Yacht Tavern, Woolston (Currently closed)

Currently closed until further notice - 23 Aug 2023 

I keep trying the Yacht because it's in a half decent location by the river, and on the way home from Phocea's school. I've been here with the family and we had an acceptable meal in the lounge bar. And popped in with or without friends several times over the years, mostly to get a drink and take it across the road to Itchen beach. There's always been a cask beer available, but more often than not the beer was not fresh. So I haven't been back for a while. But "under new management" has been outside for a few months so I popped in today to see what's changed.

Well there's two cask beers, and the pump handles have been moved to a more prominent position. One cask is off. The new owner says there wasn't enough demand so it went off. Well at least he stopped serving it, which is good. The remaining one is Doombar, not my favourite beer. It's served very cool which does somewhat mask that it's not in peak condition. Drinkable though.

The pub has a number of middle aged to older men, and varied pop music plays in the background. There is an echoey, empty vibe even with around 8 or 9 people in the public bar.

Wednesday night is Bike Night when a burger and chips is under £5 and the pool table is free. Sunday nights there is a meat draw.

It's an OK place. Not one to draw in people from outside the area, but works as a low key and friendly local. If only the beer were better!

Ambiance

Date: Aug 2019  Score: 5

Two room pub - traditional public bar and lounge. The public bar is plainer, but is the most popular, and has a pool table. The lounge bar is better dressed, but is often empty, with the bar staff on the other side of the wall in the public bar. Near to the river, yet also on a small industrial estate. There's a certain riverside charm about the pub and the location, but there's also the ugliness of the light industry. There is seating by the road at the front which is used by smokers. Across the road is a small mostly rubbish-strewn but nevertheless useful pebble beach which my daughter loves. You can take your glass across the road. There is a large enough car park at the back. 

The pub itself is quite decent. The clientele are normal folk - friendly and relaxed. There are live bands in the evening, and there is a sense of community about the pub. But there's a lack of charm and character about the place. It's OK - a solid pub. But there's nothing special enough to make it stand out. From what I've seen so far, it's the best pub in Woolston; though, to be fair, that's not a difficult achievement. There's food at lunch time and in the evening.Good prices and good value pub grub with veggie options. Two cask ales. Looks like Doom Bar is the regular with a guest ale as back up. The guest ale wasn't as crisp and fresh as it could be, so I suspect there may not be enough interest in cask to sustain two pumps. If you're in the Woolston area, this is the pub to head for, but if you're not in the area, then it's probably not worth making a detour for.

Date: Jan 2015  Score: 5 

As of July 2020 open for drinks. Does takeaway food. Holds live concerts in the back garden.

Date: July 2020 


As of April 2021, the back garden is open for drinks only. 

Date: April 2021  

Sea Road
Woolston
SO19 7QZ

Opening Times

11-11 Mon-Thu; 11-Midnight Fri & Sat; 12-10.30 Sun

Meal Times

12-2.30, 5-7 Mon-Fri; 12-2.30 Sat; Closed Sun

History

Unknown pub, Itchen Ferry - possible site of The Yacht?

The Yacht is on a street corner of what used to be a thriving community. Itchen Ferry was one of the oldest continuous settlements on the east side of the Itchen River. It was a fishing village, a home for yachtsmen, and was the base for the Itchen ferry, which for hundreds of years was the main method of crossing the Itchen. The creation of the Woolston Floating Bridge meant the decline of the ferry, but the community of fishermen and yachtsmen continued until the German bombing raids in September 1940. The Spitfire factory was on the edge of the village, and during two heavy nights of bombing the village was totally destroyed. There are two houses on the waterfront which appear to be the only survivors. The village had three pubs. It was government policy to repair or rebuild pubs as they were morale boosters. Given the total destruction of the village it is no surprise that only one pub, The Yacht, was rebuilt. 

The Royal Oak, Itchen Ferry

* A useful blog on Itchen Village
* Some brief details

Websites

* Facebook * WhatPub  * TripAdvisor

Pubs in Woolston

Breweries in Southampton and Hampshire

Beermad lists 38 breweries


Quaffale lists 34 breweries


RateBeer lists 33 breweries



There are two breweries in Southampton itself:

The Dancing Man brewery which started at The Platform Tavern but in 2015 moved to The Wool House, now renamed as The Dancing Man. Beers are still available at both venues, but are rarely available elsewhere as the new venue has proved to be very successful.

The story is that the couple behind the Dancing Man / Platform Tavern have split up. She is keeping the Platform Tavern, and intends to start her own brewery there, as the old equipment is still in place. He has got the Dancing Man, which will carry on as it is.

Brewhouse & Kitchen opened in 2015 in the University quarter as another branch of the Brewhouse & Kitchen chain which started in the White Swan, a former JD Wetherspoon pub in Portsmouth in 2013, but which has quickly spread to 14 brewpubs nationally.

The Hinkler, Thornhill

Rough and ready Marston's community pub serving the local estate of 1960s social housing (around half now privately owned through the Thatcher government right to buy scheme) in Thornhill.

Child friendly room with separate external entrance on the left, as well as doorway to public bar, where children are not allowed. Large open plan public bar area with little seating, but two pool tables, two dart boards, and two TV screens. Paved courtyard at rear has potential to be attractive in summer. Piped music, but also has lighting for evening entertainment.

No food. One cask beer usually offered, which was not available on my visit - the nitro keg Marston Smooth was the only draught ale.

Clearly popular with the local community, which it appears to serve well, catching the feel and spirit of the place, but, other than the live entertainment,  has little to offer to bring outside customers here.

Named after Bert Hinkler

The pub is named after Australian aviator Bert Hinkler who lived in the Thornhill area after the First World War until his death in 1933, as a test pilot for Avro who had a factory and airfield in Hamble. In 1928 he became the first person to fly solo from England to Australia.

Avro factory in Hamble

In 1927 he had a house constructed at 29 Lydgate Road. His wife continued to live there after his death until her own death in 1952 when Southampton council acquired it as part of the preparation for turning the scattering of private houses in Thornhill into a large council housing estate. It was moved brick by brick to Australia in 1984.

Hinklers House in Lydgate Road

Date: July 2016   Score:  3 1/2


As of July 2020 open for table service beers

Date: July 2020 


Pub garden open for drinks April 12th. 

Date: April 2021 


Hinkler Road
SO19 6DF

Normally open 10am to 11pm

No food. 

* Facebook
* Daily Echo 2012 review
* WhatPub

***

Marston's pubs in Southampton

Pubs in Bitterne

Wadworth pubs in Southampton

Wadworth are the nearest traditional regional brewery to Southampton, and they have several pubs in the city.  I like Wadworth pubs, they focus on traditional malt accented cask beer, which I like; they generally have several pumps on offer, and they usually offer a beer or two from other breweries, changing on a regular basis, so there is often a new beer to try. They nearly always offer cooked food, and are family friendly. They are also proper traditional pubs - places with character in which you can choose to relax by yourself, or chat with your family or friends, or sit near the bar, and join in the general conversation.

Four Horseshoes, Nursling

***

Duke of Wellington, Southampton

36 Bugle Street SO14 2AH

***

Humble Plumb, Bitterne

Commercial Street SO18 6LY

***

Master Builder, West End

Swaythling Road SO30 3AH

***

Park Inn, Shirley

37 Carlisle Road SO16 4FN

***

Millers Pond, Sholing

2 Middle Road SO19 8FQ

***

 

The Cottage, Butlocks Heath

77-79 Woolston Road, SO31 5FN

Marston's pubs in Southampton

The brewery

Marston's is a national brewery and pub operator with headquarters in Wolverhampton, and five brewery plants across the country, including the Ringwood Brewery in the New Forest, which it acquired in 2007. Beers from Ringwood are commonly available in Southampton, being either a guest or a regular in at least a third of pubs.

In my Regional breweries of Britain in 2003 article, when the brewery was calling itself Banks's  I said: "The company was founded in 1890 when three local breweries amalgamated to become Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries, though the beers are sold under the Banks’s name. The brewery bought up Marston, Thompson & Evershed in February 1999, and then Mansfield Brewery later the same year. More of a group of breweries, operating on two separate sites, than a genuine independent regional, it is generally regarded as a true regional so is included here... The Marston site produces the famous Pedigree using the Burton Union system which results in an interesting nose and a dry flavour but little else. Banks’s own over 1,600 pubs."  Since then, as well as the Ringwood Brewery, the company has acquired Wychwood and Jennings to become what it claims is the world's largest brewer of cask ale. And it now owns 1,700 pubs.

The Anchor

Marston’s Local Pub 
Score: 3 

Test Lane, Redbridge, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 9BH

One-o-Four

Marston's Town Centre Pub
Score: 4

104-108 Above Bar Street, Southampton, SO14 7DT

Pitcher & Piano, Ocean Village

Pitcher & Piano

Unit 1, Block F, Ground Floor, Southampton, Ocean Village, SO14 3JB

Hinkler

Leased Pub
Score: 3 1/2 

Hinkler Road, Thornhill, Southampton,  SO19 6DA

Cricketers Arms

Marston’s Local Pub 
Score: 3 1/2  

Portsmouth Road, Woolston, Southampton, SO19 9AF

Marston's beers

Marston pubs may offer any of the beers produced by the Marston brewery in Burton, the Banks's brewery in Wolverhampton, the Ringwood brewery in the New Forest,  the Jennings brewery in the Lake District, the Brakspear brewery in Witney, or the Wychwood brewery, also in Witney. There is also a brew pub in Henley-on-Thames, the Bell Street Brewery.


Marston's main regular beers are

Pedigree  4.5% Best Bitter

A famous beer, brewed used the Burton Union System. Deservedly popular - undeservedly neglected by beer critics. Nothing strong, definite or interesting, but flavours just hovering on the edge - orange, brown sugar, apricot, sulphur and apple juice. 3.1/5.00

The Obelisk.

Oyster Stout  4.1% Stout

Usually available in the bottle or on keg (at 4.5%) but can sometimes be bought on cask. Used to be 4.5%, but is currently 4.1%

Old Empire  5.7% Premium Bitter

Can be variable, but in good condition this is a splendid ale.

Bass  4.4% Best Bitter

Brewed by Marston's and sold in Marston's pubs, but the brand is owned by AB InBev.



The Obelisk.

Ringwood beers

The brewery has four regulars:

Razorback 3.8% Session Bitter.

This is the first beer that Peter Austin brewed when he founded Ringwood in 1978. It was originally called Best Bitter, but was re-branded to Razorback in November 2015. It's a little watery with some peat, mineral, oak and fruit notes. OK, but there's usually some other beer I'd prefer. 2.6/5.00

Cricketers Arms, The Obelisk,

Boondoggle  4.2% Blonde Ale.

Pleasant enough blonde with some apple and citric notes, but a little watery. 2.8/5.00

Fortyniner 4.9%  Golden Premium Bitter

Brewed since 1978, this is a golden strong bitter. First few times I had this I enjoyed it, but recent experiences have found it a little musty and salty. 2.7/5.00

Bellemoor Tavern,

Old Thumper  5.1% Traditional Premium Bitter

Brewed since 1979, though the abv was dropped from 4.6% in 2013. Darkly malty with sweet oak and sweet orange marmalade notes.








There are also occasional and seasonal beers such as True Glory (Summer), Red Boar (Autumn), XXXX Porter (Winter), Mauler (Spring) and Porker (Spring).

***

Pubstops of Southampton

The Station, Bitterne

Large Victorian corner location pub which is claimed to have been built around 1880 to serve the nearby station which opened in 1866. The Cobden Bridge Brewery which appears to have first owned it, opened in 1890, and the first buildings in the area, other than the station, were built in 1890, so perhaps there was a mistake in the date?

The Cobden Bridge Brewery was bought by Fullers in 1898, who sold the pub to Courage in 1920. The Spirit Group acquired the pub in 2003, and ran it under the John Barras brand. It has been owned by Greene King since 2014 when they took over Spirit in a £774 million deal.

Postcard by Southampton photographer FGO Stuart probably around 1901
 of the The Station pub when it was called Bitterne Station Hotel

It is a solid building, but the original brickwork has been covered in render, and rather ugly and distracting blue signs have been put up, so the sense of the pub's past has been lost. Inside all the downstairs rooms have been knocked into one, and extended into what appears to have been originally a separate building at a slightly lower level - this is now used as the family dining area, though children (and eating) are allowed in all areas. There is some sense of the original Victorian hotel left in little places - the large windows, the door entrances, etc, but mainly what is left is a large space. When there are not many customers this can feel a little hollow and lacking in atmosphere, but when people turn up, there's a warm buzz of conversation.

Board games are provided for children, but they are missing many parts, and most are due for replacement. Two cask ales: the regular Hobgoblin, and a guest, which on our visit would have been Speckled Hen, but it was off. Background music is not too loud, and on our visit was varied and pleasant, including music by Curtis Mayfield. Food is fairly standard pub grub, but we waited a disproportionate amount of time for our order on a quiet afternoon, and it had to be chased up. One plate was cold, and the food on it was rapidly cooling.

Overall an OK pub. There's nothing much to commend it, but nothing here to put people off. If waiting here for a train, be cautious about ordering food.


Date: April 2016  Rating: 5 (average)

Jan 2017 - Being refurbished

As of Jan 2017 it is closed for refurbishment.  It will reopen in February., though it is not clear under what branding.

The pub has reopened, and I have been back, just haven't had time to put up my review. Will do soon.

Well, the "soon" turned into several months! Anyway, back again, waiting here while Kwik Fit do a £25 MOT on my car. Three Greene King beers on offer: Abbot, Speckled Hen, and the GK house beer, badged as Bitterne Best. As I've already had a pint at the Humble Plumb, I have a half of the Hen for £1.80. When GK dropped the abv of cask Hen, they somehow kept the mouthfeel, but it is tasting thinner these days.

Anyway, my daughter and I popped just after the refurbishment, and we liked the lights, and that the place was cleaner and tidier, but we missed the board games. Coming in today, and my feeling is that it is essentially the same place, but smarter. Meals are around £9, with a lunch deal that essentially gives you a starter or dessert for free. At lunch times you can also get a cheese and chutney baguette for £4.30.

The music is played too loud. It drove me out.

Date: Sept 2017    Score: 4


Back again. This time with Myles for lunch. The place is clean and tidy, but bland and cold. The colour scheme of grey may be trendy, and the aim may be cool elegance in a style aimed not to offend anyone, but the result is a feel that is so far lacking in character that it feels more like a local council building than a pub.  The barmaids were lovely - very friendly and chatty. We had the two meals for £12 deal, which was a mushroom pie and mash for me, that I enjoyed, but Myles had fully loaded chicken which looked stodgy and unappealing, and he was unable to finish it. There was only one beer available - Abbot. But that was close to vinegar, so I swapped for a Guinness.  Overall we were not impressed, and have no intention of returning.

Date: May 2019   Score: 3


As of July 2020 open for food and drink - no booking required

Date: July 2020 


Pub not yet open (there is no real outside space, so understandable). 

Date: April 2021 


99 Bullar Road
SO18 1GT

Regular hours Midday to Midnight 

Food 12-3pm & 5-9pm - all day weekends.

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* Website
* WhatPub
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Pubs in Bitterne

Greene King pubs in Southampton