In no particular order The three ones The screaming monkey The roundy house All three were in the city centre but very cliquey , you didnt just pop in for one because you were in town. You were either a regular or you were assaulted and robbed. Happy days , into the three ones have a few smokes and a couple of pints head on down to the roundy house more pints , pool and maybe a fight then off to the screaming monkey swallow some yokes and dance the night away. The bouncer in the 3 ones got shot dead outside the door and the pub shut down, dave sold the roundy and it became a hip trendy spazzy place and the screaming monkey lost its licence for drug dealing on the premises. They sure dont make pubs like that anymore now its all generic ****e. Although some local pubs in the suburbs are close to them. Name your favourite none like them these days pubs that bring a smile to your face when you recall the debauchery of yesteryear.
The Old Man's Staff, The Queen's Star and The Scuttled Passage (all on Canal Street) used to be terrific.
As much ****holes as they were , they were our ****holes. I hate all these trendy new spazzy pubs where you dont even "own" a seat and the barstaff are just jobsworths
The Warrens, Pound Tree Road, Southampton. Gone many a year, once the scene of a legendary battle with visiting Millwall fans. The Bay Tree, New Road Southampton. The rumour was that as the old landlord back in the 70s was an ex inspector with the Drug Squad, the upstairs bar was a safe haven for shenanigans of the chemical kind. Absolutely cracking juke box, highlights including The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, The Tubes, King Crimson, Black Sabbath. The Fox, Palmers Green. Still there, but people don't get shot in the car park anymore. And it's been a while since anyone put a blood soaked claw hammer on the bar and asked the bar manager to dispose of it. The Rochester Castle, Jolly Butchers, and The Three Crowns. All in Stoke Newington High Street, all still there, but full of bearded hipsters with loafers and no socks. Definitely no racing on the telly, no stuffing coming out the bench seats, and no formica on the table tops. Bet you can't even get a stale liver sausage roll in any of em.
I used to drink in there back in those days. and the Inn on the Green. The Railway in Finsbury Park... Birds had to ask for a key to the loo. Park Tavern in Stroud Green...a snug... A ****in snug. Osborne in Stroud Green. Now a nandos Harringay Arms.in Crouch End. Old School. Packenham Arms in Clerkenwell.... Postietastic.
The Blue Parrot, Bennetts, the Polo Lounge. Friendly Glasgow bars where you could always meet someone who would push your stool in for you.
Where to start in Portsmouth. This list doesn't include the pubs/licensed front rooms that used to open once a week, on dockyard payday. Lake road which is about 3/4 of a mile long had nearly 50 of these at one time. http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/hampshire/portsmouth.html
Was it Union Street? Heard there were some rough pubs there. Some of them you had to put your name up on the blackboard for a fight.
Where was that? First Pub I ever got served in was the Pipp Inn at Parkhead X. Was 16 at the time, it was magic. Danny McGrain once owned it but not when I used it, that and The Duke on Duke St, just along from The Louden Tavern and the Bristol Bar, they were well shady boozers, I would not be seen dead in except I probably would have been. Another boozer on Alexandria Parade The Lea Rig, rough as ****.
Why is it every single one of those establishments is wholly void of ambience? It's like having a pint in the waiting room to hell.
I heard that once, I think it's an urban legend. When the Tricorn was still open the Golden Bell had a fearsome rep. This is it in the daytime, what it must have been like at night. You can see the entrance on the right just behind the pillar. please log in to view this image I found a more comprehensive list as well. 4 pages of it. http://pubshistory.com/Hampshire/Portsmouth/index.shtml
Clutha Vaults, surely can't get any worse than when the hit squad try coming through the ****en roof.
There used to be a good Wetherspoons near me in Tyldesley, the George and Dragon. Cheap, good atmosphere - especially on match days. But it burned down about three years ago
Something quite disturbing about going for a breakfast at 8am and seeing a pub full of old people nursing pints of Fosters . The Stratford golden grove has 4 doorman and a punch up or glassing is guaranteed every friday night.
When I think about it most of the pubs I ever frequented were complete dives. Like the Bar scene from Airplane.