Admiral Benbow, Penzance

If you let your colour-blind mad aunt design a pub for the tourists by the seaside, this is a pretty close approximation to what you'd get. The place has gaudy tat everywhere - and I really do mean everywhere, that bloody anchor on the left hand side of the bar would bother Lynn Faulds-Wood's ghost. I am assured that most of the tat comes from salvage from shipwrecks from the past 400-odd years. It's so stupidly over-the-top it sort of works in the same weird way attempting to drink yourself sober does. Only Doombar on when I went in (though there looks to be capacity for at least one other) which was served well enough. Food is also available, though I didn't sample as we'd already been to the Turks. Take a moment to have a go on the proper old jukebox which plays 7" singles. Very cute indeed, so perhaps a good place to take Granny as nearly all the singles are pre-1975. The (fictional) Admiral Benbow is world-renowned for its appearance in Treasure Island by RL Stevenson. Note that this pub isn't actually 'it'. Overall, worth popping for the brain-melting array of colour, artefacts and getting a couple of tracks on the old jukebox.

The original Admiral Benbow was a fantasy pub featured in Treasure Island and this one also seems to live in a world of its own. The stunningly eccentric, cluttered but rather contrived interior makes the place worthy of a visit above anything else with barely an inch of space existing where you won’t find a pot, pan, jug, urn, figurine, model ship, lantern, antique firearm, figurehead or divers helmet. Pride of place must go to the magnificent decorative fireplace, the mantelpiece of which is of course stacked with more remnants of antique fairs, charity shops and probably local shipwrecks. The brightly coloured beams and pillars all add to the effect although with all the clutter, the interior looks a lot smaller than it probably is. There are numerous nooks and crannies, cosy but not necessarily comfortable and you may need to climb over the occasional anchor to get in. The music will appeal to those of a certain age as it all comes from original 45’s played on an old Wurlitzer jukebox. The bar itself is quite small and awkwardly placed in front of the door. There were 3 hand pumps with Proper Job, Doom Bar and 1 unused on my visit. The staff were very welcoming and attentive, the atmosphere genial and quite relaxed although it does get very busy at peak times. Some people may feel it is all a bit over the top but it is certainly something different and remains one of the best pub options in town.