Secret Drinker reviews Churchills Wine & Sports Bar in Skegness
If I had a pound for every time I heard someone say politics should be kept out of football I reckon I’d have enough dosh to cover Man City’s legal bills.
But I’ve just found a pub that manages to blend the two. Just don’t ask me how.
It’s summer season and there’s a football tournament around the corner. So it’s time for some recces at seaside sports bars, surely?
Churchills Wine & Sports Bar in Skegness was the first one I tried and out I’m pretty sure it’s going to take some beating with it’s ridiculously over-the-top devotion to not only the beautiful game but also the wartime Prime Minister who inspired the place’s name.
While Sir Winston may have been a polo man, I’m sure he would have enjoyed seeing the patriotic passion with which the owners of this free house have gone all out to decorate the place ready for Euro 2024.
We shall fight them on the pitches, anyone?
For many venues, overdoing the place can be a serious own goal, but at Churchills it somehow works.
Perhaps I’ve caught football fever, maybe the sea air’s got to me, but either way after walking into the place I got a little buzz about the upcoming Euros.
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There’s something of a hint of what’s to come when walking up to the place, with its enormous St George’s flag waving in the wind, a motif of Churchill giving the peace sign and two - not three, sadly - lions perching by the steps.
Out front is a sizeable beer garden with plenty of seating placed over the fake grass, which probably wouldn’t pass for 3G but does the job nicely.
But when you open the door the fun begins.
At first you think you’ve trespassed into a Downing Street drawing room.
A portrait of Churchill greets you above a fireplace, with biographies of the man placed on shelves (half time reading?) and Union Flag cushions adding colour to some very comfy sofas.
But you don’t have to venture much further to find that footie is very much at the heart of this place’s ethos.
Giant trophies hang from the walls in between giant screens, alongside plenty of signed memorabilia.
And I have to point out the comfiest chairs I’ve ever known in a pub (so far). They may look like they’ve been nicked from a Boeing, but these green recliners are amazingly snug - not that you won’t be on your feet when the ref blows his whistle, mind you.
And, because there’s a tournament about to kick off, every spare bit of ceiling has a flag, ball or whatever hanging from it.
With all the timing of Steven Gerrard with Demba Ba looming down on him, I managed to stumble across Churchills on a night when there was no game on. The screens were off and the place was pretty quiet with the exception of a couple of groups of lads, one doing the rounds about town and the other very keen on keeping the barmaid engaged in conversation.
But if anything, it gave me more space than the Man United back four, and the chance to get my scouting done.
In true holiday resort spirit there were a few ads for two-for-£10 cocktails to keep the punters happy while a nice touch was a tie-in with the nearby Blue Fin chippy.
Order your grub from across the road and feel free to eat it back at the boozer. From match of the day to catch of the day.
A special mention should also go to the mesmerising gents, with its colour changing urinals. Neon blue becomes green becomes orange becomes red in what I presume is some attempt at hypnotising people not to miss.
Like Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips, Churchills’ footie and politics is a combination that really shouldn’t work, but somehow it manages to get the job done.
I’ll be doing my best to catch a game here when the atmosphere really hots up. And if Gareth Southgate’s boys do the business then I may be drunk but, my dear, at least I’ll be sober in the morning.
CHURCHILLS WINE & SPORTS BAR, 29 ALGITHA ROAD, SKEGNESS, PE25 2AJ
DECOR: It’s football crazy, it’s Churchill mad. Bonkers but fun, with some extremely comfy chairs. 3/5
DRINK: Nothing screams a true British patriot quite like a pint of something with its roots in the Philippines. So, as the IPA was off, I went with San Miguel. 3/5
PRICE: £4.90 a pint, so-so. 2/5
ATMOSPHERE: Although it was a quiet night there was still things going on. I can only imagine what it’s like on matchdays. 2/5
STAFF: The young lady behind the bar was nice and polite… particularly to the lads desperate to explain all things football to her. 3/5
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