Southamptons Toughest Pubs

[Turkish]

The pub is a dying thing. Of course back in the day the Warrens and the Painted Wagon were the strong hold of Saints more lively support. Both before my time but early years at SMS the Parkside and then Z bar. Remember walking past the Painted Wagon in whatever name it was called then after as a kid and being told that was a place to avoid, how wrong they were, it was a place to be 🤣

Local pubs from in and around the area i used to go to from time to time The Hinkler, The Bitterne Brewery, The Target, the Ark.  for a long time lived near the Castle in Midanbury. Although not known for being a tough pub it went through a bit of a dodgy spell in the mid 2000s. My father in law came down from up north one day and the first time i took him to my local, within minutes a door flew open and a ash tray went flying through the door with three lads scrapping in the lounge bar. He grew up in a rough part of Leeds, looked at me and said "bit rough in here lad" 🤣. Another time on a friday night at closing time a firebomb was thrown through the window. 

 

SO come on, share your stories, memories, thoughts. Potential to be a good thread unless some of the forum weirdos pipe up

Edited 7 September, 2023 by Turkish

[rallyboy]

Did someone ask for a weirdo?

Well I went into the Rockstone once and the guy misheard my food order and brought me thick-cut fries with my falafel burger instead of sweet potato ones, it was carnage!

When he came round to ask if everything was okay, I showed my disapproval by nodding and smiling - but inside, I was seething. 😡

#crazynight

[Turkish]

6 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Did someone ask for a weirdo?

Well I went into the Rockstone once and the guy misheard my food order and brought me thick-cut fries with my falafel burger instead of sweet potato ones, it was carnage!

When he came round to ask if everything was okay, I showed my disapproval by nodding and smiling - but inside, I was seething. 😡

#crazynight

maybe he did it on purpose? WHen you said thick cut maybe he thought you called him something else

[The Kraken]

3 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Did someone ask for a weirdo?

Well I went into the Rockstone once and the guy misheard my food order and brought me thick-cut fries with my falafel burger instead of sweet potato ones, it was carnage!

When he came round to ask if everything was okay, I showed my disapproval by nodding and smiling - but inside, I was seething. 😡

#crazynight

Many years ago I used to live round the corner from “The Rocky”. The burgers were immense, to be fair, and most of their food was really good.  The problem was that the landlord set himself up on trip advisor and he was the most thin skinned fella ever, he used to kick off very angrily online about the most minor of criticism 😆

I grew up in Romsey and it was a small town mentality, when I was around 18 it seemed like there was a scrap every weekend. The only time the town came together was when there were invaders from the likes of Eastleigh or Hedge End and the town turned into a battle zone.

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, The Kraken said:

Many years ago I used to live round the corner from “The Rocky”. The burgers were immense, to be fair, and most of their food was really good.  The problem was that the landlord set himself up on trip advisor and he was the most thin skinned fella ever, he used to kick off very angrily online about the most minor of criticism 😆

I grew up in Romsey and it was a small town mentality, when I was around 18 it seemed like there was a scrap every weekend. The only time the town came together was when there were invaders from the likes of Eastleigh or Hedge End and the town turned into a battle zone.

Me and Da Boyz went through a stage of doing that down at Prague Junction in Fareham on a thursday night. Used to be able to get the train down from Bitterne to Fareham, Prague was right outside, used to go in there and quite literally be Southampton boys, we are here, shag your women and drink you beer. used to have a few of Pompey show up from time to time but they were always easily dealt with to the point where one of them came up to us after we'd chased them all over Fareham saying "can you not tell anyone at college about this, it's embarassing" 🤣

[The Kraken]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

Me and Da Boyz went through a stage of doing that down at Prague Junction in Fareham on a thursday night. Used to be able to get the train down from Bitterne to Fareham, Prague was right outside, used to go in there and quite literally be Southampton boys, we are here, shag your women and drink you beer. used to have a few of Pompey show up from time to time but they were always easily dealt with to the point where one of them came up to us after we'd chased them all over Fareham saying "can you not tell anyone at college about this, it's embarassing" 🤣

DEF; the early years 👍

[rallyboy]

Where Prague stood is now a car park and a kebab van - and in many ways I think that's probably an improvement.

[OldNick]

Some Pompey turned up at the Wagon once, it was said to be some evening. In think it was in the 80's

Edited 8 September, 2023 by OldNick

[Turkish]

8 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Where Prague stood is now a car park and a kebab van - and in many ways I think that's probably an improvement.

oh it was an absolute shit hole, but good fun for a change of scenery and cheap beer. At one point they were doing £10 to get in and free beer.

[Toadhall Saint]

1 hour ago, OldNick said:

Some Pompey turned up at the Wagon once, it was said to be some evening. In think it was in the 80's

It was a Saturday. They were on the way back from a game against Cardiff from memory. They were chased back to the station but the older main lads took up a corner downstairs in the meantime. They were noticed straight away and were very politely asked to leave (yeah right). Think they all needed hospital treatment that night.

[Toadhall Saint]

Other pubs The Southerner, Lord Louis, The Swallow in thornhill & The Engineers

[skintsaint]

This thread reminds me of the toughest pub episode in Still Game.

 

Edited 8 September, 2023 by skintsaint

[Gloucester Saint]

The Ice House in Shirley Warren was where some of my extended maternal family saw to it that Boxing Day lived up to its name. Dockers will be dockers.

London Arms in Woolston was rough as a badgers arse - friend did stand up in there once and a small group of NF lads were heckling at the back, one of the best out-downs ever when one of them was going to the bog ‘I hope you’re taking a pig as an air freshener’. Nearly caused a riot when the vast bulk of the audience were laughing at it!

Target in Sholing had plenty of issues and part of the concrete jungle of Antelope Park (along with that UBM/Jewson tower which became scruffy - now the Range). Bullseye had its moments.

One of my old neighbours lost his front tooth over an argument about the pool table at the Merryoak.