(5) Town Pubs and Bars:
That’s enough about the town clubs though, time to move to the bars and pubs around Canterbury, which are more numerous than I can possibly hope to do proper justice to here so I’m going to keep the descriptions brief if possible. The order I’m going with these tends to be the more well known big places and then the smaller pubs and bars...
Westgate Wetherspoons (The Westgate Inn)
Every Wetherspoons pub has a normal name to it but everyone just calls them 'Spoons' or in this instance 'Westgate Spoons' because there are two in Canterbury. Located at the bottom of the hill up to the UKC campus the most I can say about this is it tends to be the start point for almost all nights in town, typical of any Spoons the prices are cheapest in Canterbury (though not always as cheap as the University bars) and it’s packed with old, pervy men galore, what Spoons would be complete without them? They do food till 10pm and have free Wi-Fi (though I’ve never managed to get it working). It’s medium sized and has some nice comfy seating at the back with some cosy booths for people to sit in, overall the Westgate Spoons is typically thought of as the ‘Student Spoons’, why? Read on...
Northgate Spoons (The Thomas Ingoldsby)
I’ve always thought of this one as “the one on the other end of the High Street” and I’d just like to put out a general warning to avoid it at all costs. The locals in Canterbury I tend to charitably describe as “rough” but it’s more like “outright bastards” and this tends to be the meeting point of the worst of the worst in Canterbury. I’m not saying it’s horrific and you'll get knifed but... anyway it’s bigger than the other Spoons but it tends to be filled with the sometimes quite scary locals (you try bringing a group of 20 loud gay people in – we left shortly after). In the day it’s not so bad but I never see any reason to go to it if you’re at UKC because the Westgate one is a LOT closer to campus.
The Penny Theatre
I’ve never understood the attraction of Penny Theatre, their Thursday nights are supposed to be legendary but I’ve been and never quite understood. I think it might be the ‘pints for a pound’ thing that happens that night but I may have that wrong. It’s a surprisingly big pub once you get inside but owing to its popularity seating can be hard to find if you don’t get in quick! It’s quite hard to find if you don’t know where you’re looking due to being on the edge of the town centre, look it up on a map but it’s definitely worth a go.
The Cherry Tree
In a word: tiny. This miniscule ‘indie’ style pub has a popular Thursday night event where drinks become insanely cheap and they serve their infamous “pig-******” drink - a deadly mixture of cider, vodka and orange juice I think it is for only £2 or something like that. Other nights it’s a far quieter venue, they sometimes have bands in which leads to an even more over-packed environment but they do have a few benches outside for the masses to spill out onto.
Bramleys
IT’S BOHEMIA! When you walk into Bramleys you can’t help by feel you’ve walked into what classical Bohemia must have been like, spacious with an air balloon style ceiling (has to be seen to be understood). Very cosy atmosphere where you can choose from cocktails, real ales or even the cheese board, for a year it was the place of choice for the Liberal Democrat society meetings, then they stopped opening on Sunday evenings, shame.
Orange Street Music Club
Literally DIRECTLY above Bramleys, (you get in via a door right next to it and go up some stairs), is this quaint little place. In the continuation of the Bohemian theme this rustic bar has musicians from various genres playing little ditties on their instruments for your drunken delight. How nice. Never been myself but I've heard ALL about it from literally EVERYONE so it must be good.
The Old Buttermarket
Situated on the square outside the Cathedral Gates the pub is popular in the daytime with tourists but mostly empty in the evenings. It’s got a very traditional pub feel to it and it’s a lot bigger than you think, find the stair to the back section of it and there’s a lot more seating around. It’s a regular feature on the Real Ale and Cider society’s pub crawl list owing to its frequently rotated real ale selection.
The Seven Stars
On the same road as Bramleys, Orange Street Music Club and Bar Kandi this contemporary pub regularly shows sports channels on the TV and has a really cool 'London Underground' style map of all the pubs/bars/nightclubs in Canterbury, which is kinda like this guide but without my little descriptions. They regularly hold a karaoke night and a quiz night but I don't know a lot more than that.
Lady Luck
Very indie-alternative feel to it, a nice place otherwise though, does an interesting collection of cocktails for cheap prices. One of the few pubs to stay open later than midnight in Canterbury, 1am on weekdays and 2am on weekends so I'm told! More details needed!
Bar Kandi
Located almost opposite Bramleys this bar, despite it’s somewhat off-putting name spelling, has one of the most interesting bar interiors in Canterbury. Very low lighting and soft reds and purples put you in mind of a very ‘boudoir-y’ feel, befitting of a cocktail bar I should think. Bar Kandi serves cocktails primarily and is highly expensive but if you’ve ever wanted to try some of the more exotic drinks out there then it’s always around. Tends to be populated more by the locals than students owing to its prices – they’ve started running an ill-attended gay night on Wednesdays.
The Old Brewery Tavern
Just off the High Street in a side road before you reach @bode (yes that's not a typo) this is a relatively classy modern bar which shoud never have incorporated a dancefloor but did anyway. It's a fairly big place with two bars and a fair amount of seating, but the prices are a bit steep but on the other hand it's usually one of the last places to close in Canterbury.
The Beer Cart Arms
Hidden down a back street a bit beyond the Old Brewery Tavern is The Beer Cart Arms. Generally populated by locals (drunk and friendly ones usually) this pub-turned-bar blasts out cheesy tunes (or at least it did when I was there) with a large array of offers on all sorts of drinks/shots/pitchers etc. All in all it's relatively cheap, the bar staff are friendly and so are the bouncers much to my incredulous surprise - it's a general rule that all the bouncers in Canterbury are complete ******* but these guys were nice. One complaint, the floor is so sticky you literally can't get unstuck if you stand in the same place for a few minutes.
The Jaggy Thistle
Located almost next door to the Northgate Spoons, The Jaggy Thistle is the only full-time LGBT pub in Canterbury, with a slightly intimidating owner. On the bright side it’s almost always empty and they run this amusing deal where they’ll give you a shot of (rather strong) vodka at midnight if you’re still around. Tends to be frequented by quite rough locals I’ve often felt intimidated in there but if you get it on a quiet night it’s a fairly cheap place and quite spacious inside with lots of seating.
Alberrys
Located off the High Street near HMV this small bar/club sells expensive cocktails and other drinks. I can’t remember which day they do it on (think it’s a Wednesday) but whenever it is it’s half price on all their pitchers which is pretty fantastic (still cheaper at Spoons) however after 9:30pm I believe they charge entry. Go below the floor and you’ll find a ‘dive’ style club area (exceptionally small) but I’ve had good nights there so I guess it’s good for a try if you don’t mind bankrupting yourself on their drink prices.
The Loft
I know only that this is situated opposite Alberrys, care to write a review anyone?
Canterbury Tales
I always wonder whether to classify this as a pub or a bar because while it's not rustic enough and has a wider selection of spirit based drinks (as opposed to ale based ones) it's not really classy enough to be a bar and has that sort of slightly shady pub feel to it. Anyway this place is just off the High Street opposite where the Marlowe Theatre is being rebuilt and in a word it's small. It's another of those places that stays open later than anywhere else in Canterbury so it gets a bit full later on, and in a place that was never big to start with then it's a bit hmm. On the bright side they use candles on the tables which is great fun until you get someone like me burning their hair on them.
The Cricketers
Just up the High Street from the Westgate arch, and over the road from The Hobgoblin, is the Cricketer, a very old-man-esque style pub with some friendly bar staff, (though I maintain he was doped up on marijuana). You get an interesting mix of elderly locals and students in here, resulting in some drunk conversations with the locals - not entirely a bad thing but it's not exactly a rave for those that want that either.
The Carpenter's Arms
If you go down the alley next to The Hobgoblin then you'll arrive at this very traditional pub. Despite it's abundance of pool tables I would recommend avoiding this place as its typical clientele is on par with that of Northgate Wetherspoons (see above) and more than once I have felt threatened merely walking past. This said I have seen students in there from time to time so the locals must have off-nights.
The Cuban
Situated about halfway up the High Street, The Cuban is a shadowy doorway into a shadowy-er bar. Aside from that I've never ventured inside, review needed!
The Dolphin
Located a bit out of the way, down a side street near The Penny Theatre, and literally up the road from The Parrot is this typical pub. They have a few board games you can play there and I think they always have the heating up too high but an otherwise nice quiet place.
The Parrot
Just up the road from the Dolphin and near the Penny Theatre this traditional boasts an added attraction (or detraction if it won't shut up) which is a parrot in a cage - as the pub name suggests. It's a very nice little pub and they do a nice student discount but on some days the parrot just won't shut up and it can be a bit shrill on the ear. An otherwise very nice place.
Bishop's Finger
After telling my housemates about this guide one said "You managed to write 5,000+ words about Canterbury's pubs and nightlife and you didn't mention the Bishops Finger!?" So here is it's mention. It's located just round the corner from Westgate Spoons (so near the Westgate arch) but other than that I know aboslutely nothing about it and neither did my housemate apparently because she was so drunk when she went in at Christmas. I had a little look in the other day and it's a lot bigger on the inside than it is on the out, like the Old Buttermarket it extends quite far back into the building. More details please!
The Rose and Crown
This is a typical pub situated just up the road from Bishop's Finger, other than that I don't know anything more about it. Reviews please!
The Monument
A slightly ‘local-y’ pub on the way up the hill to the University, just opposite St Dunstan’s Church. They’ve got a pool table and a big TV but it’s quite a small place so good for quiet drinks if that’s your thing.
The Unicorn
Apparently this is a fairly generic, traditional style pub, small on the inside but with a deceptively large beer garden outside. It is also the local headquarters of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) movement.
The Hobgoblin
Until further notice The Hobgoblin appears to have been repossessed by creditors and so is currently closed. It's not known whether plans for new ownership are in the pipeline.
The Thomas Becket
Located on a side street some way down the High Street this is probably what some people would consider a ‘real pub’ with a fire and cosy atmosphere. Its only concern is it’s a bit small but otherwise very nice.
The Miller's Arms
A fair way up the road from The Dolphin, on your way out of town centre and back to the UKC campus. Aside from being out of the way I know nothing about this pub. Review please!
(6) Other Big Night-Out Events
What do I mean by this? Well throughout the year (at least once a term) big night-out style events get held by various companies around town, typically sponsored by one of the big clubs. Here're a few details:
Carnage/Rampage
Carnage and Rampage are the main big night-out style events and are run by The Works and Chill, (I won't say respectively because I can't remember who owns which one!) The essence of these nights out is that you buy a t-shirt with the clubs name on it beforehand and this gets you drink promotions on various bars round town which the organisers running the event direct you to. At each bar there are various ludicrous and silly challenges you're supposed to do but only the insane really bother doing. Going out on these nights to anywhere considered 'popular' without a t-shirt is probably a waste of time seeing as everywhere packs out on these nights. The University in particular frowns on these events and every year e-mails are sent out reminding students that these events are designed to get people drunk and do silly things and the university doesn't want it's good name besmirched by it's students acting silly. This doesn't stop you going but it did lead the university to create...
Invasion
This was UKC's answer to Rampage/Carnage. I can't remember if this had a t-shirt for it or not and I vaguely recall that the proceeds may have gone to charity, regardless the event worked on the same principle except it was focused on the campus bars and eventually The Venue. This was only run for the first time in 2009/10 (to my knowledge) so it remains to be seen whether it is a permanent fixture or not.
Massive Mungos
While not strictly a big night-out like the previous too, this event is probably far better known than any of the above and is held towards the end of every term hosted primarily by Mungos. While the usual antics occur at the Mungos' bar, Eliot Hall is also converted into a massive dancefloor with a DJ stage and crazy lighting at one end. Everyone closest to the stage dances enthusiastically while those further back mill around and talk to each other (though how, over the noise, is beyond me). Extra bars are set up in Eliot Hall so you don't have to walk over to Mungos to get another drink and can continue the rave all night long (or till 2am when it typically finishes).
Only a bit more now! Keep reading!