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Pubs of Portsmouth Madeleine Selby came to give a talk with slides about the pubs of Portsmouth. As one might expect, being the home of the Navy, Portsmouth had many pubs. Portsea was where sailors came to spend the money they had accrued at sea on wine, women and gambling. In Broad Street alone there were 26 pubs. The George on Portsdown Hill dates back to the 18th century and visitors to Portsmouth would have their first glimpse of the port while drinking their ale there. Clarence Gardens was originally situated in a very large garden. Blondini is reported to have visited the pub where a tight rope was erected in the garden for him to perform to the clientele. The Blue Anchor was a lovely hotel but was bombed during the war and later rebuilt. It was famous for the inaugural meetings of the Portsmouth Football Club and the Cricket Club. Arthur Conan Doyle, then a doctor in Southsea, was present at these meetings and played both football and cricket for Portsmouth. The Air Balloon, another old pub, has a macabre claim to fame. People who had committed suicide were not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground and were buried in holes dug in the road outside the pub. The Duke of Buckingham was named after the Duke who was murdered in Portsmouth. The Duke was so hated that when the man who killed him was taken away to London, where he was hanged, he was cheered as a hero. The Dolphin was the hotel in which the diver Buster Crabbe spent the night before his mysterious disappearance in 1956. There was a Russian warship anchored in Portsmouth Harbour and Crabbe did some underwater spying. A headless torso was found in Chichester Harbour thought to be Crabbe, but there were also rumours he died in Russia in the early 80's. The Travellers Joy at Milton had a large orchard surrounding it which was famous for the pears that grew there and these were sold in the bar. The Still and West, now a very popular place for visitors to Portsmouth, was at one time considered a den of iniquity. Lloyd George at the beginning of the last century said in Parliament that we were fighting three wars, one against Germany, one against Austria and one against drink. It would seem old habits die hard. Margaret Deal |
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page last updated 7 DECEMBER 2001 |
