I thought I’d start a pub thread, to take this topic away from the daily BCFC News thread. The comments on there got me thinking back to my times living in Dundry and Bishopsworth and the boozers I used to enjoy. I’ve thought of a few here but there are or were loads of others: We’ve already mentioned the Hunters Rest, but I also used to like the Carpenters Arms at Stanton Wick, The Kings Arms at Litton used to be a lovely old place with oak beams and flagstone floors - the type of pub I really love (sadly the last time I went there it was a brightly lit wine bar-like place with modern teak furniture and bright lights ) The Crown in Regil was a nice place with a flagstone floor and inglenook which was nearly always lit. That was the place to go for a lock-in back in the late 1980s and early 1990s when pubs had to close at 11 - I stumbled out of there at 2am on many a Sunday morning!! The New Inn(??) overlooking Blagdon Lake was a great place to go in the summer time. The Red Lion at Blagdon was also brilliant - old flagstones and inglenook in a setting that was quite medieval with a tiny chapel by a millpond - wonderful. Away from the Chew Valley area and into the Mendips, the Guss and Crook was a real old locals place - and the Wellsway Inn I used to go to as well. I am sure that I must have been to the Hunters Lodge at Priddy but I can’t picture it right now. Over the other side of Bristol I liked the Black Horse at Portbury village - like something out of Dick Turpin!!
As you may have gathered I used to be very familiar with a lot of those pubs Used to frequent the Carpenters Arms, Pony & Trap, Kings Head at Litton, the Butchets Arms at Bishop Sutton and the Blue Bowl at Chew Valley when I was courting and had my first car Closer to home there was also the Antelope on Sturminster Road and the good old Little Thatch which I still miss to this day When I started work there was the Bell at Temple Meads just up the little hill and the Isambard Brunel at the bottom of the incline which is now called the Sidings
Crikey, the Little Thatch - I saw the most amazing and horrendous brawl there one night. Me and Mrs R&W had been there for a meal with some of our friends from the Winford Arms and stayed on into the evening when they had a disco. The place was full and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, when it suddenly out of nowhere kicked off in the far corner. Tables, chairs, glasses and other objects went flying and the chaos came towards us like a tsunami. We abandoned our drinks and escaped behind the bar and exited through the kitchen and out of the back door. We then noticed that one of our group was missing so I went back i to the kitchen to find him nursing a chap who had been glassed - he had a huge deep gash all across his face and was holding a damp tea towel onto it. I grabbed the guy who was with us and we made a hasty exit. Needless to say we never went back in there. Horrific.
I came across an olde worlde pub somewhere that had cracked large roof beams head clearance was about 7ft or less ... in all the cracks of the wood were squeezed coins ... some were real silver 6d's shillings etc As an add on to the HLI at Priddy cross roads my pewter pot has been in residence since the eaarly mid 70's The staff know everyones pot [ after a few weeks of use! ] Through work commitments I didnt manage to go there for a couple years . on my return had to have a glass .... was asked are back regular now then? if so I will get your pot from out back its in the storage box ... sure enough next visit off the hangar above bar and been there ever since! SOME POTS BEEN IN USE for over 60 years .. they are coated brown inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! some have been repaired with silver solder! maybe more than once .......... The LITTON nee KINGS ARMS ... had a vast amount of money spent on it reopened in 2023 after refurb! Wellsway Inn no longer a pub does functions though ... Waldegrave arms .. super friendly with fantastic meals........ Blue bowl again fine meals and last time had a fair selection beers .....
I had a pewter pot in the Dundry Inn with my name etched into it. It survived there for many years until my last visit about 5 years ago when it had disappeared
good story albeit a bit traumatic ! There used to be loads of pubs on the Wells Road between Temple Meads and Whitchurch Now all that are left are the George, the Yeoman and the Black Lion Gone are the Talbot, the Red Lion the Little Thatch and the one in Totterdown that is now a nursery
When we got married we had our reception in the Little Thatch on a Friday afternoon. We were there for a few hours and then they told us that they needed us out by 6pm so they could get ready for their evening event. We were all in high spirits by then and decided to walk down to the Yeoman. About 40 of us turned up, the lone barman was in there on his own putting ashtrays on tables. The look on his face was a picture! That was a good evening though, we decamped to the city centre about 10pm and started again. Couldn’t do that now, or for quite a few years!
Had a really nice meal there a few months ago .... AS an aside ... grand natuional picked out 4 against the field .. even got the £100 together .. cash is scarce nowadays!!!.. all cards etc ....... Delta Work was my £20 ew[ might have done 10 at 14/1 and 10 at sp ] £20 win LIMERICK LACE and £10 ew on other 2 usually let it go on SP....... Minella Indo & Galvin MINELLA because female jockey ... and Galvin because trainer comments at weights when declared ... messed up theshopping then went to allotment and forgot still £ have £100 cash now ...... so hunters taken care of for next 5 / 6 ..........weeks / visits
