The Kings Arms, Salisbury

Can't think of many more morose pubs I have visited. The sole bar staff was monosyllabic and never cracked her face. There was no cask. There were few punters. On a positive, there was a comfy chesterfield. Only memorable for seeing Australians order some Fosters. I thought they thought ill of it too. The opposite of hospitality.

Another pretty Amesbury building. A bit of a locals place with loud jukebox rock and Definite Opinions. Main bar is to the left and a darts area to the right. Black painted beams, white ceiling, green half-length wood panelling; has obviously been tidied up lately but despite a decent finish lacks cosiness and is a bit gloomy. Oddly, a suit of armour was resplendent in the corner of the room. Four pumps with two ales on, Old Speckled Hen and Doom Bar, a half of the latter was pretty palatable (NBSS 3) which I was surprised by. Not somewhere I’d rush back to but it outperformed immediate expectations.

Forewarned by attached comments we made an assessment by peering through the window, saw the characterless box which it now appears to be, and decided not to bother. A real shame if, as suggested, it used to be a good old fashioned pub. Have any site users ever been asked about what they seek from a pub before clueless designers are allowed to destroy local heritage? Didn't think so. No rating.