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Image posted by Malden man
Submitted on Monday, 18th April 2016
With picture contributions to 1703 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (8 more images)
Detail Pages
South Western Arms, St Denys, Southampton
Southampton
SO17 2HW
Served areas
Reviews of South Western Arms (Average Rating: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Real Ale Ray left this review about South Western Arms
A good solid pub with a live rock band and a pizza van out front on our Saturday evening visit. Ten pumps with five in use, serving Roosters Yankee, Salopian Firkin Freezing, JW Lees Autumn Drop, Bowman Swift One and 1 cider.
The beer quality was excellent along with the band and a couple of pizzas.
On 31st December 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about South Western Arms
What looks like its going to be a backstreet pub that is going to be average at best, on St Denys Station but there is a lot of TLC inside, comfortable, well set out even with fairy lights and lots of well kept real ale, well worth a visit
On 4th April 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about South Western Arms
Handily located outside the main entrance to St Denys station, the South Western is a nice, spacious two storey pub with a reputation for good beer. The ground floor area sees a single bare boarded room that has apparently been opened out somewhat over the years from a former multiple room format, as evidenced by many sturdy wooden pillars and sections of bare brick partitioning walls. An L-shaped servery fills the rear right corner of the room with its dark wood counter and bar back plus a canopy lined with bull's horns, US car license plates, deer antlers and various bits of breweriana. On entering, you pass a raised seating space to the left where pew and chair seating has been arranged around a nice fireplace, with a signed England football shirt on the wall and some huge potted plants for a bit of colour. To the right, partly hidden by one of the aforementioned partitioning walls, there is a similar seating area with a corner shelving unit holding old editions of the Good Beer Guide and an unusual fenced off area protecting a cellar door, which perhaps suggests that the servery used to be situated here. The main part of the room has dark floorboards and ceiling, with the beams decorated with loads of old and new pump clips. A reproduction(?) 1870 Kensington Station clock hangs opposite the bar and there is a large vertical drinking area to the left of the servery with just the one lone high table in the back left corner, near the juke box. An acoustic guitar hung from the wall here hints at live music performances and there are loads more pump clips on show back here. The gents toilets are a veritable treasure trove for fans of Marvel comics, the walls having been papered with pages from various editions. To the rear, a door leads out to a surprisingly smart, well presented garden with nice trellis plants and plenty of good quality seating. Stairs near the bar lead up to a first floor seating area which I failed to explore.
There are ten handpulls on the bar, offering Theakston Lightfoot, Bowman Swift One, Adnams Ghost Ship, Draught Bass, Downton Quadhop and Mad Hare, Exmoor Stag and Old Rosie cider, with two off on arrival, but soon in action dispensing Hop Back Summer Lightning and Wight Gold - good work by the bar staff on a busy football day. My pint of the Swift One was in good nick and plenty of ale seemed to be flowing in the lead up to the match, with the pub never getting uncomfortably busy.
This pub has rightly been viewed as one of the top ale houses at this end of town for many years and continues to offer an excellent range of well kept beers to a seemingly appreciative crowd. The introduction of two top class micropubs within easy walking distance may have made this place slightly less indispensable but it remains a fine place to enjoy a few drinks and should be on the target list for anyone heading to this part of town.
On 6th May 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
View more reviews of South Western Arms (10)
No known official website for this pub.
- Facebook - The South Western Arms
- CAMRA WhatPub :: South Western Arms - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 29 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : Yes - November - last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 29 April 2014 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 10% - last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Car Park : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : Yes last updated 29 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Function Room : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Jukebox : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Live Music : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Micropub : No last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Pinball : No last updated 29 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 April 2014 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 06 May 2017 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : Yes last updated 29 April 2014 by Quinno _
