Phoenix, Portsmouth

The walls of the public bar are completely covered with 1930s fielded panelling to two-thirds height and the original panelled l-shaped bar counter remains with original top but most of the front has been repanelled – only the counter access door has the original panels. All is painted pastel grey. There are the two sections of bar back fitting which look old and have rows of orange tiles at the start of the top section. For many years casks of ale were sold from the back of the servery, I was told. The bar back fittings are different in design to the ones in the lounge so may be later replacements? The original orange tiled and wood surround fireplace remains but the fixed seating is boxed in and therefore assumed to be modern. There is nothing obvious to indicate that the public bar was anything other than one room since built. Fixed to the floor near the counter is a slate shove ha’penny table on a ‘Heath Robinson’ stand and there is a bar billiards table.

The lounge bar is accessed from the Windermere Road entrance and down a short passage to the left of the Bottle & Jug. It also has walls completely covered with 1930s fielded panelling; an original panelled bar counter; and two small original bar back fittings set at right angles to each other with Spindlewood columns and delicate mirrored gantries. There is an original blue tiled and wood surround fireplace, which has lost some of its tiles, and the seating is loose modern benches. There is another bar billiards table and also a pool table. From the rear door of the lounge a parquet floored passage leads to the original outside toilets, now covered by a modern lean-to. Both ladies’ and gents’ retain their 1930s tiled walls and the gents’ its three large Doulton urinals.

Just inside the Windermere Road entrance is the part glazed partitioned bottle & jug which retains its bar back fitting but is now used for storage, the door is blocked-up and there is no sign of the bar counter. To the left passages lead to the ladies’ and gents’ which retain their 1930s tiled walls and the gents’ its four large Doulton urinals. There are two doors on the Windermere Road side as originally the passageway to the toilets was blocked off by the off sales so you had to leave the public bar by one door and come back into the pub to use the toilets! The pub attracts a more mature clientele.