King Street is now the heart of Bristol’s theatre-land (see ‘Old Vic’ below) but it once lead down to the docks at Welsh Back, where the old sailing trows (a type of sailing barge) used to dock after their journeys from South Wales. The street has changed little since those days, and the pub dates back to 1663. It is rumoured to have been patronised by pirates of old, not to mention Robert Louis Stevenson whilst writing Treasure Island.