Just like the good old Saturday afternoons of Dickie Davies and World of Sport, there’s a diverse range of sport on offer in this Southampton town centre pub…
The final pub on our Saturday afternoon pub walk was The Bedford Arms in Bedford Place, Southampton. It has been around since the 1830s, owned originally by Aldridges Bedford Brewery, which was next door to the pub (not in Bedford), and later by Brickwoods Brewery, before being swallowed up by Whitbreads. In recent times it became ‘arm-less’ for a while, known as just ‘Bedfords’, but has now regained them. It is now owned by Stonegate.
Historically it has also been a hotel and in earlier times may have had more genteel custom as the Bedford Place area was a posh Regency out of town suburb. Now it is a mix of solicitors offices and bars and nightclubs.
The Bedford Arms these days can definitely claim the title of ‘sports pub’…
…no surprise then that on our Saints home match day pub walk, this final pub was also full of fans. This area is not exactly next door to St Marys Stadium, but even though 2:30pm came and went, the fans desperately hung onto their glasses, until at about 2:35pm. Then the mass exodus and the dash to St Mary’s for the 3pm kick-off began…
While all this pre-match ritual was going on we went to the bar…
As you can see there were two beers worth considering, and strangely both were called Scrum Down…so Greene King’s six nations special it was….
…and it was a good beer – tight line; solid head; good down the flank; worth a try…
Ah yes… back to the impressive variety of sport on offer…
So a great old pub, still full of (sporting) life… and by the look of the capacity crowd on match day and the action-packed event board…a real winner…
I’ll leave you with this interesting photo of the corridor to the toilets…
…emergency facility if caught short on the long walk to the loo perhaps?…
Garden Hermit Goes to the Pub 
Needs must, but I couldn’t be doing with that beer, I would be up the road a bit and in The Guide Dog like a shot, although full marks for the toilet facilities.
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I think that’s what makes this blog so valuable (same with LifeAfterFootball in the Midlands); you’re looking at the 90% of pubs that aren’t in the Guide and being honest about them.
I prefer Pompey pubs, but matchday in Saints is a great experience. Seen City there 3 times since move and even last year met BRAPA and co, in the micro in St Denys. The move to St Mary’s hasn’t worsened the experience from my perspective.
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Agreed – it’s nice to appreciate the non-GBG pubs – most are the unsung heroes I guess.
Haven’t been to watch Saints at St Mary’s – or any match since my early Rotherham United supporter days, for that matter. However with Rotherham in the top 4 of League One, and Saints in the Premiership relegation zone – I’m looking forward to the Rotherham v Southampton Championship match at St Mary’s next season!
In the meantime my attendance at St Mary’s for the CAMRA Southampton Beer Festival is a cert…
😉
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Dickie Davies was the main man of sports presenting! Looks like a cracking weekend pub 👍
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Remember those Saturday afternoon’s well as a kid at home. Motocross to wrestling and everything in between…
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If a pub’s got people in fancy dress inside then I’m going somewhere else. End of.
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Yes I agree… far too many Saints shirts for comfort….
…I’m pretty sure that fox was real though….and clearly a fast runner as it was wearing trainers…
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