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The Mary Shelley (Lloyds No 1), Bournemouth
Bournemouth
BH1 2DA
Pub Type
Lloyds No. 1 (J D Wetherspoon)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Mary Shelley (Lloyds No 1)
The Mary Shelley consists of an extended area on the ground floor of a corner building. The fact it is wide rather than long and has windows onto the street means at least in daylight it isn't gloomy. It is a Lloyds No 1 and the Lloyds Disaster Area is very obvious on the right of the building with several banks of lights but no Idiot Booth that I could see. The Gents here seemed wholly inadequate for a venue this size. It was fairly quiet on my Thursday afternoon visit.
The bar has ten hand pumps which is better than usual for a Lloyds. They had one unused, one available soon, a cider, GK IPA & Abbot, Dorset Jurassic, Hawkshead Cumbrian 5 Hop and three festival ales. I went for the Adnam's Sloe Porter (£2.29) which was in good nick.
It's better than most Lloyds outlets but pretty average as a JDW.
On 25th October 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Mary Shelley (Lloyds No 1)
Previously Bar Med, now one of Central Bournemouth's three JDWs, this out-of-the-box pub opened in 2008. The interior is irregular, soberly decorated and rather dull; I was hoping for some sort of Gothic novel reference but was disappointed. There are the usual mute gaming machines, and the WiFi doesn't work. The staff ranged from the charming-but-useless to the rude-and-inefficient. Five ales on, I had Dales's New Dawn, which was a reasonable pint, kept at a decent temperature but probably at the end of its life. OK for the cheap beer and it's fine to hide in while the wife goes to Beale's but nothing much else to come here for.
On 23rd June 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3285 recommendations about 3250 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Mary Shelley (JD Wetherspoon)
Fair-sized Lloyds No. 1 Bar with modern furniture and decor around the various seating areas. Reasonable selection of beer, albeit let down by four of the ten handpumps being 'available soon', and nothing wrong with my pint of Ringwood Filly Drift (£2.49).
On 1st April 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Mary Shelley (JD Wetherspoon)
Good sized and fairly central Lloyds No 1 bar occupying a corner plot next to St Peters Church where Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, is buried.
The interior has a modern look with décor that is prdominantly varying shades of grey. The ceilings are low but there is enough window forntage to keep it reasonably light and airy.
They had a decent range of Festival Ales across the 10 hand pumps when I visited which is better than the normal Lloyds offerings but I can’t speak for the normal output. The usual ‘Spoons characteristics were all present and correct, cheap prices, silent screens, history snippets with Mary Shelley naturally being the central figure.
Some will look at he place as quite stylish whilst others will see it as quite bland and formulaic but, to be honest, I have been in less appealing ‘Spoons affiliated pubs and since my visit was a busy but fairly relaxing Friday lunchtime, I missed the clubby element that presumably goes with the territory later in the evenings. There was a fairly elderly customer base at the time but then, this is Bournemouth. The pub ticked all the boxes for my requirements at the time although the bottom line is that it's a 'Spoons and you generally know what to expect.
On 18th May 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Mary Shelley (JD Wetherspoon)
Formerly called Bar Med, this is now a Lloyds No 1 bar. The large interior is divided roughly into seating and dancing areas with a long glass frontage giving passersby a good look into the place.
As with most pubs in Bournemouth, Ringwood ales dominated the pumps, although I did see at least one guest on. Plastic glasses rendered the whole exercise pointless though.
Lively until the early hours of Sunday morning in line with most of the bars at this end of town, but not worthy of anything beyond a quick stop off.
On 26th March 2010
- rating: 3
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]