The Pubs Of Winchester, England
Created | Updated May 30, 2002
Winchester is a small city in the south of England with a disproportionately huge number of pubs. There is an off quoted statistic amongst breathless students which states that Winchester has more pubs per square foot than any other city in the country. Frighteningly, this may well be true.
Many of Winchester's pubs are fine drinking establishments. There is a range in styles, which includes trendy chain bars such as Weatherspoon's or O'Neills to simple drinking holes, to some truly monumentally over-wrought faux rural pubs, cramed to the beams with antique tankards and bottletops and other spurious yet entertaining memorabilia. However, not all of this fair city's pubs are recommended: this article seeks to give visitors a guide should they, somewhat understandably, feel the need to drink while here.
It should be noted that geographical notation is not being used much, because there are a lot of pubs and your author is not very good with directions.
Bars
The Old Gaolhouse: This is a Weatherspoon's Pub and as such is spacious, well appointed and utterly devoid of any character. Lots of students go there because it is reasonably cheap and reasonably easy to get into and is quite central. The seating is comfortable and there are many tables. Not the most exciting spot, but one to go to with a big party of people.O'Neills: Slightly danker than the Gaolhouse, and within 30 metres of the former, this is like every O'Neills everywhere. Nothing to especially to recommend about it. This said, the bouncers are sexist in that they will let anything female in without IDing them, but are very tight with men: not one for the under age lad...
Moloko: This place has an interesting pseudo Russian, pseudo Clockwork Orange feel to it: all neon lights and exposed vents. Inevitably packed on Friday and saturday nights, there is a dancefloor upstairs. Quite expensive though. And the food takes *ages*. And it's too loud to hold a conversation there, too. Communication is limited to dancing and air kissing. One for the ladies and their reluctant 'I want to be in the pub' boyfriends.
Bar Iguana: Kind of minimalist. Yucca plants. Expensive drinks. Australian barmen. Plush Sofas. Imagine it for yourself. It has got a *huge* telly tho!
The Guildhall Tavern: Your reviewer has never set foot in this place. Neither have his friends. One gets the feeling this is no great loss. It probably has a bar and some drinks in it. Maybe a table or two. There was a dreary Travisalike band on there the other night. I diskard it.
Pubs
The Wykeham Arms: One of the quaintest pubs on the face of the earth, this is quintessentially fauz country. It's got old bicycles hanging from the damn rafters! A collection of old beer mugs, stamps, cigarette cards. Quite nice in a twee sort of way. Top calss food, good beer, and a no mobile phone policy. Full of Winchester College dons. Still, you pays your money and all that...
The Green Man: Bare bones of a pub...quiet, resonably central. Quite cheap, as it goes. Nothing special, basically.
The Royal Oak: Or the Roak as vocal layabouts would have it. Apparently the country's oldest pub*. It doesn't look very old, and is a kind of chain pub wannabe. Boring, but very central. It has a no smoking area downstairs in its favour.
The Old Vine: Surprise late entry for the 'quite good actually' category of Winchester's pubs. It has a dead big TV. despite some quite truly horrible upholstery, it's your reviewer's football pub of choice.
