Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Nova Scotia, Hotwells
It’s evening time in Hotwells and the Nova Scotia pub is in the full throes of festivities with barely a seat left in the house.
Work is done for the day and rosy-cheeked punters are gravitating to the bar which is doing constant trade as a young woman with impressively slicked eyeliner deftly navigates the array of taps.
Passing over drinks with a smile, a “thanks” and a calm demeanour, spirits are high and conversation sparks between strangers, young and old, packed together in the queue.
“It’s proper busy tonight, isn’t it?” says a man in his 60s to another member of staff. “Yes, randomly so!” He replies. “And I’ve only got one barmaid on.”
All your dependable classics are stocked in the bar of the Nova Scotia, from Gordon’s to Malibu
With walls of yellowing nautical charts dotted with black-and-white photos of bygone Bristol, this traditional boozer is a haven of history and charm – and half a world away from its trendy harbourside neighbours.
For many years the landlord here was Mark Walters until the pub’s owner, Star Pubs, handed the keys over to a new licensee in 2024.
The tables aren’t as sticky as they used to be ten years ago, but the atmosphere is just as jovial.
Originally built as a terrace of three houses in 1811 and later becoming a coaching inn, the pub is affectionately known as ‘the Nova’
Enjoying the lively hum of an Irish folk band, the pub’s clientele is a comfortable mix of ages, from gentle regulars languishing quietly in the captain’s cabin to a trio of young professionals chatting about Bristol’s property market and the pitfalls of office-based working while they roll cigarettes.
At the other end of the pub, the latest issue of Private Eye sits between a pair of drinkers nibbling on cake while a dog snuggles up at their feet and occasionally whines for attention.
Meanwhile, loud cheers and laughter erupt from a table made up of coworkers at a work Christmas party.
The rowdy group is crammed around a table perched on green stools, with several wearing red deer antlers.
The pub’s decor is also in full festive mode, with fairy lights of icy colours wound around thick wooden beams in the ceiling, black and red velvet stockings hanging from the walls and a show-stopping Christmas tree standing at the centre.
Imaginative legend says the bar was originally intended for a ship
As more people clamber into the orange glow of the Nova Scotia, it’s time for some to call it a night.
The bar staff gives a cheery goodbye as she busily clears glasses, ready for the next wave of customers in this enduringly popular Hotwells hostelry.
1 Nova Scotia Pl, Bristol, BS1 6XJ
All photos: Betty Woolerton
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