A-Z Bristol pub crawl: The Mechanics Arms, St George

There’s a faded old black and white photo hanging above the bar in the Mechanics Arms featuring the pub back in the day.

“It’s still the same landlords here today,” quips one of the regulars from a nearby table, gesturing at the man behind the bar who gives a good-natured grin and a quick retort back.

While the landlord probably hasn’t been standing for quite as long as the Victorian-era building on Clouds Hill Road, it is a pub with a strong local history that has been run by the same family for some 25 years and has a loyal following that is out in force on a wet Wednesday evening.

Past a single smoker huddled by the doorway and a sign that says ‘no children are allowed after 9pm’, a steady rumble of chatter greets people coming into the warmth of the pub where all of the tables in front of the bar are occupied and gradually filling up with empty bottles and pint glasses.

A couple of shelves behind the bar are packed full of silver cups from darts tournaments over the years and walls are adorned with photos of the late landlord and tributes, as well as football memorabilia. Among them, a framed homage to Sven’s 11 from the 2006 World Cup.

The Mechanics Arms has been at the heart of the community for decades

The Three Lions crest is also on the windows of a pub that firmly knows where its priorities lie with a large sign out front promoting pool, darts, BT Sports, Sky Sports and a beer garden, the latter of which might just be east Bristol’s best-kept secret.

Behind the wooden bar, topped with ornate stained glass windows, the options on tap include Natch, Thatches, Fosters and Amstel. The man behind the bar pours out two pints and rustles up a couple of packs of crisps before mentioning it’s cash-only when a card is produced.

“Probably should have said that before,” he says with a smile as one of us heads off to get some cash.

He’s only too happy to stand and chat, reminiscing over the last 20-odd years in the pub – and the people who make it – while I sip my pint and wait for the money to pay with.

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The sound of animated talking is punctuated with the loud clash of balls dropping down from the pool table at the back of the room where a small group is clustered.

In the last year, there have been plans submitted to redevelop the pub and it was put up for sale in September, prompting concerns for its long-term future. Surrounded by residential houses, it stands, for now, a long-lasting proper local in an area that was once full of pubs and independent shops. And one that regulars are making the most of now as people of St George have done for decades.

The Mechanics Arms has a hidden beer garden

The Mechanics Arms, 123 Clouds Hill Road, St George, Bristol, BS5 7LG

All photos by Ellie Pipe

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