A group of Swanage friends and neighbours who liked their local Dorset pub so much that they bought the tenancy are getting ready to return The Globe to its former glory.
The 200 year old hostelry at the bottom of Bell Street in the Herston area of Swanage, made its name as a traditional community pub with a big welcome, but recently it had tried to become a music and dining venue, with limited success.
The Globe pub in Bell Street is ready for the next chapter in its 220 year history
A return to the way things were
So when the lease of The Globe came back on the market in spring 2024, friends and former customers Paul and Hannah Jamieson, Martin and Sharon Patterson and Nick, Sue and Nicola Hones decided to take on the place themselves.
The new tenants, who are all residents of Bell Street and live within 20 yards of The Globe, have strong ideas about returning the pub to the way things were.
They will include sponsoring sports teams, installing a Purbeck Longboard Shove Ha’penny table and building up a strong selection of local ales and ciders.
The Globe’s refurbished toilets and restored pub gardens have already drawn a lot of praise and customers have started to flock back.
Paul Jameison behind the bar of the newly reopened pub
“Lovely little pub with a smiley welcome”
Paul Jameison, one of the community collective which reopened The Globe in June 2024, said:
“My wife and I moved here 13 years ago knowing nobody, and it was largely through The Globe and our next door neighbours that we started building our friendship circle.
“That’s what The Globe has always been to us, a little community pub with loyal local customers all year round, but which is equally welcoming to visitors.
“Unfortunately, the last tenants had different ideas about what it should be like and tried to make it a music venue which drove away people like us and, in our opinion, The Globe was heading towards being a casualty.
“So when we had the opportunity a group of us got together, all sharing the same vision of getting it back to being a lovely little pub with a smiley welcome, run by the community for the community.”
A thatched 17th century barn is an integral part of the historic pub
Locals are hoping to solve the mystery of how The Globe got its name
One of just two thatches in Swanage
The three families involved in the rescue of the pub are Paul and Hannah Jamieson, Martin and Sharon Patterson, and Nick, Sue and Nicola Hones, all residents of Bell Street and all former customers of the Globe.
The Globe has a long history – the oldest part of it, a former barn, goes back to the 17th century and is one of only two thatched buildings in Swanage.
Two Purbeck stone houses were merged into one pub about 220 years ago and it is believed to have been called The Globe ever since – although as it predates the Great Globe at Durlston, which was built in 1887, no one is certain how the pub got its name.
The new tenants want to celebrate its history and are on the hunt for any old photographs of The Globe to hang on the newly painted walls.
Lighter, brighter and ready to welcome back the locals of Herston and beyond
Welcome in – The Globe is open again with a new direction
“A community pub with no pretentions”
Paul Jamieson said:
“It is a beautiful place, full of character, and we want to bring that back into focus. Once we secured the tenancy we closed for three weeks to do all the work, using an army of local volunteers.
“We sanded down the wood, lightened up the place, cleared out all the rubbish, painted the walls and worked on the garden, which had been neglected for years.
“It demonstrated how much people wanted it to go back to what it should be, a community pub with no pretensions, no ideas above its station, just a perfect place for a drink and a chat.
“Only one of us, Martin, has previous experience in the trade, managing the Cellar Bar until it changed hands a year ago, but we were all once regulars here and just wanted to get hold of the tenancy and return The Globe to what it should be.”
The cellar has been restocked to promote the best local brews
Two Purbeck stone cottages, one Grade Two listed building
“We have a lot of good local breweries”
Paul added:
“We all have day jobs, but find time to fit in what needs to be done here, whether that’s working behind the bar, cleaning, tidying up the garden or whatever it takes.
“Once we get running properly, we may start offering a bit of food, but only snacks like toasties, paninis or sharing boards – there are plenty of places in town which offer full sit down meals and it isn’t our plan to compete with those.
“We want to build up the ales, as we have a lot of good local breweries like Hattie Browns, and we also have a really good wine selection which I think is a novelty for a pub – Sharon is a really good wine buff and spoils us here.
“We are certainly looking to sponsor a local football team to get our name out there and will also sponsor the prosecco and gin bar at the carnival this year to get some visibility for the pub.”
The pub gardens have been tidied up, with improvements planned for 2025
Getting behind the England football team at the Euros has brought crowds back to The Globe
Plan for pub to become a local hub
Typically, The Globe has been a teatime pub for people leaving work early, making use of its parking spaces, and it also caters for tourists in the summer from local holiday cottages, campsites and caravan parks.
At the moment, it is only open from 4 pm to 11 pm during weekdays, with longer hours at the weekend.
However, the plan is for it to become more of a local hub during the daytime, especially for locals who work from home and groups who would like a drink after meeting up at nearby Herston village hall.
The Globe’s pool room has been restored and reopened
It is also planned to bring back the game Purbeck Longboard Shove Ha’penny to The Globe, which is popular at other Swanage venues
Win the title, become world champs!
One major aim will be to win back local sports teams to play friendly and competitive pool, darts and Purbeck Longboard Shove Ha’penny.
Paul Jameison said:
“Purbeck longboard shove, is not only traditional but also unique, so if you win the title you become the world champions!
“It’s an addictive, fun game, played by people into their 80s and hopefully we can encourage some more young players to keep the tradition going.”
