please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Now it's called 'The Bell' again.
All the comments above still apply however!
satisfied
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I have been going to this place on and off for a few years with my son, and it has been steadily improving. Set in a rather "down and going" area, the landlord and landlady (Mark & Laura) have done well to get rid of the undercurrent of chavvy violence that pervaded it several years ago.
The locals and regulars are friendly enough, and the interior has been much improved. The tables are regularly cleaned and glasses removed. Not a great selection of beers, but it's fine for a pint or two on the way home after the football as AFC Bournemouth.
My only ongoing gripe is the lack of basic bar skills by some (not all) of the staff. Knowing roughly who to serve next, saying "please/thank you" back to you, and generally making the non regulars feel welcome...getting to grips with this would be a great way for the new management to keep improving the ambience and the feedback on what is essentially a decent pub.
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Could be a good pub but seems to resemble that typical pub full of drunks and dodgy people. If you are not from around the area you will get starred at when you walk in.
Staff are average but not friendly. Music is far too loud. Real ale was Ringwood Bitter and something else. It was ok but not brilliant. Decor is a bit weird.
Shame as i think this pub could do so much better. A bouncer at the door tells you what to expect on weekends.
4/10 sorry :(
NeilA - 25 May 2013 00:18 |
its a truly aweful place,as one reviewer has said should be callled the "ye olde jeremy kyle" I have lived close to this pub for 4 years and every now and again I venture in there thinking it cant be that bad? but guess what it is:)
heggy - 24 May 2012 16:46 |
Now renamed... I think they should rename it again . 'The Jeremy Kyle' would be appropriate. If you like the Sun, Sky Sports, Stella, Pushchairs and Pitbulls you'll love this place.
anonymous - 10 Apr 2011 11:27 |
Came in for a quick half while waiting for a train (as is opposite Pokesdown station), not normally the sort of pub I'd go to. Now I know why... one side is nothing but a gigantic screen set up for sports and had lager louts playing Wii sports on it. The other side had miserable grumpy people looking at me like I am a hideous alien because I dye my hair and wear dark makeup. Next time I'll wait on the platform in the cold!
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Better than it was when it was The Bell, but it is still advisable to avoid this place. It's not pleasant.
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Hmm - this is still a bit of a crap pub. Dirty glasses, sticky tables. And, for somewhere that has a pretty rough and ready clientele, the door policy is odd. In the depths of winter, walking in from a subzero outside with hats and scarves on, we were immediately accosted by a doorman going on about "no hats". "Eh?" we said, as we removed our hats because we were, like, now inside rather than outside. "No hats" he repeated, pointing to a sign that says something about no hoods, hats, visors, Viking helmets. We pointed out that we were only wearing hats because it was freezing cold and we were taking them off as we walked to the bar anyway. This only prompted more are-you-causing-trouble type doorman horseshit. I'm assuming they get some troublesome types in there, but a few oldsters in woolly hats . . . hmmm. A more recent visit, and a friend's son was not allowed in because he was wearing tracksuit bottoms - a policy of no trackies after 7.30 or something. I looked round and everyone else was wearing dinner jackets and bow ties, so that one was fair enough. They do have standards to maintain in the Seabournes, after all. Shame it doesn't extend to the tables or glasses . . .
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Now completely Re-Decorated,garden done The two lads & team have done a fantastic Job of improving a tired Pub.
Renamed the Seabourne
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Just been taken over,Now spotlessly clean,All the best to the two Lad,s,
Dave aka Blackjack
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Ideally situated opposite Pokesdown railway station in Christchurch Road,The BELL,has much improved since a recent refurbishment. A new food menu,pool tables and Sky TV have created a nice feel to the place. A traditional old local pub serving a decent pint, full of characters, even a Val Doonican lookalike!!
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Full of chavvy non entities. And that's just the staff!
anonymous - 16 Sep 2007 19:27 |
the bar area is good but the pool area does attract some chav types.
anonymous - 6 Jun 2006 14:47 |
Just left here and I thought it was fine. Clean, good beer and the football on.
Can't say what it's like on a Friday night though!
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Clean inside but still has a reputation for trouble.Be aware of Percy who sits at the bar and farts loudly the smell is horrendous
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I think this pup is great.I live in ringwood so i dont really drink alot in bournemouth.But if i get the chance to i always will have a swifth pint or two in the BELL nice pint lovely staff.pool.tv what else can i say real good old pub
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Another small minded pub.
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On my last visit a week ago i didnt think this one was too bad,has a bit of a reputation as a rough hole but seemed this time to have lost most of its menace.........maybe i was lucky or it is on the up
ian - 2 Jun 2003 15:26 |
The pub sign outside isn't of a bell but of a rubik's cube instead. Most peculiar. Even more risible is the message underneath the cube that reads 'Pokesdown's winning local'. Make no mistake, this place a dump but when your only competition is the lamentable White Horse you can't fail to attract some punters.
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