MARCH 2007

IN A CONTINUATION OF THE EASTNEY PUB CRAWL DETAILED FURTHER DOWN THE PAGE, THIS WALK PROGRESSES ALONG ALBERT ROAD, SOUTHSEA, FROM FESTING ROAD IN THE EAST TO VICTORIA ROAD IN THE WEST. THIS CRAWL CENTRES ON SOUTHSEA'S PRIMARY DRINKING DISTRICT AND INCLUDES ALL VARIETY OF PUBS.
ALBERT ROAD IS ON BUS ROUTES 7, 16, 17 & 18 AMONG OTHERS.

The journey begins at the eastern end of Albert Road, at its junction with Festing Road. On the corner of these two streets can be found the imposing Festing Hotel. This old Brickwoods inn still sports an attractive wrought iron canopy displaying the name of that brewery. On entering the premises, the customer finds one large L-shaped bar room, furnished with comfortable armchairs and sofas. There are a number of televisions positioned around the pub, meaning that wherever you are seated you are always able to keep one eye on the football! The pub is carpeted throughout, with the exception of the area around the bar counter which is bare boarded. A pool table is situated at the eastern end of the bar and a jukebox can be found on the wall. There is a singles disco held on Thursday nights. Food, in the form of Pizzas (£4.69) and Paninis (£3.95) are served throughout the day. With regard to drinks, this Greene King pub unfortunately does not serve any real ale. Instead, punters can chose from a draught selection of keg Old Speckled Hen, Belhaven Best and Ruddles as well as Guinness (£2.80). A standard variety of lagers and bottled beers are stocked. In conclusion, this is a pleasant pub, though could be improved by a reversion to two bar rooms, plus some cask beer.

From the Festing, head west along Albert Road until you reach the Bold Forester on the corner of Fawcett Road. This old Longs house sports a single, L-shaped bar and is popular with both students and locals, as well as a small passing trade. Another Greene King pub, it has sadly lost the good range of real ales which were served throughout the nineties. All we have now is a pair of redundant handpumps. Drinkers must therefore chose from a standard selection of keg beers and lagers (including Ruddles for £1.80 per pint). Talisker whisky was a surprise find among the choice of spirits. Bottles of Newcastle Brown can be had for £2.30. The pub is furnished with a mixture of upholstered bench seats, bar stools and armchairs. The raised deck area facing Albert Road is carpeted and includes an open fire. The remainder of the bar is bare boarded. Food is served from midday 'til 8pm and all dishes are priced below £3.50, offering good value. Sky Sports is shown on TV and piped music is played throughout the pub. The walls of the area facing Fawcett Road display a small collection of striking Roy Lichtenstein prints.

On leaving the Bold Forester, all that is required is to negotiate a crossing of busy Albert Road, where the Leopold Tavern stands on the opposite corner. This house is hard to miss as its ground floor is clad entirely with green glazed tiling and sports the livery of the long defunct Portsmouth & Brighton United Breweries. Inside, the pub has been knocked into one bar room, though it is divided into three distinct areas, with traditional tables and chairs at the front of house and opposite the bar counter and a separate area toward the rear, where further seating can be found. There are televisions on which sports events are often shown. At the bar, the customer can find the usual selection of lagers and spirits as well as two or three well kept cask ales - these often include Hop Back Summer Lightning and a beer from Greene King or Fullers. NOTE: The pub reopened following refurbishment in early August 2007, with six real ales, a revised wine list, a cask cider and a large selection of malt whiskies. Further details of what's now on offer can be found on the Pub Reviews page.

Continuing in a westerly direction, our next port of call is the pleasant Duke of Devonshire on the corner of Boulton Road. This small, narrow lounge bar is well furnished with comfortable chairs and tables and is divided between the main bar room and a smaller area to the rear, where darts is played and a jukebox can be found. Old mirrors advertising a variety of drinks are hung on the walls. The pub has a beer garden at the rear. The mostly regular clientele enjoys a warm welcome from the pub's established landlady and real ale fans can chose from well kept Fullers London Pride or InBev Flower's Original - the former being particularly good on the Webmaster's visit. It would be easy to stay longer at this homely, relaxed tavern, but the nature of a pub crawl means that we must continue to our next port of call.

Luckily, drinkers shall only need to transfer next door to find the next licensed premises on this particular outing. Here you shall find the Royal Albert. Twice the size of its neighbour, the Royal Albert has only recently reverted to its proper name after a dreadful period in the guise of Bar Metro. What we now have is a large L-shaped bar area, with a separate pool room to the right. Furnished with a mixture of high tables and chairs, some traditional seating and a few sofas, the pub is boarded between the entrance and bar counter, with the remainder being carpeted. The magnolia walls give the bar a modern feel, though a traditional open fire can be found to the right of the bar counter. There are three televisions sited around the pub and a jukebox can be found on the left-hand wall. Sadly, no cask conditioned ale is stocked here - instead, four draught lagers and a limited selection of bottled beers are on offer. This pub is not cheap, with Guinness (the Webmaster's choice on this occasion) costing a hefty £2.95 a pint! Glenfiddich is the single malt whisky on offer. Apart from the friendly service, this pub is not one that the Webmaster would rate as being worthy of a long stay.

Ale drinkers are now in for a treat, as the next stop on our journey is nothing short of a Portsmouth institution. A short walk west brings you to the Fifth Hants Volunteer Arms, the birthplace of the Portsmouth branch of the Campaign For Real Ale in the early 1970s. Featuring in the Good Beer Guide for many years, the Volley consists of a very basic public bar at the front and a smaller, quieter lounge bar to the rear. The public bar has a good mix of regulars, as well as visiting drinkers who call here for the beer. Four real ales, from the Gales/Fullers stable are on offer. These were HSB (£2.70), London Pride (£2.60), Festival Mild (£2.65) and Butser (£2.30) on this occasion. Gales country wines are stocked (£2.95 for 175ml), plus your usual lagers and spirits. The room is furnished with simple tables and chairs. A well-stocked jukebox can be found on the wall facing the bar counter and darts is played. There is a curious collection of hard hats and naval caps hanging from the ceiling beams. A quiz night is held on Sundays. The pleasant lounge bar has upholstered seating and many CAMRA awards adorn the walls. An open fire place is a welcome addition during the cold winter months. The Volley is probably the best traditional public house in Portsmouth and long may it continue in this unaltered state. If visitors are able to pull themselves away from here, the next pub on our journey is all but a block or two away.

On leaving the Volunteer Arms, turn left along Albert Road for one block, then take the next left into Duncan Road. Ahead you shall see the Phœnix on the corner of Collingwood Road. This well-run local has two bar rooms and features a choice of real ales from independent brewers. On this visit the beers on offer were Hog's Back TEA (£2.20) and Ringwood Best - well-kept and good value. The public bar is basic, though comfortable, with a dartboard, TV and a jukebox. The walls are decorated with signed Portsmouth FC shirts and dozens of photos of the bar staff and regulars. A quiz is held on Sundays and a meat raffle on Saturdays (both 5pm). The well-furnished lounge includes an upright piano and there is also a separate games room across the walled courtyard. Visitors to the gents' shall find a large number of framed Portsmouth FC team photos dating back over 100 years.

Onwards we travel to the next pub, one of Southsea's most well-known hostelries. Return to Albert Road and turn left. Opposite the King's Theatre stands the Wine Vaults. Founded in the mid 1980s in a converted shop, this real ale mecca was famed for its dozen handpumps and served no lager. Times have changed, though the pub is still well worth a visit. Now owned by Fuller Smith & Turner, the pub stocks four of the company's ales (Discovery (£2.55), ESB (£2.70), London Pride (£2.55) and Festival Mild (£2.70)) plus an additional four ales from other brewers. On this visit these were all from Somerset's Cottage Brewery (all £2.70). Hoegaarden white beer is also available on draught, with Leffe and Budvar in bottles. The pub is formed of an entirely wooden interior, with basic tables and church pews for seating. A few bar stools are also available. Dozens of pumpclips and a collection of foreign banknotes decorate the back bar and beer related posters hang on the walls. Food is served all day and the pub has a number of interconnecting rooms which straddle four shop units, including a connecting doorway to Vine's Café Bar.

Any temptation to linger at the Wine Vaults should be resisted, as we still have a further three houses to visit! Turn right onto Albert Road and on the opposite corner stands the King's. This sizeable old hotel bar is boarded at the front of house, with a carpeted area at the rear. Furnishings consists of comfortable bar stools, bench seats and small round tables. Gaming machines, a jukebox and various televisions are dotted around the house. An upstairs room offers three pool tables though there is no manned bar on the first floor. Drinks on offer downstairs are standard beers and lagers. Real ale is limited to the autumn/winter months and consists solely of Draught Bass (£2.36), which does not sell well and is therefore not served in the best condition. Becks and Newcastle Brown are better alternatives for the serious beer drinker. Glenfiddich Special Reserve is the sole single malt whisky.

The penultimate pub on our crawl is a recent welcome addition to this area. Cross Albert Road and you shall find Little Johnnie Russell's. This pub has suffered no less than five name changes in the last fifteen years and is now thankfully re-established as a proper pub. The large L-shaped bar room has a small raised area where live music is performed. Upholstered seating and traditional tables, as well as bar stools, can be found throughout the pub. The walls are decorated with curious soviet era posters and a fake flagstoned floor covers the entire room. Three real ales are served, which today were Courage Directors (£2.40), Adnams Broadside (£2.50) and Ringwood Fortyniner (£2.40). A good selection of wines are on offer and good value basic fayre is served Monday-Thursday 4-10pm and Friday-Sunday 12-8pm (soups £2.95, sunday roast £6.95, sausage & mash £5.95 and desserts for £3.50). A large rear patio area includes table football.

And so we come to the final house. At the western end of Albert Road stands the Goose At The V & A. So called because it stands at the apex of Victoria and Albert Roads, this premises was originally Southsea Police Station before being converted into a popular brewpub, the Fuzz & Firkin. Sadly, Allied Brewers sold the Firkin chain to M&B, who in turn closed the breweries and renamed many of the pubs. The Goose is a pleasant single bar pub with comfortable furnishings and four large plasma televisions. Food is served throughout the day and three real ales are served (Wadworth 6X (£2.10), Greene King Old Speckled Hen and Fullers London Pride). A standard range of bottled beers and cocktails is also on offer.

So there we have it. A journey along Southsea's most populous road for licensed premises. Those wanting more only have to cross the road to Elm Grove, where they can continue until they fall over!

Dragging yourself unwillingly from the SLOB, our next port of call can be found off the main drag. Turn left along Highland Road, then right into Prince Albert Road, by the Health Centre. A few hundred yards up on the left-hand side can be found one of Portsmouth's most ornate and impressive public houses. The Eastfield Hotel is a magnificent example of early 20th Century pub architecture - beautifully clad in two-tone glazed tiling, with an attractive balustrade and finials at roof level, this is an imposing pub. It's livery still boldly advertises the beer of its long-defunct former owners, Portsmouth United Breweries. The pub is divided into two separate bars. A large public bar at the front, with a comfortable wood-panelled lounge at the rear (entered via Eastfield Road). There is a separate pool room off of the lounge bar. The Eastfield is also a champion of real ales, though to a lesser extent than the SLOB. Despite not being an ale drinker himself, the licensee keeps four well-kept beers, including offerings from Hog's Back, Fullers, Greene King and shortly, Oakleaf Brewery. Occasional beer festivals are held and a friendly welcome can be found from the staff and customers alike. Highly recommended.

On departure from the Eastfield, retrace your steps back to Highland Road, then turn right. You will see the Three Marines on the left. This shabby-looking corner house is in much need of refurbishment, particularly on the exterior, where much of the lettering facing Highland Street is missing. Inside, the bar room is furnished with a mixture of bench seats and traditional tables and chairs. A pool table and dart board can be found to the left of the bar counter. The pub serves a single real ale, this being Fullers (Gales) HSB, which is competently kept, though maybe not the best in the area. The house is frequented almost exclusively by a local clientele.

Next stop on the trek involves a very short walk westward along Highland Road to the Alma Arms (seen on the right-hand side). This licensee of this pub is presently doing his best to establish the Alma as another venue for live music in Eastney. The function room at the rear of the pub has been fitted out with a new stage, complete with an in-house sound and lighting system. Regular blues, folk and rock music is featured, though information regarding forthcoming performances were not advertised in the bar. Talking of which, the large single bar area is furnished with simple tables and chairs and the two-tone maroon and white walls are devoid of any ornamentation, as are the shelves located high up in the centre of the bar room. Two old oil lamps seen hanging to the right of the entrance door looked rather lonely! A faded carpet covers the whole floor space and the impression is that all the money has been ploughed into the function room, leaving little for any refurbishment of the bar room. A jukebox and dart board is available and there is a very large plasma television in the southeastern corner of the bar. A small open fire stocked with logs can be found on the east wall. A surprise find in the Alma was the inclusion of a real ale - not something one normally expects to find in this sort of pub. The beer in question is Fullers London Pride and proved to be an enjoyable pint (and quite good value at £2.20). In addition, there is a standard selection of spirits, plus four draught lagers. With a bit of investment, the Alma has potential, but in its present guise it is unlikely to attract anything other than regular punters.

The final destination on our Eastney crawl is found further west along Highland Road, opposite the cemetery (which, incidentally, is known to contain the remains of a number of prominent people). The Gravediggers is a traditional two-bar local, with a large, well-appointed public bar accessed via the left-hand door, and a smaller, narrow lounge bar via the right-hand door. The walls of the lounge are decorated in similar colours to the that of the Alma Arms and the bar counter runs along the left-hand side. An old Friary Meux clock hangs on the wall at the far end. Three real ales are served - on this occasion these were Greene King IPA, John Smith's Bitter and Shepherd Neame Spitfire. The latter was found to be reasonably kept. Good value bar food is served, including a choice of main meals for £3.95, burgers or jacket potatoes for £2.95 and toasted sandwiches for £2.25. Live music, pool and darts are all on offer in the public bar.

For those with an appetite to continue further, there are still plenty more pubs to be found as you head west along Albert Road. These shall all be detailed in a separate feature soon.

OCTOBER 2004

THIS CRAWL TAKES IN A SELECTION OF PUBS WHICH CAN BE FOUND AROUND THE HARD, PORTSEA AND INCLUDES TRADITIONAL LOCALS AS WELL AS TOURIST AND FAMILY PUBS. QUEEN STREET AND THE HARD ARE SERVICED BY A LARGE NUMBER OF BUS ROUTES.

Located on Queen Street, a stone's throw from The Hard, can be found the George Inn. A friendly welcome awaits customers at this traditional local, situated opposite the Historic Dockyard. The comfortable lounge bar sports much naval and military memorabilia. The area towards the rear features a glass-topped well sunk into the centre of the room. Most regular customers tend to sit or stand at the bar counter, maybe in order to watch the sport on the small television positioned above the entrance door.

Real ales on offer are Courage Best and Directors. At the time of my visit the landlord was busy changing the cask of Directors, hence a long wait was required before a pint could be served. To my surprise and appreciation, the publican offered me a free pint in return for the long wait I had endured. It's a shame that neither the Directors or the Best Bitter (which I also tried at the recommendation of a regular customer) was in good condition, despite only having just been changed. Two malt whiskies were on offer (Glenfiddich Caoran & Highland Park) and Budweiser Budvar was available in bottles. A separate restaurant is located to the right of the bar area as you enter, and bed & breakfast accommodation is provided.*

NOTE: The George is presently (July 2008) closed.

The Invincible stands just behind The Hard on Wickham Street. The L-shaped interior is full of naval bric-a-brac and there is much exposed brick. A pool table is located at the front of the pub, whilst the main bar counter has small seating areas opposite. A number of television screens show sports events. The pub has a mainly local clientele, but is also frequented by office workers and visitors to the neighbouring Historic Dockyard. As well as the usual beers and lagers, real ales include Gales HSB, Shepherd Neame Spitfire and Flowers Original. One slightly annoying practice is the failure of staff to reverse the pump clips when the beer is unavailable - as was the case with the Spitfire during my visit. Glenfiddich Special Reserve is the only malt whisky. Overall, a comfortable place for a drink, though the interior would benefit from a minor refurbishment**.

**This has since been carried out and is much improved. The pub now has three distinct areas in which to eat or drink.

Directly in front of the Invincible and occupying the corner of The Hard and Half Moon Street, the Ship & Castle is the dominant family pub in Portsea. This large, one bar house has an indoor children's play area and plenty of seating throughout for diners. Service was friendly and efficient during my visit and I was surprised to be told that two real ales from local breweries are usually available. The walls are, not surprisingly, adorned with naval memorabilia. An ATM can be found within the pub for those a little short of cash. A purple-baized pool table stands toward the front of the house.

A few doors from the Ship & Castle stands the Ship Anson. This attractive pub was once two separate establishments, the Ship Anson to the right and the King & Queen on the left, which explains the facade's two architecturally different styles. Inside can be found one large bar, separated by a central interior wall, thus creating two individual drinking areas. Food is served each day from 11.00am until 2.30pm. Real ales on offer are Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale, though this is not a GK house (it is operated by the Laurel Pub Company). The beer quality was distinctly average during my visit. A naval theme predominates, with sports television shown in the area closest to the bar counter. Children are admitted in the area to the left of the pub.

NOTE: The Ship Anson received a full refurbishment in June 2008.

The Ship Leopard has only recently regained its original name, having spent well over a decade as McCoy's and Hard Times. Thankfully those days are now behind it, though what the visitor finds now is a shadow of the original Leopard as the Webmaster remembers it. The interior now features whitewashed walls which give an almost unfinished look to the room. The selection of real ales is a bonus, with Gales HSB being the premium beer. A pool table stands to the rear of the single room and there is a jukebox on the wall. Meals are served, though this seems confined to lunchtimes, as there were no menus on the table at the time of my visit. Overall, a disappointment following the good news that the pub had regained its old identity.

NOTE: The Ship Leopard has now ceased trading.

The most easterly of the pubs located on The Hard is the Victory, which may be seen as the poor relation. Previously in the hands of pubs company Ushers, the pub is now free of any tie, though this sadly is not reflected in the beer range, with no cask ales being available - just three redundant handpumps left over from better days. There is one main bar, which is divided into separate drinking areas and is comfortably furnished with a mixture of upholstered bar stools, sofas and traditional tables and chairs. A pool table is situated at the front of the bar room and gaming machines can be found to the right of the counter, along with a jukebox. No food is served at present.