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Detail Pages
The Chain Locker, Falmouth
Falmouth
TR11 3HG
Pub Type
Orchid (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about The Chain Locker
St Austell pub on the harbour side, overlooking Custom House Quay. Plenty of character within the J shaped interior, they've nailed the olde worlde harbour pub theme pretty well with wood panelling, stone/wood walls and nautical paraphernalia on all surfaces. Very busy, had to stand at the bar. GBG listed, six pumps with four of theirs on and the Anthem was really good (NBSS 4) - I didn’t note the price being much out-of-whack with other nearby outlets. Staff were all dressed in stripey tops, quite wanky really. Jumbo Third Reich-style eagle on the ceiling caught my eye, if it was indeed salvaged as war booty then fair play to whoever lugged it back. There’s also a big airy upstairs bar for dining with fabulous views across the harbour. This one ticked a good amount of boxes for me.
On 4th April 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Ian Mapp left this review about The Chain Locker
Camra GBG 2024 entry and one of the oldest buildings in Falmouth. Low ceiling ground floor with a long bar serving lots of St Austell Brews, including the lesser spotted Hicks and the never spotted (by me) red sky at night.
Nautical nick nacks nailed to the ceiling. Real fires making a homely feel.
So why the low score. I must be getting old but a pint and a half of coke should not cost £8.55.
On 24th October 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Chain Locker
The Chain Locker is one of 4 pubs overlooking Custom House Quay. This is a St Austell pub stocking just Tribute, Proper Job & Hicks for real ales. I opted for the Healey's Rattler Strawberry & Lime on draught.
The interior feels quite traditional with low beamed ceiling and plenty of nautical memorabilia to peruse. Dogs and families are welcome. We entered from the quayside. Although the proper entrance appears to be on Quay Street.
On 12th April 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Chain Locker
Decent enough old pub that resists being too much of a tourist trap, at least in the main downstairs bar. Nautical and proper pub decor and a decent atmosphere, actually quite rowdy though it was mostly filled with groups looking for food. Four St Austell ales and a fine pint of Trelawny was served by a friendly barmaid. Loses a point for the totally unfitting contemporary R&B/dance music, but I felt very cosy in here.
On 8th September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Chain Locker
The interior is well described below, though much of the Summer custom is at outside tables on the large tarmac square adjacent, which feels like a car park but does overlook the harbour. The outside was crowded, noisy and smokey, so we were very pleased to find a table inside. The staff were pleasant and helpful, even asking whether we were CAMRA members so they could give us discount. Treats and drinks were offered to dogs. Food was excellent if a little pricey. Ales on were Bath Summer’s Hare, Tribute, Proper Job, Trelawny and Betty Stoggs, all in perfect condition. Definitely worth a visit.
On 10th October 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3283 recommendations about 3248 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Chain Locker
Pretty well what you would expect from an old harbourside pub: low-ceilinged with lots of woodwork covered in nautical junk. there is a very large outdoor area of tables out on the quayside, but beware the seagulls if eating. Upstairs has been nicely modernised, with a dining area and a separate restaurant with its own bar and superb views, which can be hired for functions. Draught ales mainly from St Austell/Bath but including Betty Stogs and also draught ciders.
On 15th September 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Chain Locker
Another of Falmouth's harbourside pubs, this place is perhaps best placed to offer great views across the estuary, given its position adjacent to Custom House Quay. The pub has an L-shaped layout, with the servery, to the right on entry, running in a similar shape. You enter into a bare boarded room with a nice little seating area to the front giving some great views out across the Quay. This seating extends past the bar area, mostly in the form of stools made from barrels and standard chairs. The servery is fitted out in dark wood, complimenting the floorboards and wood panelling that runs throughout the pub and helping, with the assistance of some muted lighting, to create a warm, traditional feel where you can easily imagine sailors, fishermen and other such locals enjoying themselves over the years. The walls have been decorated with all sorts of maritime themed photos, paintings and bric-a-brac whilst the ceiling boasts a collection of ship's wheels, life rings and flags of all different varieties. The temptation to pursue a maritime theme must be strong in such a location and could quite easily come across as very contrived, but this stuff looks like it's been here for donkey's years, lending an authentic feel to the whole set-up. Further to the rear, there is a second bar area with lots of ciders available and a nice raised seating area with pews and regular chairs under walls covered with old naval charts, knot displays and photos of shipwrecks. A large TV screen was turned off during our visit in favour of some background music that was lost under the low rumble of chatter through the pub.
This is a St Austell house and their beers dominated the handpulls, with Tribute, HSD, Harvest Moon and Cornish Bitter available alongside two guests from Bath Ales - Barnsey Bitter and Special. The barmaid was very friendly and served up a good pint of the Harvest Moon - a beer I'd not tried before but found to be a very drinkable malty brew, ideal on a tempestuous Winter's evening.
This pub may lack the beer choice of some of Falmouth's more celebrated ale houses but I thought they kept their beer very well and could easily imagine spending an evening here working through the St Austell range. I found the place to be full of character with a warm and welcoming atmosphere and of course those fine views, making it a worthy port of call when in the town centre.
On 30th November 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Chainlocker
A good sized, prominent pub in the centre of Falmouth, it has plenty of outside seating on the quay with great views across the estuary and is cosy and atmospheric inside. Approaching from the steep side street, one has to duck down quite low to get through doors which have a couple of port holes inset in to them.
Internally it’s an L shape pub and the L shaped bar counter has both a beer and a cider bar. There is much wood panelling around both on the ceiling and the walls and is perhaps intended to be reminiscent of a ship’s cabin, whilst flooring is a mixture of rough boards and slate tiles. Besides this there is much nautical memorabilia around such as plenty of photographs of old ship photographs, nautical charts, oars, life buoys, and of course the obligatory glass case containing a selection of knots as well as a collection of sea shells.
There was a good choice of beers on tap which on this occasion were Admiral’s Ale, Skinners Betty Stogs and five from St Austell – HSD, Tribute, Trelawney, Proper Job and Cornish. Ciders were also well represented with Sandford Orchards Fanny’s Bramble, Healey’s Cornish Farmhouse Cyder, Thatcher’s Gold, Strongbow Cloudy Apple, Cornish Rattler, Orchard Pig Philosopher and Old Rosie. All in all a great pub, and certainly one of the best ones that we visited whilst in Falmouth.
On 10th May 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Chainlocker
Called into this pub as it is in the 2013 Good Beer Guide, and I had never visited it before. I enjoyed my Sharp's Special while sitting in the seating outside by the harbour. Lovely location. Also tried a soup from the varied menu. They are having a bit of an exterior refurbishment at the moment and I had difficulty finding it from the main street as the signs were down, but the entrance is down a side street or from the harbour front.
On 12th June 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Chainlocker
This pub has a couple of entrances. The main entrance is on the harbourside and has a patio. It is in Georgian style - irregular, with bay and sash windows and in white with black paintwork. The other entrance is a small terraced one with a neo-classic entrance. The interior has a large open plan room that sweeps around the serving bar. It is on a couple of levels. The walls are wood panel and white, with a mix of stone and wood flooring, as well as a wood ceiling. The walls and ceiling are festooned with nautical ephemera; from pictures to oars and flags. There is a nice stone fireplace too. There was no TV and no music. The service was great and the place was busy with a mixed clientele, some tourists like me! Beer; usual tap stuff with Sharpe's Doombar, Special and Panzerfaust (very good). as well as Skinners Cornish Knocker and Heligan's Honey on handpull. A great pub, deserving of its GBG status - a must do in Falmouth.
On 24th May 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]