Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Cheers! 50 years at the helm of The Ship
AWEST landlord who this week celebrated 50 years behind the bar at the pub he built certainly has the right name for his marathon stint pulling pints.
Vic Long opened The Ship Inn at Redcliffe Bay in Portishead on November 8, 1973.
And 50 years later, having barely had a day off in the interim period, Vic is still going strong with no plans to call time.
Vic very well may be the current longest-serving landlord in Britain – certainly of a pub they built themselves.
Though he has some way to go to catch the record of Mabel Mudge, who spent 75 years running the Drewe Arms in Drewesteignton on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. According to the Independent she retired in 1994 aged 99.
Vic, who turned 80 earlier this year, was joined by more than 200 regulars on Wednesday night for a party to celebrate the milestone.
Remarkably, some of them were there on opening night 50 years ago, including the builder who helped construct the North Somerset pub.
Vic told the Western Daily Press that despite it only being 11 pence per pint on opening night and beer being free until 9pm he took £70 between 9-10.30pm.
By our back of a beer mat calculations that means thirsty locals put back more than 600 pints during that 90 minute spell.
The Ship tends to sail in slightly calmer waters these days; with regulars gathering each evening for a chat with friends, a spot of Vic’s wit and wisdom, plus of course a quiet pint or two of his well-kept ales and a game of bar billiards.
At lunchtimes at The Ship Vic’s wife Deborah is very much at the helm and on Wednesday night their son George helped out behind the bar.
The pub, which has an envious location with expansive views of the Bristol Channel, does food at lunchtime.
Though sadly prices have moved on a touch from one receipt from 1975 that Vic shows the WDP.
Four prawn cocktails, three fillet steaks, plaice and three coffees, all for the grand sum of £8.75.
“Change from a tenner for a night out, not bad,” he quips.
Today a pint of bitter – Vic’s tipple of choice – costs a relatively modest £4.20. Though he says he rarely indulges before 8pm these days.
Real ales from Honiton-based Otter and Cornish favourite Doom Bar – plus draught Bass – are on the bar today.
Hundreds of pump clips – as well as nautical objects – adorn the pub.
Vic reminisces about dealing with bygone West names such as Bristol brewery Smiles and Trowbridgebased Ushers (whose brewery has been transported wholesale to North Korea) and former national brands such as Watney Red Barrel.
He has seen trends change in cider too – with Thatchers now dominating after decades of Blackthorn being his best-selling cider, until the disastrous recipe change that Vic remembers well.
The Bristol and District branch of Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) attended Wednesday’s party and gave Vic their Special Award for 2023 to mark his 50 years as a licensee.
Vic had earlier worked behind the bar of a number of pubs in Portishead, where he grew up, meaning his experience of the town’s pub trade goes back even longer than the half-century he has had his own pub.
Customers’ wine palates have also got more sophisticated since Vic opened the pub.
Liebfraumilch was very much in vogue in 1973 he says, as he doffs his publican’s cap to the commercial acumen of the Berni Inn brothers Aldo and Frank Berni.
He said: “Bristolians could never pronounce Liebfraumilch so Mr Berni put Blue Nun [a type of Liebfraumilch] next to it on the menu for 25p more...”
Other major changes Vic has seen include the introduction of the smoking ban in 2007 – which hit trade.
“It seems so strange to look back at customers smoking in the pub,” he says as he points out a photographic display put up for the 50th celebrations.
As well as potentially being Britain’s longest-serving landlord Vic has also hit the headlines several times over the years for being Britain’s tallest publican and for banning mobile phones.
He said: “I get a lot of stick for that one. But it was customers who didn’t want to spend their time listening to other people’s phone conversations and ringtones.”
His 6ft 7.5ins height was mentioned in a report of the opening night, where he was pictured alongside then business partner Doreen Furber and model Teri Royce, who was presenting him with a Western Daily Press pub of the year prize for his previous pub, The Kicking Donkey in Brokerswood in West Wiltshire.
The story appeared in the paper – which cost 3p in those days – alongside a racy tale headlined ‘Jail for Casanova contract husband’ and a story about Hereford-based Bulmers being at legal loggerheads with French fizz giants Bollinger and Lanson about pomagne being projected as champagne.
David Cassidy was top of the charts that day with his hit Daydreamer and a back-page report on the Western Daily Press said Bristol Rovers’ Eastville Stadium was due to be turned into a multi-purpose sports complex, complete with swimming pool and nightclub.
It, of course, later actually became an Ikea and Bristol Rovers are still grappling with ground issues.
A footballer’s then girlfriend – Atomic Kitten star Liz McClarnon who was going out with Bristol City striker Lee Trundle at the time – is his most famous customer.
He said: “They were looking at a house in the area – she set a few pulses racing among the locals.”
Although that celebrity relationship didn’t last, Vic’s attachment to The Ship certainly has.
He attributes his longevity in the role to ‘hard work’ and ‘keeping at it’.
Something we could all raise a glass to.