The pub hosts a range of regular events
The White Horse in Westbury-on-Trym(Image: Bristol Live)
The White Horse is one of those pubs that seems to have been closed more than it has been open in recent years.
This Westbury-on-Trym landmark has certainly had its ups and downs as a succession of ambitious landlords have tried to make the pub work.
Along the way, there have been refurbishments and attempts to make it a food pub, but the end result has tended to be closure, a period of emptiness and another landlord arriving to try something new.
Back open, the current team have already tried the food route with breakfast, bottomless brunches and Sunday roasts but after 16 weeks, they decided to close the kitchen as it was costing too much to run it.
They posted on Facebook that ‘we haven’t had the level of interest to make the kitchen financially viable’ so it has closed.
Inside the White Horse at Westbury-on-Trym
Instead, they are serving Cubanos sandwiches to eat in or takeaway for £6 and £6.50 – who needs a chef when you have a heavy duty toastie grill behind the bar?
The Cubanos include the Stiff Upper Lip (roast beef, horseradish, Stilton, caramelised red onion and gravy dip) and The Godfather (meatballs, crispy fried onions, mozzarella and marinara dip), with a lunch deal of a Cubanos, coffee and chocolate or crisps for £10.
For years known locally as the Hole In The Wall, The White Horse is one of Westbury-on-Trym’s oldest pubs and there’s still evidence of the original serving hatch.
The pub displays a collection of rare TV memorabilia (Image: Bristol Live)
A warren of cosy rooms and an upper level with double-height ceiling and a door leading to a small courtyard garden, it’s a spacious pub.
There’s a pool table and new dart board, with the larger room used for live music and other events.
This week, there was a ‘summer of love’ 60s night and there are regular quiz nights and karaoke.
Next week, there’s bingo night (Tuesday June 24, 7.30pm) and the caller is Patchway Mayor Dayley Lawrence.
There are some quirky touches, too. As well as a collection of plastic ducks on one high shelf, there are countless glitter balls of varying sizes hanging from the ceiling and, more surprisingly, a framed collection of rare autographed Only Fools and Horses memorabilia.
When it comes to the drinks on offer, there is a decent range of ales and ciders including Hobgoblin IPA, Black Sheep Velo Citrus Pale Ale, Stan’s Cheddar Valley, Thatchers Gold, Thatchers Haze, Guinness, Amstel and Birra Moretti.
White Horse, 24 High Street, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3DZ.