hawley
|
|
| |
| The St Mary's Arms |
36/38 St Mary's Road, Fratton |
|
|
| |
| The Salutation |
2 New Road, Buckland |
 The Sally, as it was affectionately known, was an institution among rock music fans across Portsmouth and beyond - you never came here for the beer! The pub was a champion for dozens of local bands who took to the small stage over the years. The Salutation was best remembered for hosting the Monday Mafia residency and for the drunken exploits of the licensee, Fred who ruled with an iron rod and often insisted on taking to the stage to play his battered trumpet ...rather badly! The pub eventually succumbed to the inevitable in 1993 when it closed and was converted into a charity organization's premises.
Photographed 14th August 1988 |
|
| |
| Scott's Bar |
37 Eldon Street, Southsea |
 Originally the Elm Brewery Tap (the brewery standing on the opposite corner), Scott's Bar was a popular free house and restaurant, with a large first floor function room. The pub was well-known for its range of quality real ales and sported a rare, ornate eight-pull beer engine on the back wall behind the bar counter. The pub was closed in the late 1990s and converted to a restaurant.
Photographed 18th February 1990 |
|
| |
 |
The Seagull |
13 Broad Street, Old Portsmouth |
Constructed in 1900 for Jewell's brewery, this house is of very similar external design to the Florist on Fratton Road. Standing in the heart of the city's historic old town, the Grade II listed Seagull closed as long ago as 1970 and became a restaurant by the same name. It later saw further conversion to an estate agent's premises in 2001 and remains in that guise to this day.
Photographed 10th April 2004 |
|
| |
| The Shaftesbury |
119 Kingston Road, Buckland |
 The Shaftesbury was a traditional two bar local situated on the main thoroughfare of Kingston Road. Until the early 1990s it was run by the Friary Meux pub chain before being sold to Gales as part of a job lot. By the late '90s its opening became sporadic and the premises was eventually converted to residential use, under the nosensical name of Shaftesbury Mews (a mews being nowhere to be seen!)
Photographed 14th August 1988 |
|
| |
 |
The Ship Inn |
High Street, Cosham |
| This large 20th century Brickwoods house stood on Cosham High Street, close to Cosham Park Avenue, and has long since been replaced by shops. |
|
| |
| The Ship Leopard |
15/16 The Hard, Portsea |
  Occupying an historic premises on Portsea's waterfront, the Ship Leopard was actually not such an old pub as it appeared to be. A former off-licence premises, the Leopard was opened for business in 1976 by Burton brewers Ind Coope. It was a pleasant pub, with a nautical theme, though sadly this was all lost when in 1990 the pub was sold and became Hard Times bar and diner. This incarnation lasted less than four years and after a refit in 1994 the bar reopened as McCoy's. By 2003 the Ship Leopard name was back, but unfortunately the pub was refitted with a spartan, white-walled interior and little atmosphere. By the Spring of 2007 the pub had closed and conditional planning permission had been granted to convert the premises into flats. |
| Left-hand photograph 11th May 1989 |
Right-hand photograph 30th September 2006 |
|
| |
 |
The Shipwright's Arms |
14 Edinburgh Road, Landport |
 |
 |
| This traditional style Victorian corner house stands amongst a row of four pubs on Edinburgh Road, in the city centre. It was unusual for having retained the same name for over 150 years. However, in 2005 the pub became the first of the street's long-established pubs to close its doors and was soon boarded up. By mid 2006 evidence of internal work was apparent and by September of that year all internal fittings had been stripped out. By the spring of 2007 it had been reopened as a takeaway food establishment. |
|
|
| Left-hand photograph
18th February 1990 |
Near right-hand photograph
14th August 2005 |
|
| |
| The Sir Robert Peel |
Astley Street, Somerstown |
 Built in 1967 as part of the sprawling Somerstown housing estate, the Robert Peel was part of the Friary Meux estate until being sold to Gales in 1990. The pub latterly became a free house in the mid 90s under the ownership of local publican Tony Mitchell and became an unlikely magnet for serious beer drinkers from far and wide. The Mitchells' relocation to Spain meant the pub closed for good in early 2004. The building has since been demolished and the site is now (July 2008) a vacant plot.
Photographed 18th February 1990 |
|
| |
| The Spotted Cow |
116 North End Avenue, North End |
   The Spotted Cow has stood on this site since the late 19th century and was designed by Victorian pub architect A H Bone. Owned by Brickwoods, then Whitbread, it served its last pints under wonership of independent pub chain Admiral Taverns. Retaining two bars, the pub saw little investment in the last twenty years of its life and became possibly the most rundown in Portsmouth. Structural problems forced the closure of the pub in the winter of 2007 and in October the following year a planning application was submitted for the demolition of the pub. |
| Left-hand photograph 13th July 2008 |
Near right-hand photograph 30th September 2006
Far right-hand photograph 14th August 1988 |
|
| |
| The Star |
177/179 Lake Road, Buckland |
 Located on the north side of Lake Road, mid-distance between Church Street and Duke Street, this terraced pub dated from early Victorian times and was variously known as the Star Inn, Star Tavern and Star Hotel. Originally part of Gosport's Blakes Brewery estate, the premises became part of the Brickwoods portfolio in 1926 and was subsequently taken over by Whitbread in 1971. The pub traded for a further decade until it was closed and demolished in 1981 - as was the fate for many Whitbread pubs in the early '80s. |
|
| |
| The Still |
2 Kent Road, Portsea |
 Despite remaining in the spring of 2005, albeit sadly boarded up and looking rather forlorn, the Still occupied a prominent position on the corner of Kent Street and St James's Street, Portsea. Previously known as the Man & Still, it was rebuilt in 1904 by A E Cogswell for the Pike Spicer brewery. The pub eventually closed in 1978 and was converted to other use (its last purpose having been a charity organization's premises). Thankfully, a recent visit (Jul '07) has revealed that a refurbishment is underway, and the house looks to be undergoing conversion to apartments.
Photographed 28th March 2005 |
|
| |
| Storehouse No.9 Bar |
Main Road, Historic Dockyard, Portsea |
  This temporary pub traded throughout 2005 within a listed storehouse building in the Historic Dockyard. Catering primarily for tourists, the pub was run by Gosport brewers Oakleaf, who's ales were available, as well as a real cider. Open to all, customers did not have to purchase a ticket to the dockyard to use the pub. What a shame the arrangment could not have been made permanant, as visitors to the dockyard now have only a soulless café bar area in which to purchase a bland beer or lager.
Photographed 4th September 2005
|
|
| |
| The Swan |
211 Lake Road, Buckland |
  The Swan still stands on Lake Road, Buckland, on the corner of Turner Road, but is now in the guise of a Ladbrokes betting shop. The building dates from 1896, though there have also been pubs on the site prior to this date. The Sir Charles Napier can be traced back to 1874, surviving until 1887 when the house became known as the Sea Horse. The Swan was eventually closed in 1981 by Whitbread, having previously been owned by United (see right-hand photo) and Brickwoods.
The pub's name still appears at first floor level - though it is now somewhat obscurred by black paint in the photo to the left. The premises could well benefit from a facelift. A glimpse of another pub, the Horndean House (owned by Gales) can be spotted in the right-hand photo, situated as it was on the opposite corner of Turner Road. It was demolished in the 1960s.
|
| Left-hand photograph 14th August 2005 |
|
| |
| |
T |
| The Talbot |
207 Goldsmith Avenue, Southsea |
   A E Cogswell's imposing Talbot on Goldsmith Avenue was constructed in 1896, in half-timbered brewers tudor style, to service the local inhabitants and those using the adjacent Fratton railway station. Built for Brickwoods brewery, the building still retains its original livery despite not having served any ale since 1981, when it was closed and converted to a hostel.
Left-hand photograph 3rd January 2005 |
|
| |
| The Temperance Hotel |
St George's Road, Old Portsmouth |
 Located on the corner of Warblington Street and St George's Road, opposite the Gloucester Hotel, the Temperance Hotel can be seen behind the two horsemen on the left-hand side of the photograph. No other details available at this time. |
|
| |
| The Three Crowns |
10 St James's Street, Portsea |
  A pub named the Three Crowns can be traced back on St James's Street as far as the 18th century. During the mid 19th century the pub was owned by Henty's Brewery of Chichester and thereafter by Brickwoods (see top right-hand photograph). By the late 1970s the house was in the hands of national brewer Whitbread and during the 1990s it received a deserved refit. It remained a popular, comfortable pub, used mainly by locals, along with students from the local university buildings. A rare example of a true local in Portsea.
 The death knell for the pub came in 2007 when the premises was purchased by a local property developer. A hand-written sign placed in the window read "Closed until further notice", although this may just have well read "Closed forever" as it was never their intention to reopen the premises. A planning application was submitted in the summer of 2007 to demolish the pub and build a four storey block of flats on the site. Sadly, the city planners backed this idea and permission was granted on 14th November 2007. |
Top left-hand photograph 11th May 1989
Bottom left-hand photograph 28th March 2005
|
Bottom right-hand photograph 25th July 2007 |
|
| |
| The Tramway Arms |
1 Kingston Road, Buckland |
  The former Tramway Arms dominates the southern extremity of Kingston Road and still bears the distinctive Portsmouth United Breweries emblem at roof level. The pub later became part of the Brickwoods estate before being closed by Whitbread in the early 1980s. It was used as office space for some years until being converted to a rather smart looking Indian restaurant in the spring of 2004.
Photographed 2004 |
|
| |
| The Traveller's Rest |
12 St Mary's Road, Fratton |
 Now one of four former pubs that once stood within a few hundred yards of each other on St Mary's Road, the Traveller's Rest overlooked St Mary's Church from its position at the corner of Woodland Street. Trading from Victorian times, the pub survived until as recently as 1980, when it was converted to a business premises before later becoming the Viking Health Club. The premises is now used as housing.
Photographed 15th July 2007
|
|
| |
|
The True Blue |
37 Broad Street, Old Portsmouth |
Closed for well over a century, the True Blue can still be found at 37 Broad Street, in an area which was once home to dozens of public houses. No further information available at present.
Photographed 15th July 2007 |
|
| |
| |
U |
| Uncle Tom's Cabin |
48 Havant Road, Cosham |
 Named after the famous novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, this large 1950s pub, set back from the roadside, originally consisted of a public bar and a lounge. In the late 1980s owners Gales gave the house a major facelift and reinvented the pub as an open plan, single-roomed pub and eaterie. Its clientele consisted of businessmen and shoppers during the daytime and attracted a younger crowd throughout the evenings, when local bands would sometimes play and quiz nights were held. Unfortunately, the pub began to attract a small number of undesirables on a regular basis and this probably contributed to the pub's eventual closure in the late 1990s. |
|
| |
| The Unicorn |
158 Fratton Road, Fratton |
 Located on Fratton Road, at the junction with Sheffield Road, the Unicorn was typical of post war pub architecture in Portsmouth, built cheaply and quickly in a similar design to the Salutation on New Road (see below). In fact the Unicorn survived far longer than the Webmaster expected - presumably kept in business by a small but faithful band of regulars. The pub finally closed in early 2003 and was demolished late in the same year to make way for new apartments.
Photographed 18th February 1990. |
|
| |
 |
The Union |
366 Fratton Road, Buckland |
Located at the northern extremity of Fratton Road, opposite the former Tramway Arms (see above), the Union was built in 1911 to a design by architect J J Cotton, replacing another pub of the same name. Standing mid-terrace on a narrow plot, it served its last customers in 1962, when the pub was closed for the final time. Following closure the premises was converted to a shop before later undergoing further alterations to residential accommodation.
Photographed 22nd July 2007
|
|
| |
| The Union |
25 Union Street, Portsea |
 Situated in a small road behind Queen Street , the Union traded since at least the late 18th century. Known variously as the Old Union, Union Tavern and Union Tap, the pub was part of the Pike Brewery in the mid 19th century and later became part of the Longs Brewery estate. The pub ceased trading in the 1950s. |
|
| |
| |
V |
|
The Victoria & Albert |
11 The Hard, Portsea |
Dating from 1897, the Victoria & Albert was opened by the Lush Brewery and replaced an earlier pub of the same name. Located next door to the Ship Anson, the pub was designed by A E Cogswell and was one of a large number of drinking establishments located on The Hard, or Common Hard as it was once named, in Victorian times. The pub was leased to Portsmouth United Breweries in 1911 and only survived until 1932, when it was converted to a tobacconists. The building now houses the Victory Newsagents.
Photographed 15th July 2007 |
|
| |
| The Victoria Hotel |
1 Wiltshire Street, Southsea |
 This 19th century street corner pub was originally known as the Volunteer Arms until reopening in 1892 as the Victoria Hotel. The building is a rare survivor among the hundreds of other pubs and beerhouses that could once be found in this part of the city. Virtually all of them have since fallen victim of either the bulldozer or the bomb. Today there are only two former pubs still standing in this district (see below). The Victoria traded until 1976 when it served its last pints. By 1980 it had been converted into student accommodation. The building sports some interesting architecture and third floor and roof levels.
Photographed 15th July 2007
|
|
| |
| The Viking |
165 Arundel Street, Landport |
 Another post war pub built to service the inhabitants of the sprawling Landport estate, the Viking on Arundel Street finally shut its doors for the final time in 2003. Demolition soon followed and the plot is now home to a small apartment block. This form of pub architecture has since become virtually extinct on Portsea Island, with the only remaining, similar pub being the Alexandra on Wingfield Street.
Photographed 18th February 1990 |
|
| |
| |
W |
| The Welcome Home |
60 Kilmiston Street, Fratton |
 This Victorian street corner local was located off Fratton Road at 60 Kilmiston Street and was part of the Peter's Brewery estate. The pub lasted until the late 1920s. The pub, along with the street itself, has long since disappeared from the map. |
|
| |
| The Western |
21 Queen Street, Portsea |
 This street corner pub started life as the Lion in 1858 and also spent some years as the Red Lion. In 1906 it was renamed the Western after the licensee. Originally owned by the Pike Brewery, it later became part of the Brickwoods chain. The pub lasted only a short time after this photograph was taken, during World War II, as it was the victim of a bombing raid in 1944. The pub was eventually rebuilt and reopened as the Blue Anchor (see elsewhere in the Closed Pubs section). |
|
| |
| The Whitehall |
215 Kingston Road, Buckland |
 Yet another pub situated on Kingston Road, Buckland, the Whitehall also closed its doors around the turn of the century and suffered an arson attack shortly afterwards. However, the bar was refitted internally but remained empty for over three years after. A planning application to erect new flats on the site was submitted in 2005 and demolition followed in August of that year.
Photographed 14th August 1988 |
|
| |
| The White Hart |
Kingston Cross, North End |
  This imposing building is a familiar sight to the thousands of motorists and pedestrians that pass through Kingston Cross on a daily basis. The present building dates from 1938 and was designed for Brickwoods by Portsmouth's famous pub architect A E Cogswell, replacing an earlier pub of the same name. The buiding survived as a pub until 1977, at which time it was converted to offices and renamed Anchor House. The right-hand photograph is worth comparing to the similarly-designed Cumberland Tavern, which is pictured on Closed Pubs 2 page. |
| Left-hand photograph 15th July 2007 |
|
| |
| The White Hart |
27 The Hard, Portsea |
 Yet another pub that could once be found on The Hard, the White Hart stood next to the Keppel's Head. A pub by this name can be traced back on this site as far as the late 18th century, at a time when the majority of buildings on this street were public houses (due to the proximity of the adjacent Naval Base). The pub closed many decades ago and converted to other use. However, the building was purchased in 1997 by the licensee of the neighbouring Lady Hamilton, with a view to converting the building back to a pub once more. This plan sadly never came to fruition and the premises changed hands once again and was reopened as a bookmaker's in 2002.
Photographed 15th July 2007
|
|
| |
| The White Hart Hotel |
116 Kingston Crescent, North End |
 The White Hart existed on this site, close to the junction with London Road, since the early 18th century. The building depicted in the photograph lasted until the 1930s and was rebuilt in 1938 in a bolder style by architect A E Cogswell. Once part of the Pike Brewery estate, the hotel later became part of Brickwoods, as shown here. Note the small coaching entrance, with the wording "Good stabling storage for cycles" written above. |
|
| |
 |
The White House |
74/76 Ernest Road, Buckland |
 |
The White House stood mid-terrace on Ernest Road and traded until 1982. Converted by Cogswell for Portsmouth United Breweries from two houses in the first decade of the 20th century, the tiling and PUB livery is still prominent at first floor level, along with its original decorative roofline. The pub later became part of Brickwoods estate, as seen in the right-hand photograph. Once closed the pub was converted to flats.
Left-hand photograph
14th August 2005 |
|
| |
| The Wonkey Donkey |
13 Victoria Road South, Southsea |
 Opened in 2004 in the former Rickshaw's restaurant, this long, narrow bar room had a large number of television screens dotted around the walls. A pool table could be found at the rear and the bar counter ran along the right-hand wall, opposite which was the main seating area. The pub had a varied clientele, though leant mainly toward younger drinkers. One real ale was available when the Webmaster visited to survey the premises on opening night. By November 2007 the pub, along with its sister bar next door, was closed and undergoing conversion to a new live music venue.
Photographed 19th September 2004 |
|
| |
| |
Historic Off Licences |
| 273 Fawcett Road, Southsea |
 This premises was never a public house, however it was once a Wine & Spirit Merchant's shop, owned by Portsmouth's long-defunct Long's Brewery. In 1918 it was known to have been run by a Mr Henry Baskett. In June 2008, the premises underwent 'refurbishment' by new owners. Rather tragically, the building contractors saw fit to remove the historic Long's tiled façia, telling the Webmaster that this was necessary due to damp penetration. Make of that what you will, but one thing is for sure...this was a terrible shame. Sadly the Webmaster was unable to get to the site in time to photograph the intact frontage, though is thankful to have managed to capture its partial remains.
Thanks go to Jenny Boulter for the tip-off that led to this photograph, taken 13th June 2008. |
|
| |
| The Kingston Stores |
219/221 Kingston Road, Buckland |
   Until recently, located adjacent to the Whitehall pub on the opposite corner of Malthouse Lane, the latter was demolished to make way for a new apartment block in 2007. It was shortly before the demolition that Hampshire Builders renewed the façia board of their property to reveal the fact that the building was once a licenced premises, owned by the once-adjacent Kingston Brewery. The name Hammerton appears prominently on the front of the property, this being the name of the London-based owners of the brewery and bottling store between 1917 and 1953. The company was later taken over by Charrington of East London. |
| Left-hand photograph 15th July 2007 |
Right-hand photographs kindly supplied by Roger & Trish Lovell |
|
| |
| 46 Langley Road, Buckland |
 This historic former corner shop located at the junction of Langley Road and Malta Road is a rare example of the kind of traditional off licence that was once common across the city of Portsmouth. Still prominently displaying the name of Burton brewers Ind Coope on its façia, the premises also sports the livery of former Guildford brewer Friary Mew at first floor level, albeit rather faded after many years of weathering. The property is recorded in Kelly's Directory as being owned by 'Grocer and Beer Retailer' Walter George Fleming in 1918.
Photographed 13th July 2008 |
|
| |
| Historic map of Landport pubs |
 Click on the image to the left to view a historic map of the pubs that stood in the Landport district of Portsea Island in around 1930. Of the 72 houses shown on this map, only three remain trading and one of these, the Jameson Arms, is presently (September 2007) under threat of conversion to flats. The other two are the Painters Arms on Lake Road and the Mars, once on Commercial Place but now with an address of Church Path North. Let us hope that both these houses continue to trade for many years to come.
Thanks go to Richard Sheath for supplying this fascinating map from yesteryear. |
|
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
