Poole Pub Explorations

A post which includes a couple of fine pubs, a shop specialising in the artist once known as Prince, yet another picture of a gents WC, and a Brewhouse & Kitchen.

From my Bournemouth base, a busy M2 bus took me through seemingly endless suburbs westbound to Poole.  The town - Dorest's second biggest with a population of over 150,000 - grew in size due to the large natural harbour which helped it become a thriving trading centre and transport hub.
The Poole Arms seemed as good a starting point as any in Poole, so it was down to the waterfront that I headed.  

Poole Arms (19 The Quay, Poole, BH15 1HJ - web)
The green-tiled frontage was looking absolutely glorious in the sunshine.
With a collection of nautical pictures on wood panelled walls, a blackboard of seafood specials, and a case displaying various types of knots, this was every bit the harbourside pub.
It dates back to 1635, so you'd imagine that these walls have seen and heard all sorts of things over the years from a colourful collection of seafaring characters.

I took a reasonable pint of Flack Manor 'Double Drop' to a table at the side of the room and was a little dismayed to find the promising indie music which greeted me on arrival switched to Girls Aloud, Katy Perry and Pink in quick succession.

Only being able to find the entrance to the ladies WCs within the pub, I was directed back out the front door and down the alleyway to the gents.
And being as there were alleyways both sides of the pub, of course I picked the wrong one. I'm not sure how far I would have gone, but the lady from behind the bar came out to recue me and point me in the right direction.
The great basic no-nonsense outdoor loos elevated my opinion of the pub, cos I'm weird.

Finishing my pint at the Poole Arms, I moved away from the Quay, walking back up the High Street where you'll find this purple emporium dedicated to Prince.

A few doors along the road was the next pub on my itinerary...

The Brewhouse (68 High Street, Poole, BH15 1DA)
This was originally opened as a brewpub in 1983, although it's long since stopped concocting ales on-site and has been owned by Somerset's Frome Brewery from 2002. 

It's a good no-frills pub, locals propping up the bar, horse racing on the TV, and a respectable beer choice to pick from.  No Frome ales on my visit, with the three handpumps dispensing 'Plum Porter' and Aftermire' from Settle Brewery, plus a Heritage Brewing Company 'Gold'.
I cheated on Titanic, thoroughly enjoying the North Yorkshire plum porter.

There are a couple of old pictures of the exterior of the Brewhouse on this website.  Other than that it remains a little anonymous online, Google being determined that I must have missed "and kitchen" off the end of my search.
So, I figured I may as well call in to the Brewhouse & Kitchen whilst in the area.  Some people may be a little bit mean about the chain, but I am an old-skool sucker for a brewpub...

Brewhouse & Kitchen (1 Dear Hay Lane, Poole, BH15 1NZ - web)
Located in front of a car park, down a side street from the shops, this is one of the chain's 22 brew pubs.
To the horror of anyone dedicated to traditional wooden bench seating in pubs I gravitated straight to the brewing equipment and a high table with a wheel of grains beneath a glass top. 

I was content - a decent smoked porter, a picture of the brew kit, New Order providing the background music.

 

Hopping aboard a bus departing Poole I made the short trip to Parkstone, where I had a pretty superb pint of Thornbridge in the Bermuda Triangle.

Where I didn't disappear without a trace, emerging to make a Craft Beer Diversion...

Knight Life Tap (13 Bournemouth Road, Lower Parkstone, BH14 0EF - web)
And how better to do a craft ale diversion than bowling into this small taproom and ordering the 'Lemon Cheesecake IPA' 😬
I admitted to the barman that I'd picked it for novelty value, but took a sip and conceding this was actually pretty damn good.

Brewer Glen Knight set up a 3-barrel brewery in a garage in 2018, with the tap room opening at the tail end of 2021.  In an old bank, I guess...

Intriguing design for the beer taps...

I sat on the low seating by the window: Yazz's 'The Only Way Is Up' played in the background, followed by a rare public airing of 'Living in a Box' by Living in a Box.

And that will do for this post.  Because no-one needs to know about me gravitating to Brewdog to pick the strongest impy porter when I arrived back in Bournemouth.