Home Town Comfort

Following my successful journey into Fareham (see previous entry) on the previous day, Christmas Eve seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a bit of ale exploration in part of my home city of Portsmouth that I'm very fond of, due largely to the historical nature of it and the welcoming feel of the place in general. I decided to investigate the are known as Old Portsmouth which, as the name suggests, is the oldest and original part of the city of Portsmouth, encompassing areas in and around the harbour that served as the basis of the city itself. The name Portsmouth reflects the city's location at a harbour mouth looking out into The Solent, the mile wide section of water between the mainland and the Isle of Wight. Portsmouth is a contraction of 'Mouth of the Portus Harbour'. Old Portsmouth is covered by the area originally made up of the old town of Portsmouth as designed by Jean de Gisors. The area includes several parts of the original fortifications designed to protect the naval headquarters within the harbour. These fortifications include the Round Tower, Square Tower, Point Barracks, Portsmouth Point and the entrance to the harbour itself. Other notable landmarks nearby include Portsmouth Cathedral, the John Pounds Memorial Church and the famous Garrison Church, site of the marriage of Richard I and without a roof since being hit by a German bomb during the Second World War.

Into this wealth of history, much visited by both locals and tourists, I set out on a bright and sunny day much different to the torrential downpours of the previous 24 hours, with a clear itinerary in mind. However, for reasons that will soon become clear, that itinerary soon went out of the window. My first destination was in a suitably picturesque location overlooking the harbour entrance from a spot nicely enclosed behind a sea wall. My first stop on this journey was the Fuller's operated Still & West.

 

This traditional pub is spread over 2 floors in a cobbled square that lies in the shadow of Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower. The beer garden and windows on one side look out across the harbour entrance in the direction of Gosport. The pub features are traditional inside and out with mullioned windows at the front and exposed beams and authentic wooden features internally. The pub prides itself on homemade fish and chips and the smell of this is delicious as it permeates the building. It was a bit early for lunch so instead I opted for the ale menu. The 4 hand pumps are mostly supplied by Fuller's in the form of Bengal Lancer, London Pride and Chiswick Bitter but Gale's HSB is available too. To break myself in gently, I opted for Chiswick Bitter at 3.5%. This was golden, clear and refreshingly bitter tasting with underlying flavours of malt and a smooth, dry finish. I sipped this leisurely whilst looking out of the windows at the front facing the harbour. The last time I came here was for my late nan's wake last year, so I had lots to reminisce about as I sat there enjoying the warmth and the atmosphere.

My next stop was literally next door across the square at The Spice Island Inn.

 

This 2 storey square building faces directly into the mouth of the harbour and takes its name from the local nickname for the area during the time of smugglers. The pub was actually known as The Smugglers Inn for a time and is currently run by Greene King. Inside, the bar is slightly off-centre against the back wall with a nice abundance of seating around the room, mostly by the windows. IPA is available on smooth flow and there are also 4 hand pumps. Available for consumption are Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen, Hardy & Hanson's Rocking Rudolph and Mole Brewery Mole Catcher. Intrigued by the name, I went for the Mole Catcher only for this to run out as it was being poured. I then went for the Rocking Rudolph, which I'd had before but this ran out as well! With little choice left, I reluctantly went for the Abbot Ale. Thankfully, this was in very good condition and went down quickly.

My next stop was a place I'd been past on numerous occasions but actually never been too. The Bridge Tavern is located right at the centre of Camber Docks.

 Another Fuller's property, this is the last remaining public house of 9 that used to stand in this relatively small area. The Bridge is named after a bridge that used to span the expanse of the dock on which it now sits. Like a number of Fullers sites in the city, the pub has a traditional country feel with original features around a central L-shaped bar. The bar includes 5 hand pulls, 2 of which contain HSB. The others offer London Pride, Gale's Seafarers and Bengal Lancer. I chose the Seafarers on this occasion, a 3.4% bronze coloured beer with hoppy top notes, undertones of bitter malt and a smooth, crisp and refreshing finish. The pub was nice and warm, which helped keep the chill out, as I located myself in a corner and admired a memorial plaque nearby that is dedicated to the crew of a fishing vessel that was sunk by a Cypriot freighter in the English Channel back in 1991. The list of ages and names of the crew was displayed on the plaque and it was poignant for me that 5 of the 6 who perished were my age and younger. This was certainly a grim and moving reminder of the fragility of life, especially at this time of year. The beer went down very well indeed and I soon ventured out again with the intention of visiting a couple of pubs further down the street. My plans were altered a couple of times on the way however. Of my next 2 destinations, The Wellington and the Sally Port Hotel, I managed not to visit either. The first sold no ale and had unusual opening hours and the second was closed and up for sale. I'm disappointed about the Sally Port being closed as I've not been there in many a year and it is the only location on route with a certified ghost. The spirit of Buster Krabbe, a renowned diver and alleged naval spy is believed to reside here after he disappeared whilst allegedly attempting to spy on German ships that were moored in the harbour.

 
The next place I ended up going too was unexpected. I hadn't known about it at all until I saw it and then I had to go in. This was Monk's or, to give it it's full name, Monk's House of Ale and Wine.

 

This turned out to be a pleasant surprise, with its olde worlde interior, bar along one side of the room and a general long and narrow layout that made it seem very traditional and otherworldly. The ceiling above the bar was decorated with interesting mosaic style tiles and the bar included 5 hand pumps: 2 each of London Pride and Tolchard's Devon Storm and one pump of London Pride. In this case, I went for Devon Storm. At 4.7% and bronze in colour, this was dripping with malt flavour backed up by a bitter finish. The head was smooth and creamy and the whole thing had slight zesty quality detectable underneath. After a while of enjoying my pint, I was joined by my brother, who I'd made the decision (read 'mistake') to invite along for a beer.

Now with Luke in tow, we ventured a little further down the street to what claims to be Portsmouth's oldest pub, The Dolphin.

 

This is another pub carrying on the traditional theme, where its obvious that the general appearance hasn't changed much over time. It's a look I love in pubs and here is no exception. Even for Christmas Eve, it's very busy and seems to contain a surprisingly large number of children. It's very much standing room only, which doesn't bother me too much as it means I can lean on the bar and admire the piano located in the corner of it. Of the 6 available hand pulls, 2 are not in use. The others offer London Pride, Tim Taylor Landlord, and Invincible and Frigate from local Irving brewery. I opted here for the Frigate at 3.8%. This is bronze with a malty flavour, a bitter finish and a slight, fruity undertone. Whilst very much enjoying this particular brew, I took the opportunity to fill Luke in on my blog and the kind of notes that I take in pubs. He seemed decidedly unimpressed, which isn't really a surprise.

I made the mistake of allowing Luke to decide on the next location instead of sticking to my plan. Luke chose The Pembroke around the corner, which I wasn't overly impressed with to begin with but that was because I hadn't been and hadn't really heard of it.

 This traditional street corner pub is actually quite nice, with an overall squarish layout and central bar. The seating is around the edge of the room, and 2 chairs nearby are occupied by 2 very friendly cocker spaniels belonging to one of the regulars. We were also reacquainted with a Christmas jumper wearing Jack Russell called Spartacus, who we'd encountered in Monks. Only 1 of the 3 hand pulls was in use and this held London Pride which was very well kept. 

By this point, I became very conscious of how much beer and how little food I'd had but resolved to at least make it to one more pub. This was a venue that we'd actually been in for a family meal a couple of days before: The Duke of Buckingham.

 

Named after a 17th century aristocrat who was assassinated in a nearby building, this pub continued the theme of olde worlde charm, with a low ceiling, low tables and chairs and a raised section to one side. The bar is L-shaped and too the left hand side of the room. The food here is notably excellent and the beer is rather good too. The 3 hand pulls provide London Pride, Old Speckled and Irving Invincible. The Invincible is excellent: 4.6%, chestnut coloured and full-bodied with an initial malty hop bitterness and a finish of bitter spice and subtle hops. As I contrived to lose Luke money on the ItBox, it was suddenly time to go home. It had been a productive afternoon, even though I had had to cut my journey short with 2 of my planned pubs still to go. There's something quite nice about being able to do this kind of thing in your home town even though, in all honesty, the East Midlands is my home now.

Thankfully, the Christmas Day hangover I was expecting never materialised which makes me wonder whether I could have made those other pubs after all. Oh well! Maybe next time. Still, the older areas of Portsmouth have a lot of charm to go with their extensive maritime history and a lot of good beer to go with it too! Home sweet home? Maybe not anymore but it certainly runs a strong, affectionate second.