Portsmouth pub The Park Tavern reopens after six-month revamp with actor from The Crown as new manager

The Park Tavern in Spring Street, near Commercial Road, closed in January to undergo a refurbishment, and the city centre boozer has now reopened with a new team.

Among them is new manager Adam Stevenson, who has swapped the silver screen for a well-stocked bar.

After graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland acting school in 2017, the pub manger has starred in the Netflix-hit The Crown and historical drama film Mary Queen of Scots.

The 32-year-old said: ‘I cut my teeth in the Glasgow pub scene when I was studying to be an actor.

‘But when Covid hit, I lost my work like so many other actors.

‘My husband is in the Royal Navy, so he and his friends have been going on and on about the Park Tavern for years.’

The pub, which has six members of staff, has been closed for the last six months as it has undergone an extensive refurbishment, including a new kitchen.

Adam said: ‘We have put a kitchen in where the pool table use to be, so we sell burgers now, and we’ve installed 15 live sports TV.’

Adam aims to retain the pub’s popular karaoke discos on Friday nights, as well as attracting a wider range of patrons with new events featuring drag performances.

He said: ‘I want to make it inclusive with drag nights, and I want to get the students involved as well. But I’m really aware of the Royal Navy history, and I want to retain that for my husband and all his friends as well.’

The new manager is also calling for charities and DJs across the city to get in touch about possible fundraising events.

He said: ‘I want to work with a local food bank, a local mental health charity, and another charity.

‘The way we used to do in the east end of Glasgow is that we used to work really inclusively with the local community. And that’s what I want to do – times are going to get so much harder.’