The Crown Tavern is a Bristol landmark but its future seemed uncertain when the former publicans retired. But it has been saved and revived.
We first noticed The Crown when… Well, you couldn’t help but notice it. It’s a big, hulking Victorian building surrounded by small ones.
And, until quite recently, it had trees growing out of its brickwork, and a general air of intimidating dilapidation.
It took us a while to summon the courage to go inside. When we did, we found that it was just a neighbourhood boozer, with a mostly older clientele. The atmosphere wasn’t scary so much as sleepy.
It had all the signs of being doomed, though. The building was crumbling, for one thing.
For another, the publicans, Gloria O’Connor and her husband Dominic, were in their eighties.
And, finally, there was its location: a pub desert to the south and east, and rampant development to the north and west.
When it closed early in 2023, we assumed that was it. Demolition or redevelopment was sure to follow.
Then people who are much more clued into Bristol pub gossip than us told us they’d heard Sam Gregory, landlord of The Bank Tavern, was interested in taking it on.
You might have heard of The Bank, even if you don’t know Bristol: it’s the one with the four-year waiting list for reservations for Sunday lunch.
We filed this news under “We’ll believe it when we see it”. So much can go wrong with plans to revive pubs, as we’ve seen with successive attempts to take on The Rhubarb.
But scaffolding went up, workmen came in, and by spring this year, there were clear signs of a refurb underway. We’d walk past on our way to the nearby Swan With Two Necks and peer in, trying to catch glimpses of what might be going on.
“It’s opening next week,” someone told us several months ago. It didn’t, which seemed a worrying sign. Then, last Friday, in mid-August, it did.
We wandered in yesterday, unable to resist the lure of a wide open door and the sound of clinking glasses. This is already a contrast to The Crown of old with its opaque entranceway, all frosted glass and net curtains, guarded by smokers.
Sam Gregory himself was behind the bar, beaming as he welcomed us. The first thing we noticed was something that had not changed: cask Bass on the bar.
“It’s controversial, though,” he told us. “Because it’s on handpump, served with a head. Whereas a lot of Bristol pubs serve it through electric pumps, completely flat.” (It’s true.)
Honestly, much as we appreciate that local tradition, the pint he presented looked all the more attractive for its inch of tight white foam.
“They’d only sell it to me if I promised to keep it as a pub,” he added, when we complimented the refurb. Was that also the reason for the presence of Bass? He nodded slowly. “But it’s selling very well.”
The refurb is good. In many ways it feels like the same pub – basic to the point of austerity, neither fussy nor trendy. There are some shiny, jewel-like tiles on the walls, and a few plants here and there, but not much that would startle a customer from the 1920s.
The main thing is that everything is clean, fresh, sharp and new. The windows are clear and clean, allowing light to stream in. And where there used to be gloom and shadows, there are warm, subtle lamps.
The beer range isn’t designed to attract craft beer types, although four cask ales, including Bass, might be a draw for the CAMRA crowd. The guest ales on our visit were from Twisted Oak and Hop Union.
It’s not quite the same type of pub it was before but, frankly, how could it be? Where is the business model that supports selling £2 pints of Bass or cans of lager to a dwindling cohort of ageing drinkers?
But it’s not pretentious, hipsterfied, or unwelcoming, and seems to have sidestepped gentrification controversies.
The most exciting thing for us is that there is now another decent pub within walking distance of our house, a full two minutes closer than The Swan With Two Necks.
And that a small run of decent pubs is emerging in St Judes. You could have a very happy afternoon or evening wandering between The Crown, The Swan With Two Necks, and The Volunteer.
Throw in The Phoenix (it has its attractions) or The Coach & Horses (more Bass) and you could keep going, too.
The Crown Tavern is at 17 Lawfords Gate, Bristol BS2 0DY.
One reply on “The Crown has been revived and still has Bass”
I went to the crown just before lock down and it was an experience. £1.50 for a pint of electric pump headless Bass, the dark pool room on the way to the toilet with a half collapsed leaky false ceiling and nearly everyone in the pub had a baguette.