Home > Hampshire > Winchester > Post Office Tavern Post Office Tavern

Picture source: Pat Portsmouth

The Post Office Tavern was situated on Parchment Street. This pub gained its licence in 1851 and was closed and demolished in the 1950s to allow the widening of St Georges Street.

Source: David Williams

My Grandpa, A.W. Portsmouth (known as Bert) owned the bakery and shop (#76 Parchment) almost opposite the Tavern. I was just 7 when he died in 1939 but had spent a lot of my childhood there. Grandma moved to their new house in Littleton and leased out the business. Grandpa used to go to the Tavern after all the bread baking was finished just after lunch to play dominoes with other owners along the street. He taught me to play dominoes and sing “There was an Old Farmer had an Old Sow.: and I still remember his broad Hampshire accent. He may have been a bit tiddly but what did I know at that – used to get up at 2.00 a.m. to start the bead. I found a record in the Hampshire Record Office Title Contract for demolition of 7-17 Upper Brook Street and 76 Parchment Street; with specification, tender and planntbl Date 7 Jun 1961ntbl Description Contractor: Treloar and Sons (Contractors) Ltd of Gosport And you will see that #76 was due to go in 1961 but I don’t recall when the Tavern went as I was married that year and living in the West country until coming to Canada in 1967. The Brewer’s lorry used to open a grating in the street to roll the barrels down into the cellar which I always enjoyed watching. With no garden I used to wander u and down the street and into the other shops including Mr. Green’s newspaper shop.

Pat Portsmouth (January 2016)

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Name Dates Comments Clive Coates 1953/1955 My mother and father ran this pub from 1953 approx to until it was closed in 1955

Other Photos

Picture source: Pat Portsmouth