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 |
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| 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 |
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| The St Mary's Arms |
36/38 St Mary's Road, Fratton |
   One of a dwindling number of street corner locals to be found in the densely populated residential streets of Fratton, the St Mary's Arms occupied the junction of Olinda Street and St Mary's Road. This was, until recent years, a thriving community local and once featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. The pub had existed on this site since at least 1862 and was unusual in having retained the same name throughout its trading life. By early 2006 it had served its last customers and was closed and boarded. Another centre of community life is therefore lost, presumably to be purchased and converted to private residences. Demolition eventually came in January 2010.
 PHOTOGRAPHS, clockwise from top left:
 A close-up of the inn sign, taken following closure in 2006.
The pub in 1990, at a time when it was very popular, as part of the Friary Meux pub chain.
The inn sign, as at November 1998 (photographed by Ray Scarfe)
In the twilight of its life, this photograph was taken in 2005.
Photographed in May 2006, the pub is seen closed and boarded.
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| 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 |
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| 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.
Left-hand photograph April 1999 (by Ray Scarfe)
Right-hand photograph 18th February 1990 |
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| 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 |
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| 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!)
| Photographs, left to right: 14th August 1988; March 1999 (by Ray Scarfe) |
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| The Ship Inn |
High Street, Cosham |
 This large 20th century Brickwoods house stood on Cosham High Street, close to Cosham Park Avenue. The pub became one of dozens across Portsmouth that were sold off by then-owners Whitbread in the late 70s and early 80s. The pub has long since been replaced by shops and no evidence of the pub's presence now remain.
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| 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.
| Photographs, left to right: September 2003 (by Ray Scarfe); 30th September 2006; 11th May 1989; September 2003 (by Ray Scarfe) |
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| 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.
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| 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.
| Left-hand photograph September 1998 (by Ray Scarfe);
Right-hand photograph 18th February 1990 |
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| Smiffy's |
235 Goldsmith Avenue, Southsea, PO5 0BS |
 This small bar opened within the first few years of the 21st century and was situated opposite the overbridge that connects Fratton Station with Goldsmith Avenue. Advertising itself as a bistro, it offered food all day, as well as real ale and coffee. Popular with those visiting Fratton Park to see Portsmouth football club play, it was rumoured to attract the rougher element of the local football crowd. The pub closed in late 2010.
| Photographed 3rd January 2005 |
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| The Sportsman |
8 Kingston Cross (118 Kingston Crescent), North End |
 Formerly the Eagle until the 1880s, the Sportsman stood mid-terrace at busy Kingston Cross. Purchased from the Jewell brewery by Brickwoods in around 1899, the pub survived until 1938 when it was demolished along with the adjacent buildings to make way for a road widening scheme.
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| The Sportsman's Rest |
24 Copnor Road, Copnor |
   Remarkably, this Victorian corner pub kept the same name since the 19th century until its closure in 2009, despite having changed hands many times in the intervening years. At one time owned by the United, Brickwood and Whitbread breweries (among others) the pub remained a true locals' local.
 Unfortunately, the changing drinking habits of the local population in the 21st Century saw trade decline and by October 2009 the pub's name was added to the increasing amount of seemingly 'unviable' pubs across the city. After many months of standing empty, planning permission was granted in spring 2011 to convert the building into four flats and one house.
Photographs, clockwise from top left:
April 1999
(by Ray Scarfe);
14th August 2005;
14th August 1988; 26th May 2011 |
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| 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.
 Thanks to widespread disapproval of the plans by local residents and historians, the original plans were thrown out by the city planners. A revised application was subsequently put forward to convert the existing building for residential use. The closure of the pub was never unexpected, but the demolition of a significant licensed premises would have been a great shame. At least it now looks as if the building shall live on, albeit in a different guise.
Photographs, left to right:
13th July 2008; 30th September 2006
June 1999 (by Ray Scarfe); 14th August 1988 |
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| The Stamshaw Hotel |
164/166 Twyford Avenue, Stamshaw, PO2 8JB |
   Built in 1903 as the Stamshaw Hotel to a Cogswell design, this Peters Brewery pub was later to become part of the Friary Meux and Ind Coope chain of inns. A lively community local, it features traditional pub games and a single bar room. Following a short period of closure during the summer of 2009, the pub was due to reopen in early September of that year with the former licensee of the nearby Beresford at the helm.
Sadly, and maybe inevitably, the business didn't last long and by the spring of 2010 the pub was closed and boarded. Planning permission was granted in August 2010 to convert the pub into nine flats.
Photographs, left to right:
March 1999 (by Ray Scarfe);
30th September 2006; 14th August 1988 |
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| 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. |
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| The Star & Garter Hotel |
100 Broad Street, Old Portsmouth |
This attractive Georgian terraced public house and hotel stood close to the foot of Broad Street, in an area that is now undergoing redevelopment. Just one of many pubs that once stood on this historic street, the building was part of the local Gibbs Brewery portfolio of pubs during the 19th century before becoming one of Portsmouth's United Breweries tied houses. Advertised in 1865 as the Star & Garter Army, Navy & Family Hotel, the pub suffered bomb damage in 1940 as a result on enemy air attacks. The pub survived until January 1954 when it was demolished to make way for the the Isle of Wight ferry operation, who's slipway was located just yards away. Following the demise of the house, its spirit licence was transferred to the Star & Garter on Copnor Road - another United pub, which had been opened in 1927 and presumably only licenced at that time to serve ale. |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| The Strand Bar |
100 Clarendon Road, Southsea |
   Originally the Waverley Arms, this pub was renamed the Captain's Table in the 1960s before acquiring its last identity in 1999. Dating from Victorian times, the pub was located a short distance from Southsea seafront and a short walk from South Parade Pier. Once popular with a loyal local patronage, the house also received custom from those on their way to Southsea's nearby nightclubs at weekends. Unfortunately, the closure in 2007 of the four clubs housed within the Savoy Buildings on South Parade meant that the pub lost a vital source of trade.
  By April 2011 the pub had ceased trading and was swiftly boarded up. The bottom right-hand photograph shows an interesting, but not altogether tasteful, anagram of the pub name, carried out by persons unknown, following the pub's closure. An attack on the chancellor's latest beer duty rises, maybe - or the boss at Punch Taverns?!
The left-hand photograph depicts the pub's interior following its closure. Thanks go to Roy Anderson for the supply of this image.
Photographs, clockwise from top left:
13th July 2008; 19th September 2004;
11th May 1989; 4th April 2011 (by Rob Hall);
1st June 2011 (by Roy Anderson) |
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| The Swan |
100 Copnor Road, Copnor |
  This late Victorian tavern on busy Copnor Road was originally part of the Peters Brewery. Later owned by Ind Coope then transferred to fellow Burton-upon-Trent brewers Bass, the pub retained three seperate bars until the 1990s, when they were knocked through into one large room. The final owners, Mitchells & Butlers, reinvented the pub as a local hostelry that majored on food, though this ultimately proved unsuccessful, probably due to the proliferation of similar, though better quality, pub diners along the length of Copnor Road.
 Following a period of closure throughout the first half of 2009, the pub reopened for business in July of that year, with new licensees.
 Sadly, trade never returned to the levels previously attained and by early 2011 the pub was once again closed and now boarded. A planning application was submitted in April 2011 to demolish the pub and build a block of flats on the site.
Photographs, clockwise from top left:
April 1999 (by Ray Scarfe);
14th August 2005; 14th August 1988; 26th May 2011 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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.
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| The Taswell Arms |
42 Taswell Road, Southsea |
    This former Pike's Brewery pub existed on this street corner for well over 100 years. Built originally as a hotel, the pub was once a popular, comfortable pub located in a pleasant residential part of Southsea. The Taswell became a student favourite in the 1990s but closed for an extended period later in that decade before reopening at the end of the century. Trade steadily declined thereafter and a change in licensee failed to improve the business. By early 2012 the pub had served its last customers and in February of that year the internal fittings were removed and signage dismantled, as the building began its transformation into a private residence.
Photographs, left to right:
13th July 2008; 11th May 1989; 6th August 2005;
matchbox label kindly supplied by Ray Scarfe |
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| 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. However, the developers subsequently pulled out of the plan, but not before knocking down the pub and leaving an empty plot. So what we now have instead of a pleasant community local pub is an abandoned building site. A shocking situation.
Photographs, clockwise from top left:
11th May 1989; 25th July 2007; March 1999 (by Ray Scarfe); unknown date; 28th March 2005
matchbox label kindly supplied by Ray Scarfe |
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| 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 an Indian restaurant in the spring of 2004.
| Left-hand photograph taken 2004 |
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| The Traveller's Joy |
253 Milton Road, Milton, PO4 8PQ |
| 023 9273 8006 |
   This pub name existed on this site since at least the early 19th century and was once owned by the Peters Brewery. The pictured house had a public bar at the front, with a larger lounge at the rear. Owned by Friary Meux (Allied Brewers) until the 1990s, the house later became part of Punch Taverns' portfolio. In its last years of operating it became increasingly run down, though remained popular when Portsmouth FC were playing home fixtures. In mid 2010 a planning application was submitted to replace the pub with flats and a veterinary surgery. The house finally closed its doors in April 2011.
Photographs, clockwise from top left:
13th July 2008; December 1994 (by Ray Scarfe) December 1994 (by Ray Scarfe)
26th May 2011; 28th April 1991; 15th July 2007 |
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| 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 |
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| The True Blue |
1 Landport Street, Southsea |
Originally stood on the corner of Landport Street and Hampshire Street, the latter was renamed Lansdowne Street, possibly to avoid confusion with a similarly-named road in Buckland. Little is known about this former pub, save that it sold its last beer in 1931, when it was converted to a private house. Miraculously the premises managed to survive both World War II and the wrath of post-war developers. Now known as Sutton House, it remains an interesting survivor amidst the ugly nearby council properties.
| Photographed 1st February 2009 |
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| 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 |
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| 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.
| Inn sign photographs kindly supplied by Ray Scarfe (dates of images unknown) |
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| 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). The pub was the second on this site to bear the Unicorn name and a previous tavern called the Old Red House could once be found here. 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.
| Photographs, left to right: November 1998 (by Ray Scarfe); 18th February 1990 |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| 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 |
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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 |
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| 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.
Near left-hand photograph April 2002 (kindly supplied by Ray Scarfe)
Far left-hand photograph 18th February 1990
Matchbox label image kindly supplied by Rob Hall |
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| The Villiers Inn |
69 Palmerston Road, Southsea SO5 3PP |
| 023 9287 6678 |
 The Villiers Inn opened its doors in early November 2008 - the latest in a growing chain of bars owned by local businessman Mike Hughes. Housed in the former Sur La Mer restaurant premises, the pub consisted of a long, narrow bar room, which was split-level at the rear. The Villiers initially served a good selection of up to six well-kept real ales, along with a standard selection of keg beers and lagers, plus a comprehensive wine list, but trade proved a lot slower than expected - not helped by a number of other pubs on the same street. The pub changed hands in early 2011 and now trades as a wine bar/bistro.
| see also Pub Reviews page |
Photographed 19th November 2008 |
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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. |
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| 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).
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| The Wheelbarrow |
1 Kent Road, Southsea |
  This 18th century inn was one of the oldest in Portsmouth and was once known as Wheelbarrow Cottage. Later the Castle Hotel, it was around the turn of the 20th century that the pub received the extension at the front of the building. Known for a brief spell as Wheelies in the 1980s, the pub thankfully regained its proper name later that decade.
  However, another name change courtesy of Whitbread's marketing department came in the mid '90s when the house reopened as part of the short-lived Tut 'n' Shive chain before once again reverting to its proper name.
Throughout the early 21st Century the pub became increasingly rundown and, presumably due to poor marketing, wasn't able to capitalize on its prominent position facing Southsea Common. By October 2009 the upper floors were being stripped out for refurbishment and it was rumoured that the bar area would follow suit that winter. Sadly, nothing came of this and the pub stood empty for another year.
By July 2011 the Wheelbarrow had reopened as a licensed coffee house, with bottled beers available for purchase.
Photographs, left to right:
13th July 2008; 14th August 2005; 11th May 1989 |
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| 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.
| Left-hand photograph June 1995 (by Ray Scarfe);
Right-hand photograph 14th August 1988 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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.
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| 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
Matchbox label image kindly supplied by Rob Hall |
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| The Windmill & Sawyer |
30 Copenhagen Street, Landport |
This three-storey cornerhouse stood at the junction of Copenhagen Street and Unicorn Road, directly outside the dockyard's Unicorn Gate. This proximity means that it must once have been extremely busy with dockers and naval ratings in bygone years. Dating from the mid 19th century, the house served its last customers in 1967, after which it was demolished to make way for the eastward expansion of the dockyard.
| Photograph kindly supplied by J Taylor |
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| 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 pub.
| Photographed 19th September 2004 |
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| The Wymering |
113 Medina Road, Wymering |
 This traditional, early 20th Century estate pub situated close to the Old Wymering conservation area in Cosham ceased trading in late 2010, being a victim of the recession and subsequent governments' seemingly tireless campaigns to kill off the UK pub trade by way of draconian taxes. Once a Whitbread house, the pub spent it's last years in the hands of national pubco Punch Taverns before being sold off to developers.
The pub was earmarked for redevelopment in 2011 and this was fought by local residents, in an effort to keep the building standing for use by the community. The battle was sadly lost and by mid 2012 the Wymering had been demolished to make way for yet more flats.
| Photographed 11th March 2007 |
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Historic Off Licences |
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| 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. |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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.
| map ©WEA/Stephen Pomeroy (reproduced here with permission) |
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