The Kings Arms, Salisbury

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.

Now reopened, but sadly the new management has not taken the opportunity to improve what was a dump. It is still a pretty shabby, unfriendly town centre pub filled with drunk locals. The staff were a bit hostile and really didn't want our custom. No real ale and no food, so why would we want to stay? A shame as the pub is of historic interest, but I don't see my rushing back.