Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 26th April 2026) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Winchester Gate, Salisbury
Salisbury
SP1 1JA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about Winchester Gate
Dating from the 16th century in some form, to become a pub in 1732 called the Green Dragon (the snug area), the London Road Tavern from 1873 and the Winchester Gate since 1974. Recognised by the Arts Council England, this is Salisbury’s only live music and arts pub according to their website, and a bit of a trek from the city centre.
The interior is more functional than cosy, with multiple music flyers, the Artex then the cotton wool ceiling bizarre and perhaps a potential fire hazard.
There were four casks on, my Dark Revolution So.LA nice, served by a charming and engaging landlady.
Unless I were making a trip to see a gig, I couldn’t envisage a return visit, but the landlady gets the score up.
On 13th April 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2324 recommendations about 2267 pubs]
Strongers . left this review about Winchester Gate
The Winchester Gate, that’s Winni to the locals, is very much a live music venue with a bar area to the left where a serving counter across the rear wall supports four hand pumps that were drawing Dark Star’s Hophead and Full Circle’s Pale alongside So.La and Reboot from Dark Revolution Brewery. Stan’s Cheddar Valley and Seacider were available from boxes piled on the back bar and premium keg was available as well as Greene King’s Level Head and Hazy Day. I popped my head into the live music area with stage to the left, but I didn’t have a proper nose around because we were the only people in on a recent Friday afternoon. I’m not a live music fan so I doubt I’ll ever return, but I will mention that the lady that served us seemed very friendly.
On 13th April 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6626 recommendations about 6588 pubs]
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Winchester Gate
Old pub, once called the London Road Inn and listed at Grade II* still under that name, and now mostly a music venue. Only had time to look the bar area, but there are several other rooms behind the black-and-white facade in use for events. Four cask ales on handpump: Dark Star Hophead, Full Circle's Pale and a pair from the local Dark Revolution (So.LA and Reboot).
On 5th April 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 9119 recommendations about 9119 pubs]
Steve of N21 left this review about Winchester Gate
One of three pubs slightly out of town on, or in this case, the wrong side of the A36. This one is worth a venture if you are into live music as the pub actually has three stages in total and puts on a varied program of live gigs. I was slightly disappointed that I wasn’t staying in town and could return later to watch the Thin Lizzy tribute band that was playing that evening. The pub is not much to look at both externally and internally but unusual for live music venues does provide a decent ale selection and had four ales as described below on for our visit and I went for the Greene King Full Circle Pale, which wasn’t too bad for a Greedy King brew.
If I lived in Salisbury I would only venture out here when there was an act on I fancied seeing, as there are a lot better pubby pubs in the town centre.
On 31st March 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2340 recommendations about 2186 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about Winchester Gate
A pub dedicated to live music but also offering some ale options.It's out of town but not far from the Wyndham.An old building go right for the tap room with traditional furniture,opening out at the rear and the room where you may catch some acoustic.Turn left from the front door to the main performance area ,dark ,moody with standing only and a mosh pit feel.A local Thin Lizzy tribute band were playing later in the night here.Out the back is a large terraced garden with another stage area under an awning.Neighbours need to be considered here so not the place for death metal.From the garden you can see the age of the building with its irregular roof line and old window frames.
On my trip the ales offered were Fullers Dark Star Hophead,Greene King Full Circle Pale (which started a conversation with the friendly barmaid about how bad a pubco Greedy King were ),Dark Revolution So LA (NBSS 3) and Reboot.Not the most exciting ale line up ,so not sure I would rush back just for that but better ale options than available at most live music pubs.
On 29th March 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3154 recommendations about 3154 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about Winchester Gate
A visit here just after opening was not what the lass behind the bar was expecting - there were 12 or more of us. I tried to keep it simple by having the same beer from hand pump as I'd had from a keg tap in the Coach & Horses. Dark Revolution So.LA 4.5%, supposed to be a West Coast IPA but tastes like a lemon barley water. It was still a bad beer, as far as I'm concerned, just not as cold and not as fizzy.
On 27th March 2026
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 4733 recommendations about 4337 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Winchester Gate
Located on the fringes of the city centre, on the opposite side of the busy A36, this is an unusual pub and live music venue. You enter into a corridor with the main bar to the right, a separate seating area to the left and the venue and garden further towards the rear. The bar area is a fairly shallow but wide room that extends a long way to the right. The bar is along the rear wall and has a chequered tile floor around a modern tongue and groove counter with a simple bar back that incorporates what appears to be a former fireplace, now blocked off and with a small pump clip collection to one side. Hard bench and padded banquette seating runs around the rest of the room’s perimeter, with plenty of chairs in support. The room has low tongue and groove wall panels, with quite a dark colour scheme on the upper sections, which is offset by plenty of fairy lights and other muted light sources, helping to create a surprisingly warm feel. The walls are decorated with a series of brightly coloured, framed gig posters, plus a few scruffier flyers for upcoming shows at the pub. The side room was closed when I arrived shortly after opening, so I couldn’t explore properly. But a glimpse through the window suggested it offered quite a bit of additional table and chair seating. I was also unable to explore the garden or venue, but did catch sight of a large circus-style tent out the back which has been furnished to quite a high standard and acts as an outdoor venue and function room. A decent soundtrack was playing in the background throughout the course of my visit, and the bar staff were still busty with their Monday cleaning routine, which weirdly included drying the floor in the main bar by hand using what looked like kitchen roll!
Live music venues are never a great source of cask ale, but this place seems to buck the trend, with four operational handpulls dispensing Southbourne Headlander, Hattie Brown’s Sirius, and Yeovil Hop 242 and Stout Hearted, with three real ciders available from boxes stacked up on the bar back. My pint of the Stout Hearted felt like a Monday opening-time effort and was probably the most disappointing beer of the day.
I really wanted to like this place, as it seemed to have a lot of good things going for it, but I left feeling a little let-down, perhaps because of the dodgy pint, the inability to fully explore or the lack of any other customers. Bonus points for being a live music venue with an interesting ale range and for putting on a roster of interesting up and coming acts, but I’d want much better ale quality if I were to consider a return.
On 22nd February 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Winchester Gate
Called in while doing a trip round Salisbury area pubs and found a couple of Downton beers plus Sixpenny Cranbourne Chaser which we tried along with Cross Bay California Dreamin, both of which were good. Loved the beer garden at the rear.
On 12th May 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Winchester Gate
The outside has had another scrub since my last visit but not the interior which remains a fairly unappealing prospect (apparently there is a decent garden but I’ve never found it). Still, there were four ales on and my Hart Dark Maiden was very good. Also half a dozen ciders so I can see why it’s GBG but to be honest it doesn’t really appeal to me as a destination. Big on live music, if that’s your bag.
April 2012
Just the wrong side of the A36 ring road, we popped in after our usual stop-off at the Wyndham opposite. The exterior (two distinctly different buildings mashed together) had just had a fresh lick of paint and looked quite inviting. The interior was rather less impressive though. Two rooms, one of which was a scruffy games room with a dart board and pool. The lounge had a smattering of fairly friendly locals but also felt a quite tired décor-wise. Still there were three ales on and the one we had was in good nick (Goffs, if I remember rightly). If you like your beer this is worth the extra few minutes from the Wyndham but as a pub experience it doesn’t really stand out in any other way at present. Perhaps the freshly-painted exterior is a sign of greater things to come? Rated 6
On 1st April 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6004 recommendations about 5984 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Winchester Gate
Five ales on handpump on our Friday lunchtime visit. Bowland Hen Harrier, Upham Best Mate, Flack Manor Flack's Double Drop, Downton Slovenian and the house beer was by Wadworth A Bit of O' Badger IPA. I went for the Upham Best Mate, which was a mistake as the beer wasn't to my taste, as it had a toffee flavour to it and no taste, at least I only bought a half. This pub is more of a night time venue with its permanent stage situated in a room on the left of entrance. The pub also has a large rear two tiered garden, which gets busy during the summer months at weekends, when they hold mini beer fests and BBQ'S.
On 20th May 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3745 pubs]