Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Little Grosvenor, Bedminster
Dark clouds hang low and a quintessentially autumnal rain drizzles — not the most uplifting of afternoons, or so it seems.
A man walking from North Street towards the city centre via the Asda car park takes refuge in the Little Grosvenor, a modest establishment perched near the edge of the New Cut, as the rain gathers momentum.
Inside, the gloom lifts. The regulars are already gathered for a midday pint — or two, or perhaps more — setting the world to rights in bursts of laughter and the occasional expletives.
There’s no awkward silence when the newcomer steps in.
The space is well-worn and pre-loved
A few glance up, nod and return to nursing their drinks. The clientele is almost all white, middle-aged and older men and women who’ve likely been coming here for years.
The place on Coronation Road is small, with a television looping music videos while the jukebox blares something entirely different.
The overlapping noise, the clinking of glasses and the easy laughter create a kind of uncurated harmony, a discord that somehow works.
The small establishment is located on the edge of the New Cut
The patron asks for a pint of Bass. There’s none. He is reminded that it is “only cans and cash only”.
He settles for a can of Foster’s instead at the princely sum of £2, perhaps the cheapest pub beer in Bristol.
He takes a seat near the front door. The space is well-worn, its paint peeling outside, its walls inside lined with photographs and memorial cards of those who once drank here. It’s pre-loved, and it shows.
There are no pretensions of offering ceilidh music, pub quizzes, indie nights, jazz sessions — just an honest boozer that doesn’t break the bank.
As the patron returns to the rain, the New Cut flows steadily, as it has for years. And hopefully will this community establishment.
The Little Grosvenor is an honest boozer with no pretentions
The Little Grosvenor, 3 Coronation Road, Bristol, BS3 1AA
All photos: Milan Perera
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