Portsmouth Pubs

A fascinating tour of Portsmouth's pub scene, charting the city's taverns, alehouses and watering holes, from past centuries to more recent times.

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Brothels and taverns, alehouses and inns, Portsmouth has seen it all. Many of the old port’s drinking establishments have historic and literary associations, as well as stories of their own to tell. Most of the older ones can be found in and around Old Portsmouth, including the survivors of the numerous pubs that once clustered around the dockyards, providing food and drink for naval personnel and other seafarers. Others date from the expansion of the city beyond the old defences and became focal points for new communities. Even the newest have characters of their own and those on the waterside, such as at Spice Island and Langstone Harbour, allow the pleasure of enjoying a drink while taking in views of everyday port life. Author Steve Wallis takes a unique and affectionate ‘pub-crawl’ through the watering holes of Portsmouth, looking at those that have survived town planning, management companies, and economic downturn, and the changing and evolving use of the much loved ‘local’. As they turn each page, readers can mingle with the locals, encounter the odd ghost, gasp at grisly tales and generally enjoy the rich tapestry of Pompey’s drinking life.