The Ship Inn is steeped in history

The Ship Inn Redbridge is a grade 2 listed building and is one of the oldest pubs in Southampton dating back to 1654. Aptly named the Ship Inn, the pub is made from parts of a ship and underneath the pub are the remains of smuggler tunnels, as in those days the pub would have backed on to the old quayside.

A number of Kings of England including Charles I, made use of its food and beverages, as well as spending the night there and royalty regularly enjoy the salmon-fishing on the nearby River Test.

The pub is now run by Alison, since 2008, and locals describe it as a ‘Home from Home.’ The pub is a great venue for company, with a beer garden and good food. Milli (Alison’s Daughter) is a Sotonian and said that ‘the pub is like a family; I have been coming here since I was a child and the place is warm and welcoming. We have lots of locals who come and have conversations, they are part of the furniture.’

Locals also enjoy the rich heritage of the building and find the history of the surrounding area fascinating. Locals mentioned the Redbridge railway works, who made track points and crossings for whole British rail network, as well as the canal tunnel under the City. People said that the History of the pub was important to them and that is why they liked the pub so much.

Milli says that ‘Pubs are very important in society and great way for people socialise’, so the pub often hosts a variety of functions and is a very busy family pub, with value for money, amazing Sunday roasts with big portion sizes, as one regular often jokes; ‘you will have to push me out in wheel barrel.’