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Detail Pages
The Coal Exchange, Emsworth
Emsworth
PO10 7EG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Coal Exchange
A smart and traditional Fullers pub located on the town's High Street, the Coal Exchange occupies a characterful two-room premises. You enter into a small, carpeted front bar where the servery faces directly opposite the door, framed by frosted glass windows and flanked by hard benches and chairs. A cosy lit brick fireplace adds some warmth to this compact space. The dark wood panelled bar counter and matching mirrored back bar create an inviting, old-fashioned feel, with pint pots strung from a beam overhead for added charm. The pub stretches back down the right-hand side into a second seating area, featuring two rows of tables and chairs beneath plain painted walls and a fairy light-strewn ceiling. Another fireplace sits to the right here, with a Fullers clock hung above it, while a mix of military memorabilia, paintings, maps and ornaments bring a touch of history to the decor. There’s also an outdoor gents’ toilet block and a covered garden area to the rear, and the pub is very dog friendly, replete with an inevitable bout of orchestrated barking whenever the mutts crossed paths with one another..
The cask selection was strong, with Fullers London Pride and ESB, Gales HSB and Seafarers, Dark Star Hophead and Butcombe Bitter all available. My pint was well kept and served promptly. The service was friendly and patient, even in the face of some challenging customers, and the place maintained a lively and welcoming atmosphere as the crowd built to healthy numbers as the evening progressed.
This felt like a solid, well-run Fullers house with plenty of character and a pleasant buzz that lasted throughout the course of my visit. The beer was in good nick and whilst finding Fullers beers isn't exactly tricky in this part of the world, they at least put enough of a range on to give you a couple of lesser seen choices. This felt like the place to be in Emsworth on a Saturday night and it makes a good double header with the Bluebell a few doors down.
Date of visit: 4th January 2025
On 28th April 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Coal Exchange
A pleasant looking pub in the centre of Emsworth heading down towards the quay, it has some attractive green glazed tiling on the exterior that still has the Horndean Ales logo in place. It seems to be something of a male orientated, locals pub, and the friendly barmaid had to ask a couple of the punters to mind their language.
Internally it’s somewhat more basic than might be expected from looking at the outside, and is arranged in to an L-shape configuration. There was some old blue carpet on the floor and some plain wood panelling on the lower part of the walls. A plasma screen was at the rear showing the football and there were a couple of old brick fire-places, although one of these appeared to be covered up. A number of black and white photos were on the walls. We didn’t inspect the menu, but a couple of notices advertised pizza and burger nights. They also have live music on a Saturday night, and it was certainly very busy and loud when we passed by on the previous evening to our visit.
There was a good choice of beers on tap with New Dawn Pale Navigation, London Pride, Olivers Island, HSB, Hophead Dark Star and Seafarers Ale. Ciders meanwhile were Strongbow and Stowford Press.
On 8th June 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2060 recommendations about 1962 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Coal Exchange
Occupying a position in the centre of Emsworth on a quietish street leading down to the harbour and waterfront is The Coal Exchange – or “The Coalie” as it seems to be generally referred to.
A striking green tiled exterior – unusual in that it covers the frontage on one side of the central door only – and frosted windows advertising “Horndean Ales and Stouts” tell us that it’s a former Gales house, now of course part of the Fullers empire. Seeing the half green-tiled exterior makes us wonder if the pub has been expanded into larger premises, but this does not appear to be obviously the case. It’s the one building with one L shaped wooden bar counter that extends both sides of the central entrance.
The narrowish front bar area has half height wood panelling, a lowish beamed ceiling and, with stools along the bar counter, is clearly where the locals tend to congregate. Furniture consists mainly of chunky newish looking pine tables and padded chairs. The interior extends back down the right hand side into an area which is mainly used by diners with, on my recent visit, a good number of visitors enjoying the highly regarded home made lunchtime food. At the far end here is a dartboard, although tables would need to be moved for it to be used. The walls are decorated with local photos of Emsworth and the harbour and some sea charts. A small wall area is devoted to the local Royal Marines, who have evidently seen service in Afghanistan.
The CAMRA Good Beer Guide tells us that the building was previously a place where locals exchanged their produce for coal that had been delivered to Emsworth by sea, but, disappointingly, there’s no relevant memorabilia or reference to this anywhere in the pub.
At the back is a grassy garden with picnic tables, perhaps larger than might reasonably be expected for what is not a large pub.
4 beers from the Fullers / Gales range were on – London Pride, Discovery, HSB and Seafarers. Evidently a tenancy, most notably 2 guest beers were on – Okells Bitter and Butcombe Bitter – but both at a rather pricey £ 3.40p for what are low gravity beers. The Seafarers - £ 3.20p – was pretty good, but the Okells was somewhat bland and disappointing. The Coal Exchange has been a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular for many years now.
The pub hosts a curry night on Tuesday and an open mic night on Wednesday, events which, according to the friendly locals, are well attended and worth popping in for. Staff, pleasingly local to the area, are friendly and enthusiastic. It’s a TV free zone.
The pub featured in a 16 page Daily Telegraph guide in 2009 – “70 Great British Pubs” – as a pub that is good for ramblers with two popular walking trails (The Solent Way and The Wayfarers Walk) passing close by.
This is a pub that is evidently trying to cover most bases – a friendly welcoming place for local drinkers and also catering for the many visitors to this area of the coast – and, on the basis of my visit, appears to be carrying it off pretty well.
Not a must visit pub or a showstopper by any means, but it’s worth looking up if in the area. A good solid 7 out of 10.
On 24th August 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Linington left this review about The Coal Exchange
Located conveniently next to the car park Emsworth, The Coal Exchange is a traditional pub that makes you feel instantly at home as soon as you walk in the door and feel the warmth of the coal fire on your face. A nice friendly atmosphere from both the staff and the regulars gave me the feeling had been my local for years. Tastefully and traditionally decorated throughout, with a friendly welcome, even the dog sitting by the fire will greet you before returning to his bed.
It's no surprise that the pub won an award in recognition of Constantly good quality beer served in a traditional manner from the Campaign for real ale 2008 Good Beer Guide recently.
On 6th December 2008
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]