The Portland, Stamshaw, Portsmouth

A Victorian corner pub in a residential area. The ground floor has suffered the usual knock-through to form a single bar, but it has remained cosy and has retained an early Victorian fireplace at the ‘saloon' end. The bar is modern and wood-clad, the floors are carpeted at one end, laminate at the other. There are etched windows, also modern but they fit in nicely. The staff were welcoming, the locals tolerant of our presence. The pub dog looked like a bit of a bruiser but was actually quite amiable. There was a mix of furniture, some of which looked chewed by the aforementioned canine, while the jukebox at the 'public' end competed with the enormous TV screen in the saloon to see which could be loudest. Sky sports is shown and there is WiFi available. There is a dart board, pool table and an array of gaming machines for entertainment. There is a lively local spirit, and it's a good pub in a lot of ways, but it has no real ale so is somewhere I am unlikely to come back to very often.