Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week: The Drawbridge
A carved wooden figurehead stands proudly above the Drawbridge, a deceptively spacious pub on the centre which has recently undergone a major refurbishment by landlords Greene King.
The figurehead is a replica of a larger version that was once on a paddle steamer called Demerara, which ran aground while being towed up the River Avon in 1851. The original figurehead is in the care of Bristol Museum.
The pub itself is named after the bridge that used to cross the River Frome near here, close to where the statue of Neptune is now, before most of its course through the city centre was covered.
From one corner of the pub on a recent Thursday evening comes the sound of coins falling from a fruit machine, from another comes the sound of a break on a pool table.
The Drawbridge is one of the biggest pubs in the city centre
On a recent Thursday evening, a grey-haired regular playing on one of the fruit machines asks a member of staff if she wants a drink.
“Oh, thank you. But I can’t,” she told him politely. “The staff have been banned from drinking at work temporarily.”
The drinks on offer here are plentiful, from five cask ales including Timothy Taylor Landlord and Abbot Ale, and kegs including Beavertown Neck Oil and Camden Pale Ale, to cocktails by the glass (£7.99) or pitcher (£14.99).
Ben Stokes’ sensational catch against South Africa in the first game of the Cricket World Cup is being shown on slow motion on the televisions tuned to Sky Sports News tonight, with the match itself having been screened earlier.
Opposite the main bar is a steampunk-style painting of a few hot air balloons flying over the Clifton Suspension Bridge, with one having extra wings sprouting from its basket.
Soon before 9pm, a work group of around two dozen people walk in, the older members of the party getting the drinks in, including appropriating one solitary drinker’s table to pour three bottles of Pinot Grigio into as many glasses as is needed.
There is a suggestion that too many bottles have been purchased, but one besuited gentleman is not alarmed. “I can clean one to be honest. Thoughts?”
“It’ll do,” says his companion.
The Drawbridge, 14 St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol BS1 4UT
0117 929 8391
www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/avon/drawbridge
Read more: Pub of the Week: The Lyons Den
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