S Fowler & Co in Ryde inhabits the building that was once a department store, opened by Samuel Fowler and dating back to the 19th century. The store stood for at least a century until it was heavily damaged by a fire in 1991; seven years later it was purchased by JD Wetherspoon and opened its doors soon after, in 1999.
The pub’s name was proposed by the local CAMRA branch, both in honour of the original department store, and also in reference to the first local CAMRA chairman who shared the same name. The building retains the wonderful frontage of the department store, made up of three narrow shopfronts sloping down Union street. The ground floor retains a traditional look, with the dark façade framing the large windows, whilst the upper floors embrace the coastal style common on the Isle of Wight.
The interior of the pub is large and split across two floors. The ground floor is very open plan with plenty of natural light from the glass frontage reaching the bar to the rear. Up the spiral staircase the first floor is more compact, with some booths tucked to the sides and surrounding a large fireplace. Seating is abundant, with the tables quite densely packed into the pub. The upstairs tables were quite hectically rearranged during our visit – it looked much neater when we first arrived!
The toilets are located upstairs, and are a tad dated but make an attempt to be luxurious, with gloss black wall tiles and dark wood features.
Ratings (out of 5)
We both rate the pub based on three criteria; the building, the interior and the toilets. These scores are averaged out to give the pub its overall rating. You can read more about the rating system here.
Building: 3.5 & 4.0
Interior: 2.5 & 2.5
Toilets: 3.0 & 2.5
Wetho Wanderers 