Ham & Blackbird, Farnborough

planning granted for one five-storey and one six-storey building providing 25 one-bedroom and 37 two-bedroom flats, as well as a food and drink facility, public plazas and parking at the lower floor ground level.

Demolished,August 2015.

Inland Homes announced intentions to redevelop the site in Farnborough Road into 62 apartments along with a commercial area for a café or bar and a community space.

The Ham and Blackbird is in a very handy position being just around the corner from Farnborough Station. The location isn’t the best as it is in the middle of a busy roundabout and the picnic tables out the front are adjacent to the large car park. This is a sprawling pub where the bar area is directly opposite the entrance and it is stocked with standard draught products alongside Staropramen and cask Bass and Greene King IPA. Food is served and the upstairs area is used for dining, which seemed to be closed late on Friday afternoon. I did spot table football and a pool table up there, but nobody was playing. Some chart music was being piped out of the speakers and weakest link was muted on the plasma screen. After standing at the bar for almost five minutes I decided to cut my losses and leave. I would have waited longer, but the manager/supervisor seemed to be more of a hindrance to the bar staff as he kept interrupting them whilst they were serving and whilst the queue at the bar was two deep he just stood behind the bar caressing an empty till tray. I’ve noted that I will be avoiding this pub in future.

Official site of the Ham & Blackbird - www.hamandblackbird.com

Official site of the Ham & Blackbird - www.hamandblackbird.com