We hear owners Fullers shelled out over £1 million on the 2017 refurbishment of this distinctive Grade II-listed gin palace. And it shows. Spruced up, lavish original features abound: exquisite, etched mirror glass; elaborate Art Nouveau metalwork; snob screens and stained-glass panels. Modern additions such as moquette-upholstered banquettes that reference old railway carriages blend in sympathetically, although a blond-wood cabana-lined beer garden doesn’t quite gel with the grand pile’s neo-Jacobean splendour. Chatty barkeeps pour draughts by Tiny Rebel, Siren and SeaCider among a wide range of character indie beers and ciders; there are also home-infused gins (peach and peppercorn, for instance) and wines from a list with plenty of low-priced interest. Snack on lentil croquettes with chilli jam, and scampi tartare, or dine on crab and shellfish linguine and roasted Romsey pork chop. Anticipate live jazz, ska, blues and Irish music, pub quizzes and readings by celebrity authors at this tip-top Fullers’ tavern.