The Wykeham Arms, Winchester

A fine rambling pub to the south of the cathedral. Wooden floor, a central bar and various seating areas with tables made from old school desks and the like. Wall & ceilings are covered with artefacts, tankards, walking sticks, hats, the odd oar. Its all very charming, if expensive, and a nice place to relax. 5 real ales from Fullers (with the emphasis on Gales considering the location) and very well kept.

In the narrow streets behind Winchester Cathedral and close to the college is The Wykeham Arms, a well known 18th century pub. 2 adjoining rooms – The Nelson Bar and The Hamilton Bar – are furnished with a fine collection of old photos and prints. An area by a large brick two sided fireplace is devoted to Lord Nelson and The Victory ship. The main room also features a collection of walking sticks and drinks jugs suspended from the ceiling beams. Down one side of the wood panelled room, tables consist of old school desks complete with old ink well holes, reminding those of us of a certain age of our days at Primary School. Down the far end is a dedicated food area – The Coach House – which is well appointed and furnished with military memorabilia. A large enamel sign here tells us that the pub dates back to 1755. Etched glass denoting “Coffee Room” gives us a clue as to what the adjoining room one was. This is now the Hamilton Bar and is similar in style, also including military memorabilia, including a splendid photo of the funeral of Winston Churchill, accompanied by an Order of Service. There’s also several photos and cuttings of one Vince Broderick- a former professional cricketer apparently – who clocked up 50 years as a customer in the pub until his death in November 2010. The Wykeham Arms is very food orientated and has a good reputation locally. It’s not a gastro pub, but a definite step up from normal pub grub. Prices are on the high side. An “early bird supper” is offered between Monday and Thursday for two courses and three courses at £ 17 and £ 21 respectively. Not surprisingly, there’s a rather upmarket atmosphere, enhanced by the absence of TV’s and fruit machines etc. It’s also a quiet, music free pub. Although drinkers only are not discouraged, they may feel more comfortable, as I did on my recent visit, occupying a stool at the bar. Surprisingly not branded as such externally, it’s a Fullers pub. Beers on were London Pride, Bengal Lancer, HSB, Seafarers and, as a guest, Perridge Pale from the Flowerpots Brewery in nearby Cheriton. The latter - £ 3.60p – was a superb pint in excellent condition. The pub is listed in the CAMRA 2012 Good Beer Guide. It’s not really a drinkers pub, but it’s definitely down for a return visit when I’m next in the area.

From the outside, this appears to be a fairly straightforward street corner pub, but once inside, a large, multiple room layout unfolds in either direction from the front door. The main bar is carpeted with dark wooden beams and a mixture of seating including some old school desks which ties in nicely with the pub's location near Winchester College. A collection of walking sticks are suspended from the ceiling and tankards hang from many of the beams. Moving through the doorway to the left, there is a second bar with bare floorboards, a large fireplace on the far wall and vast amounts of pewter jugs. Seating is a little more limited in this room, although there are some benches near the windows. Beyond this room is the restaurant area. At the rear of the main bar the pub extends further into a room set up for diners, with another fireplace and walls predominantly decorated with cigarette cards. A small, gable roofed room with a long table ideal for a medium to large sized group to occupy can also be accessed from this end of the pub. This is a former Gale’s pub and they had Seafarers and HSB on alongside Fullers London Pride and Flowerpots Gooden’s Gold. I tried the Gooden’s Gold which was pretty good and it was pleasing to see a Fuller's House offering something from a local micro-brewery. I was a little apprehensive that this might be a bit too pre-occupied by the food side of the business, but I thought the layout of the pub meant that it could easily accommodate diners and drinkers in pleasant separate areas. I enjoyed my time in this pub and would suggest that it makes for a strong double header with the relatively nearby Black Boy.