Inside Southampton's newest pub - with local beers and a glorious beer garden

It's Southampton's newest pub - a delightfully quirky second venue off Bedford Place from the city's celebrated Dancing Man Brewery team.

Raven & Bine has opened its doors in Carlton Place, featuring the whole range of Dancing Man brews, decor straight out of a London pub in Victorian times and a wonderful city centre beer garden with blooms, vines and twinkling lights.

Directors Aidan Lavin, Mandy Lacey and Malcolm Kersley and manager Josh Kentigern-Fox have been hard at work transforming the venue, formerly Smugglers.

(Image: Newsquest / Lorelei Reddin)

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It opened last weekend, doing a roaring trade thanks to the Bedford Place Summer Festival, Southampton Summer Sessions featuring Nile Rodgers & CHIC and wall to wall sunshine.

But the venue, which fits around 80 inside as well as up to 65 in the garden and more in the pedestrianised area at the front, is only the beginning of the Dancing Man expansion. The brewery will return to St Mary's next season and a new location in Winchester is being actively sought.

(Image: Newsquest / Lorelei Reddin)

Aidan told the Daily Echo: "Things are going really well. It's been an absolute whirlwind with Raven & Bine. We've been really busy and the reviews have been brilliant.

"Our feet haven't touched the ground, but it's all come together and we've had so many visits from local well wishers, beer enthusiasts and inquisitive people wanting to see what we've done.

"We love the area, there's lots of independent businesses helping each other out. And, in terms of Raven & Bine, there's nothing else quite like it in Southampton."

(Image: Newsquest / Lorelei Reddin)

Raven & Bine, a nod to the ravens used in taxidermy which features around the pub and the bines so important in the process of brewing beer, stocks Big Casino, a 5.7% IPA, lager Necessary Evil and the rest of the Dancing Man range, alongside Isle of Wight mermaid gin, an  impressive wine list and much more.

Cans are available to take away, English tapas style dishes will be introduced in the next month and live music and special events could come before long too.

The original Dancing Man Brewery beer pub and 100 seater restaurant, which breathed new life into a 700-year-old waterfront building ten years ago, continues to go great guns.

(Image: Raven & Bine)