Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl

A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Trooper, St George

By Seun Matiluko  Thursday Dec 19, 2024

It’s an incredibly windy day on Bryant’s Hill but that doesn’t stop pub landlady, Lynne Hunt, from greeting guests with a smile.

She’s been working here for 50 years – started as staff in 1974 and graduated to landlady in 1990.

The door swings open, before the whistling wind slams it shut, and she jumps up from the corner to serve a pint.

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She sits down again for a few minutes, catching her breath while chatting with the regulars sat by the bar, before the door opens again and again and again.

It’s a busy night. The footie’s on – Newcastle v Brentford – and the new HD TVs in the centre of the pub (installed just a few months ago) mean the Trooper is the place to be.

The Trooper is gearing up for Christmas

Men come in dribs and drabs.

Some alone.

Some in groups and some with their wives.

A husband-and-wife duo drink pints at a side table. She is trying to show him a funny video on her phone. He laughs sympathetically while keeping his eyes firmly fixed to the television.

There’s a hushed silence for a few minutes before a taxi drivers bursts in, asking if he can use the toilet.

Posters marking some of Bristol’s history dot the walls

 

It was announced this year that Bristol Cars will be making a comeback in 2026

The driver takes in the Christmas décor on the way to the bog.

It’s a week to go until the big day and you’d be hard pressed to forget it at the Trooper.

There are at least two miniature Santas dotted about the bar, tinsel hanging from the roof and a large white snowflake dangling from a corner.

Yet, while the pub and patrons know it’s Christmas season, the pub playlist doesn’t. If you prick up your ears, you can just about hear the faint hum of Kesha’s We R Who We R beneath the noise of the football match.

More men come in. The others turn around, give a nod of acknowledgement, and then get back to the game.

The Trooper sits between St George and Hanham

The Trooper, 90 Bryants Hill, BS5 8QT

All photos: Seun Matiluko

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