Pubs and Beer in Southampton: Pubs in Woolston

Woolston is an area on the east bank of the Itchen. It was mainly rural until respectable houses were built in the mid to late 1800s mainly for the staff working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Netley. Over the years the spaces between these houses have been filled in with an attractive hotchpotch of houses from late Victorian to early 21st century. The banks of the Itchen were home to the Spitfire factory, until it was destroyed in a German air raid; and ship building, until that closed in 2004. These former industrial sites have been converted to residential use, so Woolston is now mainly residential, with a local high street.

Woolston shops

The pubs mainly cater to the locals, offering little in way of character or amenities for those outside the area. A few have tried offering food with limited success. That a pub has served food on one visit does not mean it will serve it on the next, so anyone planning a pub crawl are advised not to rely on any pub having food unless they contact the pub in advance to check if food is still being served. A pub crawl in this area is best viewed as a suburban crawl of modest local pubs. The only pub that is likely to attract outside interest, is Olaf's Tun, as that is a micro pub, serving a range of beers made in trendy American styles (craft beer). Miller's Pond is a Wadworth's pub serving a range of decent traditional cask beers. The Yacht has potential, but the freshness of the guest beer is variable, and currently (June 2017) the owners Ei Publicans (new name for Enterprise Inns) are looking for a landlord. In May 2017, Mettricks, Southampton's very popular coffee house chain, opened a branch in the troubled Centenary Quay development. This offers three cask beers and a selection of bottled and tinned beer, all from local breweries.

A decent day's pub crawl can be had, starting from Woolston railway station, or the nearby bus station, and first visiting The Cricketers Arms, following the route as marked in the map above, and finishing at the Yacht. Though, be aware of Olaf's Tun's limited opening hours, and be prepared to leave this pub to last. There were originally (and now still are) 12 pubs on this crawl; since first setting it out, two pubs have closed, but two have opened, with the promise of a third if The Trapdoor ever gets its act together. After visiting the Victoria, go straight to the Obelisk - missing out the Ship Inn and Grove Tavern as these are currently closed. The Gardeners Arms is a little out of the way, is not a useful or attractive pub, and can be left out, making this an eleven pub crawl.

1. The Cricketers Arms (formerly The Bridge)