We visit the 'proper' Bristol pub run by the same landlord for 42 years

The decline of Football Focus, the £8m daily hotel bill for migrants and ‘this gender stuff’ - those are just four of the more printable subjects being discussed by a group of regulars in the back bar of the Avon Packet on a Friday afternoon.

And then there’s Gary Lineker, Dan Wootton and the state of the BBC, especially The Great British Sewing Bee. Nothing’s off-limits, the conversations are peppered with expletives and the beer flows as the world is put to rights.

Built in 1843, this green-tiled pub on Coronation Road is one of the last ‘proper’ pubs in Bristol and that’s all down to landlord Steve Davis.

The 72-year-old took over the pub in 1982 and 42 years later, he’s still pulling pints for regulars, many of whom have been drinking there since the day he started.

“We’ve got a few regulars who’ve been drinking here longer than I’ve been running the place,” says Steve, who signed a further seven-year lease on the pub in 2021, meaning he plans to stay for at least another five years.

Another conversation in the bar this week has been the news that Vauxhall Bridge, the footpath opposite the pub linking Southville with Spike Island, has closed for repairs and it could be two years before it reopens.

Steve chuckles: “They say two years, so that means three after the delay on the Gaol Ferry Bridge. But, yes, it will have an impact on some of my regulars who come over the bridge, but what can you do?”

Although there may be older landlords in Bristol, Steve thinks he’s the one who has run the same pub for the longest.

Apart from being a well supported haunt for locals, the pub draws beer drinkers from all over the country as it has an interior of ‘special national historic interest’ according to CAMRA.

As well as the distinctive tiled exterior, it retains a number of small, interconnecting rooms with fixed seating and original fittings.

A rare old Bass dispenser with a mirrored front still takes pride of place on the bar, which also dispenses draught Doom Bar and Courage Best.

On the back bar near the optics, there’s a dusty old red hat with ‘City Wembley 2000’ printed on it - a nod to the fact Bristol City fans drink here before and after matches at Ashton Gate a short walk away.

But one of the biggest surprises is the hidden gem beer garden at the back, with room for another 60 drinkers.

Between the pub and the garden, there’s also a large, brick-lined pit with a curious history. Local legend has it that this pit was once used for bear-baiting in Victorian times, although this blood sport was banned a decade before the pub opened so it seems highly unlikely.

“Of course, a few of the regulars have passed away over the years but we also get a few new faces,” says Steve.

“Actually, I always say the regulars run the pub, not me. We don’t get any trouble but if anybody comes in and tries to cause any problems, the regulars soon have a word - they’re always there to support me and it’s one of the reasons why I still enjoy the job and the pub after 42 years.”

Avon Packet, 185 Coronation Road, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1RF.