Avon Brewery, Salisbury

An attractive looking pub just a couple of minutes’ walk away from the main canal area, it unusual curved and etched glass windows look quite inviting, and although we hadn’t particularly planned on trying this one, we decided to pop in. Internally it’s all one long, single room and somehow seemed a bit more drab and basic than I was expecting. There’s dark wooden boards on the floor, padded bench seating along the left hand wall and high stools and tables to the right. The bulk of the wall was clad with khaki green wood panelling, with darker green timberwork elsewhere. A few old black and white pictures of the locale were dotted around, and at the front in the bay window were some large speakers and a mixing desk where it looked as though a band were in the process of setting up. Beers on tap were Hobgoblin, Ringwood Razorback and Lancaster Bomber. Ciders meanwhile were Strongbow, Thatcher’s Gold and Kingston Press Wild Berry. Overall, whilst there’s nothing really wrong with this pub, it struck me as more of a basic local’s boozer than somewhere that is a destination in it’s own right, and it’s not somewhere that I would rush back to.

Regarding the pane of glass in the front window, well it was replaced with a clear pane rather than an etched one. The cost of this pane of glass was expensive, as it had to be commissioned, and the difficulty was in bending the glass into the right shape. This cost a staggering one thousand pounds and would have cost an extra thousand to be etched. Three pumps with two on, Marston's Power of 3 and Ringwood Razorback, we went for the Ringwood. The manager and a local chap sitting at the bar were friendly and chatty.

Unfortunately one of the panes of the curved etched front windows had been smashed at the time of my visit by some moron. It was however pleasing to hear from the barmaid that the pub had commissioned a replica rather than fit a bland clear piece in its place. A long carpeted main room, boarded around the bar area but with a smaller separate room beyond which unusually has light wood boarded walls. Mostly regular seating but there is one high version plus a pair of pews. Very friendly staff, I was even asked permission to change the TV channel to the rugby, I liked it here. Not too exciting on the beer front, just Ringwood 49er and Razor Back but a lovely old style convivial pub.