South Western Arms, St Denys, Southampton

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

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.

Only had a quick five minutes in here due to the imminent homeward bound train arrival so I failed to note all the beers on offer,I thought I counted 10 handpumps although the general consensus in previous reviews appears to be for 9, anyhow there were 7 or 8 on and I had an OK Bowmans Eldorado and I also saw Bowmans Swift One, the other beers have sadly already faded from my memory.There was time to briefly take in the surroundings which of course were exactly as described by Malden man some four months before me. I would have liked to have stayed longer but brief a visit as it was it was long enough to realise this is a proper pub.

A fairly run-of-the-mill exterior gives way to an interior that is quite unexpected, a higgledy-piggledy place that is done up somewhere between a hunting lodge and Wild West tavern. Stripped wood, exposed brickwork and a wooden gantry mezzanine feature. Seemingly staffed by a pair of affable eccentrics who looked like they'd be at home backstage at the Glastonbury festival (and given the live music advertised, maybe that’s no coincidence). Items of note included darts, a feature wall painting, bookshelves, board games, free Wi-Fi and general ephemera. Classic rock music through the speakers which suited the vibe nicely. Best surprise was the wonderful rear garden with well-tended wall beds and a water feature. Beer-wise there were six available over nine pumps (I think). Moorhouse Blonde and Goddards were both in good nick. Also available was an impressive selection of bottled world beers. Bar snacks included pickled eggs and onions at very reasonable prices. A very enjoyable visit and I’d make a beeline for this one next time I’m in Southampton. With the sublime Guide Dog only ten minutes away, a crawl in this area is a sure-fire winner.