# The King William in Bath



## bi0boy (Aug 2, 2008)

So I grew up in Bath and don't go back often. The last time I went back the Hat & Feather where we used to go to hang out and sometimes buy lots of drugs before heading out to a party has become the Houston Bar & Grill 

I went back last week and now the King William, some people said it was a bit dodgy but it was the nearest local to my mate's house and we used to get some skunk there occasionally from an old Jamaican bloke has now been renamed. It's the fucking King William Pub and Dining Rooms 

Bath must come top of the Gentrifiction Intensity table.


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## cyberfairy (Aug 4, 2008)

bi0boy said:


> So I grew up in Bath and don't go back often. The last time I went back the Hat & Feather where we used to go to hang out and sometimes buy lots of drugs before heading out to a party has become the Houston Bar & Grill
> 
> I went back last week and now the King William, some people said it was a bit dodgy but it was the nearest local to my mate's house and we used to get some skunk there occasionally from an old Jamaican bloke has now been renamed. It's the fucking King William Pub and Dining Rooms
> 
> Bath must come top of the Gentrifiction Intensity table.



Completely-one of the reasons I moved away! Every cool cheapy pub got changed into a gastropub and cheap doubles and cheesy chips became the holy grail. The hat and feather pissed me off more than anything and that cool biker pub that got changed into the Raven (although the Raven does sell pieminister pies)


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## marty21 (Aug 4, 2008)

i noticed that the last time i was down - used to go to the hat and feather a bit, in the 80s mainly - the king william was an occasional stop, if i walked back to fairfield park via the london road...

there are still a few decent pubs in bath though- the green tree, the bath star, the st james wine vaults, the salamander was alright the last time i was there, i drink sometimes in the porter butt on the bristol road - it has a poncey restaurant bit, but the pub itself is alright, my dad likes the assembly inn, it used to be a young persons pub in the 80s, trendy as well, my trendy sister went there - now old blokes go there

and the pubs over in widcombe seem alright still

and the larkhall ones, apart from filos - which has always been a touch wanky


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## doctor_strange (Aug 4, 2008)

What's The Bell like these days?


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## bi0boy (Aug 4, 2008)

marty21 said:


> and the pubs over in widcombe seem alright still



Yes, I noticed the Ring O' Bells which used to be frequented by all the older gentlemen on my street has had a logo rebranding. It now seems to have a website exclaiming that although it was "...established as an alehouse since 1837, the Ring O Bells is now a modern gastronomic pub/restaurant."

I bet the Pig and Fiddle is a sushi bar or something.


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## marty21 (Aug 4, 2008)

doctor_strange said:


> What's The Bell like these days?



seems the same


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Aug 4, 2008)

Ah the Bell, then on to the hat . 

Well I'm glad I don't live there any more.


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## cyberfairy (Aug 4, 2008)

marty21 said:


> i noticed that the last time i was down - used to go to the hat and feather a bit, in the 80s mainly - the king william was an occasional stop, if i walked back to fairfield park via the london road...
> 
> there are still a few decent pubs in bath though- the green tree, the bath star, the st james wine vaults, the salamander was alright the last time i was there, i drink sometimes in the porter butt on the bristol road - it has a poncey restaurant bit, but the pub itself is alright, my dad likes the assembly inn, it used to be a young persons pub in the 80s, trendy as well, my trendy sister went there - now old blokes go there
> 
> ...



The Ram in Widcombe was still good for cheap pints and pub grub last time I was there-but that was a few years ago.St James was a very good pub and Porter Butt also a mix of random types. 
The Green man was ace and The Royal Oak opened again a few years ago is good.
 Dreamt about The Bell last night-in my dream it only sold those apple Sourz things and I was upset. 
 Must go back to Bath again soon...


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## cyberfairy (Aug 4, 2008)

bi0boy said:


> Yes, I noticed the Ring O' Bells which used to be frequented by all the older gentlemen on my street has had a logo rebranding. It now seems to have a website exclaiming that although it was "...established as an alehouse since 1837, the Ring O Bells is now a modern gastronomic pub/restaurant."
> 
> I bet the Pig and Fiddle is a sushi bar or something.



Really?  Sold excellent pub food when I lived in Bath a year or two ago


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## bi0boy (Aug 4, 2008)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Ah the Bell, then on to the hat .
> 
> Well I'm glad I don't live there any more.



innit

We started at The Rummer when we were 14 as they served children


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## marty21 (Aug 4, 2008)

bi0boy said:


> innit
> 
> We started at The Rummer when we were 14 as they served children



not sure how old you are, but out fave under age pub was the fullers on broad street, this would have been early 80s, the cellar bar was good too


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## cyberfairy (Aug 4, 2008)

marty21 said:


> not sure how old you are, but out fave under age pub was the fullers on broad street, this would have been early 80s, the cellar bar was good too



Is that the one with the beer garden leading onto the river? Went there once and was swarms of kids in school uniforms getting pissed.


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## marty21 (Aug 4, 2008)

cyberfairy said:


> Is that the one with the beer garden leading onto the river? Went there once and was swarms of kids in school uniforms getting pissed.



that's the boater - the cellar bar is below the huntsman, near sally lunns and that


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## cyberfairy (Aug 4, 2008)

marty21 said:


> that's the boater - the cellar bar is below the huntsman, near sally lunns and that



Oh yes-never liked Cellar bar but ended up at it on a few random late nights.


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## marty21 (Aug 4, 2008)

cyberfairy said:


> Oh yes-never liked Cellar bar but ended up at it on a few random late nights.



i don't think i've been to the cellar bar in about 20 years tbh


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## mattie (Aug 26, 2008)

To be fair, the King William was derelict before the new owners renovated - I walk past it going to work and it was boarded up for a good long while.  The new owners (Charlie and Amanda) also own the Garrick's Head which they've done up.  Their food is getting pretty good reviews, Charlie cooked for one of the Taste of Bath demonstrations this year.

Not sure where I sit on the whole gastro-pub thing.  The King William have good beers with decent guest ales but wine is pretty damn pricey, arguably reflecting the 'culinary' direction of the pub.

A few decent food pubs is good but it's going far too far - of late, the Chequers on River Street, the Assembly and the Marlborough Tavern have been done up and prices been bumped to reflect.  It's pretty sad when a colourful pub gets the standard hard-wood floor/low-light makeover, I also walk past the Hudson Grill (the old Hat and Feather) going to work and it just doesn't look right.  I've never been in the Hudson so I can't really comment, but it looks like a slightly more poncey all-bar-one.  At least the King William was bought by people who really love what they do and, truth be told, do it very well, even if you don't agree with the way they've approached it.  Better them than some chain bar.


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