Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Essex Arms, Kingswood
“I’m coming back, just putting a tune on,” said the landlady, heading from behind the bar to the jukebox to queue up some ska, the notes of saxophones soon filling the pub.
It was soon after 5.30pm on Thursday night, the start of the long Easter weekend, and the Essex Arms was swiftly filling up with punters heading here straight from work for a cider.
As two friends played a game of crib on one table, others watched a game of Spanish football on the television in one corner, competing with The Chase on the screen the other side of the bar.
is needed now More than ever
Next to the television showing the football was a dartboard with three darts in it waiting to be thrown.
The winter season 2019/20 league games of the pub’s darts team were still on one piece of paper, frozen in time with the matches stopping for the pandemic.
Also frozen in time are the old black and white photos of this Kingswood pub from bygone eras, featuring landladies in the days before ska but regulars just as likely to pop in for a pint after work a century ago as they are today.
On the outside of the Essex Arms are street signs for both High Street and Two Mile Hill Road – photo: Martin Booth
The Essex Arms, 235 Two Mile Hill Road, Kingswood, BS15 1AY
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- Historic Kingswood pub reopens with new look
- The things you see in Kingswood
- Vision to transform neglected dumping ground into community space
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