Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
A-Z Bristol pub crawl: The Eastville Club, Eastville
The sun was beating down onto the tarmac of the IKEA car park on a Friday afternoon as families loaded trolleys of various flat packed furniture into their cars to construct over the weekend.
In the middle of the car park there was a curious site. Hidden away under the looming shadow of the Swedish giant stood the Eastville Club.
The story of this working men’s club has become a thing of legend and lore.
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Although its location may now seem incongruous, it originally stood next to Bristol Rovers’ former Eastville Stadium, with generations of Gasheads drinking here before and after games.
The Eastville Club has a small but loyal fanbase
When IKEA bought the land in the 1990s, Eastville Stadium – which also had a greyhound track around it – was demolished, making way for a huge car park on what is now a retail estate.
But the Eastville Club stubbornly stayed put and now rents the land from the Swedish company.
For the locals, it’s a cheap pub with excellent snooker tables, a skittles alley, and fierce darts competitions (word on the street is that ladies darts on a Thursday evening is supposed to get pretty competitive).
The establishment could also claim to be one of the cheapest member clubs in the country with a starting price of just £10 a year.
On this particular occasion, the pub was teaming with members, all gathered around a big table watching on as they took turns to outdo each other in a game of pool.
According to one woman, since landlord Martin Donlin handed over the lease to his beloved Sugar Loaf in Easton, its regulars have migrated over to the Eastville Club in protest over the new ownership.
The Eastville Club celebrated its centenary in 2013, a nobel feat for an inconspicuous pub in the corner of a car park.
The Eastville Club, New Stadium Road, Eastville, Bristol, BS5 6NL
All photos: Mia Vines Booth
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