Black Boy, Winchester

Ephemera allover in this old and traditional pub just outside the very centre of Winchester. You'll find numerous rooms and spaces inside as well as a garden outside. There's 4 pumps on the bar, all pretty much local and all pretty expensive if my pint of Saxon Gold (3.8% at £5.50, all the way from Winchester Brewery) is typical. Not a bad pint though and slipped down easy enough after a walk up and down a nearby hill. I've no hesitation in recommending, whether as part of a pub crawl, or you simply want to spend some time exploring the wonders within.

This was our first pub to visit on our crawl around Winchester and what a good place to start. You could spend hours in here spotting different paraphernalia around the place. We called in here early, which gave good opportunity for a nose round. I came across a Warthog under the table football game in the far right lounge, which seemed to be hiding there. Five handpumps, with four in use serving Hopback Summer Lightning, Hopback Pickled Santa, Flowerpots Bitter and Alfred's Brewery Saxon Bronze. The barman along with the couple of locals were friendly and chatty and gave us good directions to the Queen Inn.

Very much as described by others below, this wonderfully eclectic and eccentric throwback to the days of individuality and interest was a fantastic inclusion on a town crawl. Has anyone previously mentioned that the ceiling in the vaulted area in the middle was lined with old doors - very Lewis Carol, which along with the serpentine feel of the layout and the stuffed animals (by which I mean the taxidermy, not my drinking companions) made for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Ales on were Alfred's Saxon Bronze, Flack Manor's Romsey Gold, Flower Pots's Bitter and Summer Lightning, plus there was one dry pump. The beer was in excellent condition, though a bit overpriced for the area. There was also a cider on draft. I need to come back and wander around again, especially as their beer quality is so good, but also because there's more to see.