Southsea local dubbed ‘best boozer in Pompey’ wins best pub award for second year running

A Southsea pub has won the Campaign for Real Ales’ Pub of the Year award for the south east – for the second year running

The Lawrence Arms, in Lawrence Road, is the first pub to win the regional award for two consecutive years.

More than 975 members of the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire CAMRA branch voted for their favourite boozer, with The Lawrence Arms being ‘the clear winner,’ according to chairman Martyn Constable.

He said: ‘The Lawrence Arms was the clear winner – thanks to its choice of beers and warmth of welcome. When you walk in, you’re welcomed – it’s not just about getting to you to spend money. It helps make it an all-round popular community pub.’

The Lawrence Arms, Lawrence Road, Southsea. Picture by Google Maps.

Dev Wearn, 44, who has been running the pub with his wife Alison for more than eight years, believes him and his wife’s long standing connection to the pub helps set it apart.

He said: ‘My wife has been here on and off for 21 years. Before us, her family had run the pub for about seven years. It’s in the blood.’

According to Martyn, pubs run by family members across the generations are a dying breed.

He said: ‘In the older days, there used to be a more family run companies and family run pubs - it used to be a very common, but now a lot of pub companies don’t want managers to be there for very long. Now shareholders want a quick return on their money.’

Alison and Dev Wearn from The Lawrence Arms in Southsea collecting their award

The Lawrence Arms, which became a pub in 1887, has featured in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide since 2014, which makes ‘a real difference on match days,’ according to Dev.

‘We’ve seen more away-fans come in, and they all say they’ve read about us in the guide,’ he said.

The pub features BT and Sky Sports, as well as six cask marque approved real ales, including ales from local breweries. It also offers eight ciders during the summer and at least six ciders throughout the winter, with a cider festival in July.

Fans of the Lawrence Arms congratulated the pub’s win on social media, calling it ‘well deserved for the best boozer in Pompey.’

Dev said the team extended ‘a big thank you for everyone who made it possible.’

They already have their eyes set on 2020, aiming to become the first pub to win for three years running.

‘We’re going for the treble,’ Dev said.