Southampton pubs - old watering holes of Bernard Street

Although now mostly void of watering holes, there were times in the city’s long history when Bernard Street had its fair share. The Smugglers was one of them.

Below is a short list of those we know to have existed in the street over the past two centuries.

Do you know of any others?

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The Smugglers

The Smugglers could once be found at 114 Bernard Street on the junction with Threefield Lane,

The pub first opened in the late 1850s under the management of Henry Adams.

The pub changed name to the Richmond Tavern at some point before changing in the early 1980s to the Richmond Inn.

The 1878 Drink Map shows a beer house on the site, although in those days the pub’s address was Brighton Terrace, Bridge Road.

It later became known simply as 37 Bridge Road when the road became part of Bernard Street.

Pullinger’s Hotel

Pullinger’s Hotel went through many changes over the years.

When Philip Goepel became landlord of the fully licensed pub in the 1840s it was renamed the Clarendon Hotel.

The hotel was popular for its hot and cold vapour baths, and specialised in foreign wines. The fact that Goepel could speak fluent French helped with procurement as well as adding an air of authenticity.

Under the ownership of Coopers Brewery, the name changed in the 1880s to the Glasgow Hotel.

The venue leaned towards the restaurant side of the business and by 1925 it was known as the Glasgow Restaurant and Oyster Grotto.

Luftwaffe bombing levelled the building in 1940 and a temporary flat roof shack was erected until Watney’s Brewery rebuilt the building in 1958

After a major refurbishment in 1989 it reopened as the Gamekeeper, although it didn’t prove popular at all.

After more alterations, it reopened in 1990 as Dixie’s and shifted to become more of a bar and cafe than a raw pub.

Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t a success either and the premises were closed once again.

The building was occupied by a rubber company for many years after.

The Nag’s Head Tap

Technically the Nags Head Tap was on High Street, but shared some of its premises with Bernard Street.

The pub opened when landlord George Burcy shifted allegiance from the Red Lion pub just down the road in 1740.

Aitchison’s Scotch Ale Store

This pub belonged to a brewery that began in the 1820s.

By the late 1850s, they had opened premises in Southampton as well as Newcastle, Sunderland, Liverpool and London.

The Duke Inn

The Duke Inn at 58 Bernard Street existed as a pub by 1869.

The Duke, which was owned by Greenwich Brewer, was originally at 14 Bernard Street, but changed when it incorporated Bridge Street.

The pub became popular as an oyster house and restaurant but was Severely damaged during the Second World War

A temporary building replaced the wreckage, but it finally closed in 1955.

Queens Way now runs through where it could once be found.

Wheatsheaf Hotel

The Wheatsheaf could once be found at the junction of Bernard Street and Back of the Walls.

The pub dated back to the 1820s when Tim Dermott was registered as the licensee.

There was a fully licensed house at the site in 1878, according to the Drink Map.

In its early days, the pub was associated with Quick and Norman, who ran the Wheatsheaf Brewery in Upper Back of the Walls.

It later became a part of Scrase’s Star Brewery, then Strong’s Romsey Brewery, and was finally acquired by Whitbread Group in 1969.

As a result of the pub’s licence expiring on February 3, 1976, the old building was demolished shortly thereafter.

In its place was Wheatsheaf House, which later became student accommodation.

The Edinburgh Castle

The Edinburgh Castle existed as early as 1863 when K Taylor was registered as the licensee.

The pub, which was located at 1 Bernard Street, was going until at least 1920 when it was run by Mrs E Marsh.

The Greyhound

Although a Greyhound pub existed in Kingsland in more recent years, there was once a pub by the same name in Bridge Street.

The Greyhound was located at 2a before the road was integrated with Bernard Street.

The original licensee, around 1875, was John Bury.

Records from 1940 show the venue was run by Leon Ford, who was quite possibly the last licensee of the pub.

Caledonian Hotel

The Caledonian Hotel was located on the southwest corner of Bridge Street - today’s Bernard Street – and Back-of-the-Walls in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the mid-19th century, it was known as the Caledonian Tavern.

The pub closed in the 1920s and was taken over by a fruit importer but the building was destroyed during the Second World War.