For generations pubs have been at the centre of Portsmouth's tight knit communities.
By The Newsroom
Friday, 11th January 2019, 9:23 am
Updated Friday, 11th January 2019, 10:28 am
Portsmouth pubs we've loved and lost
We've had a look back through the archives to find the history behind some of the city pubs that have stood for years, but have been lost in recent years.
The pub was named after the railway which ran through the middle of Cosham. It previously traded as the Rocket before being refurbished in the 1990s. Was put up for sale by 2010 and demolished in 2011 to make way for apartments.
Built in 1967 as part of the Somers Town estate. In the 1990s it became a free house but closed in early 2004 after its licensees left for Spain. The pub was later demolished and a residential block of flats was built.
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Opened in the 1930s. The pub originally had two bars but when it was taken over by national firm Punch Taverns they were knocked into one. In 2009 the building was bought by the Co-operative society.
The Black Dog was a popular pub with a mock Tudor frontage. it was demolished in the early 1960s and another pub of the same name was built a few yards to the west of it. This building was demolished in 2002.
The Swan was situated at 100 Copnor Road, but closed by the start of 2011. A planning application was submitted later in the year to demolish the pubs and turn it into flats, which became a reality a couple of years later.
The Mayflower was designed in a cottage style by architect T E Owen, and for most of its life consisted of a large public bar and small lounge. In 2007 the property was bought and then eventually demolished.
The Air Balloon was empty by 2005 with plans to convert it into flats. In May 2007 the building was ravaged by a fire but was restored and transformed into apartments and offices.
The New Roebuck had a single U-shaped area for drinking and a bar down the middle of the pub. By about 2010 the pub had nearly closed and plans for its conversion was submitted. It is now a convenience store and flats.
The pub opened for business in the 1970s. In 1990 the pub was sold and became a bar and diner, and was reopened with its original name in 2003. It closed about four years later and eventually converted into a boutique hotel.
The original pub was destroyed by a bomb during the Second World War and a new building was constructed about two decades later. The second building was demolished in 2001 so new homes could be built.
