Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Railway Tavern, Fishponds
Pubs are not usually at their busiest or liveliest on a Monday afternoon. But does that mean it’s a bad idea to visit at this time?
After an appointment in a nearby doctors, one 20-something punter at the Railway Tavern in Fishponds was in need of a pint but had to provide ID before being served her Birra Moretti.
Once she had settled in, there was time to observe what this several centuries-old pub had to offer.
is needed now More than ever
With large windows, there’s a lot of people watching that can be done from this pub
Throughout the pub are little things to make one feel they are in a railway station including platform signage and directions to the ticket office.
As its name suggests, the Railway Tavern was once next to a railway line: what is now the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
Fishponds railway station opened in 1866 with the former Masons’ Arms pub being renamed the Railway Tavern after its arrival.
After the railway line closed in 1965, this pub on Station Road was called the Pecketts Flyer throughout much of the 70s and 80s, until reverting back to its current name.
Once upon a time, the building was a hotel and in 2024 has kept alive a rugged look between cosy and modern.
One could easily occupy a corner and work for long hours at the Railway Tavern
For a pub steeped in Bristol’s history, there were no local beers on tap on this recent Monday afternoon.
All one could choose from on cask and keg was an IPA from Cornwall’s Harbour Brewing, Germany’s Bira Moretti, Hereford’s Inch’s Cider or Amsterdam’s Heineken.
But the pub has done an excellent job highlighting the Christmas cheer – tinsels with baubles are currently hanging from the ceiling and string lights are neatly wrapped around shelves.
While from the outside the pub entices onlookers with delicious looking pictures of Indian food on this occasion, the pub’s kitchen was closed.
As the sun began to set, a visitor took a final sip of her pint, wishing she could be taken swiftly back to the city centre on one of the trains that the Railway Tavern remembers so fondly.
The Railway Tavern has had a variety of different names over the years
The Railway Tavern, Station Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3SG
All photos: Karen Johnson
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
