| ROTHERHITHE / BERMONDSEY | Rotherhithe UG : Take Central
or District (Upminster) lines to White Chapel or Docklands Light Railway
to Shadwell or Jubilee line to Canada Water. Transfer to East London
line for Rotherhithe! Bermondsey UG: Take the Jubilee line |
| The Mayflower ***** 117 Rotherhithe Street, SE 16 "From a Rotherhithe quayside, near a pub called the Shippe [now The Mayflower], the Mayflower set sail for America. It was the spring of 1620..." If you have the time, you should go here. A local with character. See links below picture for a lot of information. Leaving the UG north go to the river and find Rotherhithe Street on Thames bank. Go left/upriver and keep your eyes open. Excellent real ales. Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, and Caledonian Robert Burns ( a winter warmer guest, +++++). |
http://www.cockney.co.uk/mayfwr.htm Nice write-up in Gammell's book (page 1). |
| The [Famous] Angel **** 101 Bermondsey Wall East, SE16 http://www.pubs.com/angese16.htm http://www.famousangel.co.uk/findus.htm There's a clear picture on the cockney.co page. |
The real ale was fine, and there were several [Scottish Courage?] choices. It was a cold January evening; I was tired; I forgot to note the real ales; but I remember drinking them. [It was only Robert Burns (above) that revived me a short while later.] We were there too early for the restaurant, but the menu was very inviting. The food at the bar also looked good to be a very good selection. It was after dark, so we could only see the various lights along the river. The view should be spectacular in the daytime. Staff was very friendly and eager to assist. It should be easy to find, if you go to the "findus" link on the left. We went upriver from the Mayflower, and that's really an adventure after dark! |
| GREENWICH | Take the boat from Westminster Pier or the Docklands Light Railway to Cutty Sark (Greenwich would also do) |
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The Gypsy Moth ** 60 Greenwich Church St First pub south of the Cutty Sark vessel. When I was there it had three pumps, but only one on (Inde Coope). Ok, if you aren't into real ale.
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The Admiral Hardy **** 7 College Approach King Williams Walk is the first (only?) street East of the Cutty Sark vessel. Go South to College Approach and look to your right. Seems a right local; at lunch the Stilton was excellent. Mr. William Drummond stopped in for port and conversation. A good time. If you can only visit three pubs in Greenwich, this is one! Young's Special, Courage Best, SN's Spitfire and Flagship's Destroyer. Seems a free house. There's a web page: |
| The Trafalgar Tavern *****
Evening Standard 1996 pub of the year. You should not miss this. Walk east through the Royal Naval College to Park Row. Turn left and head for the Thames. The tavern is a three story building at the river. This place is quite rewarding. Upscale in furnishings (and maybe prices; lunch was 7 to 12 pds). The fish & chips and Shepherd's Pie were worth the price. Directors; Courage Best; Old Speckled Hen; Flagship Trafalgar Bitter (not just a coincidence?). Georgian interior; wine and green colors; wood
paneling; heat for those at the window, though the fire was not on;
quite a view!! Dickens's novel, 'Our Mutual Friend' had the wedding
breakfast set here. |
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 | The Plume of Feathers **** Quaint old pub built in 1691. South down Park Row from the Trafalgar. Turn left into Park Vista at the Greenwich Park gate. It's just a few doors down on the left. Really very nice. A full fireplace with flames (January). Ship prints; wine upholstery; leaded glass windows; tan walls. It's a very nice local - most tourists would have to try hard to come in sight of this one. Old Speckled Hen; London Pride; Adnams Bitter; Webster's Yorkshire Bitter. Beautifully appointed restaurant in the rear. Very nice stained glass looking onto a courtyard with tables (that must be nice when it's summer). |
| Funnel & Firkin *** 174 High Road This is important because it's on the way to the Richard I. You take the High Road, & ... Go west on Romney Road through the RN College - and bear left at the "T". Now you are on High Road (I hope). |
A modern building. Inde Coope Burton Ale and Bass. Three pumps were off, and Firkins are not brew pubs anymore. However the Burton Ale (Double Diamond to Yanks) was fresh. The decor was a bit rough, but the music was for the under 70 set - had a good beat. A nice quick stop on your way into the bowels of Greenwich. It has a Two Quid Thursday. Good day to avoid. |
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Richard I ****** 52 Royal Hill Further west down the High Rd. Watch carefully, and a few blocks past the F&F (see above) turn left down Royal Hill. Don't get discouraged; this street curves, and the pub is around the curve. It is worth the walk. Another local off the tourist track. The staff was very friendly, charming and informative about the food and ale - Denise the manager was at the bar (+1*). It's a Young's pub (worth another *). The restrooms were so clean and fresh smelling I could live there (+1 *; you see how this goes). This place does not get many tourists, and it is worth the walk! Young's Winter Warmer ++++; Young's AAA ++; Young's Special; Young's Bitter; & Smiles Best (darkly amber and malty). Std. pub decor with lots of prints. |
| BAYSWATER | The UG stations of choice are Bayswater and Queensway [B/Q]. However, on the west Notting Hill is close, as is Lancaster Gate to the east. |
| The Prince Edward *****
[B/Q] 73 Princes Square Menu: Entrees include Alaskan salmon and chicken tortillas. Interior: Spacious and modernly Edwardian (what else?); Scrabble, Monopoly and Pass the Bomb board games were on the shelf; Beatles songs were playing continuously (make that ******) Fresh flowers and greens in vases on the bar. The bar is a beautiful large "U" made of mahogany; brass arm and foot rails; it holds you up. | From either station go a block or two N and turn left on Moscow Rd (Porchester is a block further N). Go about 3 blocks to Hereford Rd. Go right a block to Princes Square - you should see the pub across the intersection to your left. Went 4 times. Wouldn't you think I'd have taken a picture! This is a very good place to eat or drink. The menu is impressive. Not just your sandwiches and chips pub. Ten beer engines - 3 to 4 different real ales. Call this a King & Barnes House. A K&B bitter and Badger Best Bitter and Badger Tanglefoot (taste this and marvel). Having said all this, it is a bit modern; it does not have the inherent (and often faked) mood of a prior century. But it was one of the better experiences on the January 2001 trip. |
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The Swan ***** [B/Q or
Lancaster Gate] 66 Bayswater Rd From B/Q go south to Bayswater and turn left. From LG get on Bayswater and go West. It's longish from B/Q and shortish from LG. It's a little crude outside, but almost elegant inside. Lots of nooks and short stairs to side rooms. Lots of room and lots of character. My art history expert proclaimed the interior Georgian (for the most part). The steak & mushroom pie and the stilton ploughman's were both quite good. Not a huge real ale selection, but the Theakston's Best Bitter and the Directors (Scottish Courage house?) were very nice. |
| Go south to Bayswater and turn to
the East. Don't walk too fast or you'll pass it!
Pleasant enough. Spouse loved the fish and chips (she says I did too). Four beer pumps - all with Directors badges, and all off. So, it was John Smith's Magnet Bitter under nitrogen. So why even ***? Inside is very merchant class Victorian; copper bas reliefs; faux marble Corinthian columns; it was really comfortable. I'd like to "diss" it (no real ale!), but it wouldn't be fair; good chips. |
The Black Lion *** [B/Q] 123 Bayswater Road "A much photographed building due mainly to the eye catching Georgian windows and external floral displays. The Black Lion was built in 1720. There is a main bar to the front and small cosy [sic] restaurant to the rear, boasting original brickwork walls and wholesome English cuisine. It's location, opposite Kensington Palace and adjoining gardens lends itself as an ideal refreshment station prior to or after a leisurely walk." The tile restrooms were very clean at 6pm! |
| The Leinster *** Moscow Rd & Ossington St. About 3 blocks west on Moscow from Queensway [have you thought about buying Collins' London by Tube map book? - look for it in Heathrow!] |
Only Bass, but good Bass; it was a friendly local, so *** for friendly; Decor a bit sparse; front courtyard and hanging baskets; "Family Sized" dishes were on the boards, and there's a "big screen upstairs". Overall it had a good feel. |
| The ale was very fresh on Sunday! This pub bears the Casque Marque - so it's supposed to have fresh ale. K&B Draught Bitter; K&B Dark Mild Ale (yes!); Badger Best Bitter; Badger Tanglefoot. The selection is very similar to that of the Prince Edward (above). Decor was wood; green; brass; china. The bar was a split "u". Really comfortable on a cold night; the wait staff was really accommodating. It's just a bit difficult to get to. | The Archery ***** [LG] Bathurst Street TAKE GREAT CARE, cars travel fast around here and the crossings aren't all obvious. Leave LG and face the park while standing on Bayswater. Turn left to Bourne St. The challenge is to get to the far side of Bourne. Then go away from the park. The first (or second depending on how you crossed) street is Bathurst. Turn right and it's just there. A small street; a pleasant street. Would have gone there again, if the hotel had been closer. I'd have thought this was a King & Barnes house, but maybe the Badger is in charge. If you're curious, go to the following url and think about it: http://www.badgerbrewery.com/ |
| The Leinster Arms *** [B/Q] 17 Leinster Terrace Clem's directions: "start at Queensway Central Line station. Emerge from the station, cross the road, then turn right and left onto the Bayswater Road. Walk down here for 100 yards or so (Hyde Park is on your right on the other side of the road), until you reach Leinster Terrace. (The Royal Court Hotel is on the corner) Turn left into Leinster Terrace and the Leinster Arms is 100yds down on your right. " or 2 blocks N of Bayswater at the corner of Leinster Terrace and Leinster Mews. | It's a Nicholson's free house; as ever, a good thing. The place was a bit of a local, so not a broad selection of real ales; Bass, London Pride and Tetley's. |
| The Kings Head *** [B/Q]
It should be just a couple of blocks up Moscow Rd (see Prince Edward, above) from Bayswater. |
Five beer engines; all were off on Sunday. On Wednesday three were off, but the other two had Green King IPA and GK Abbots Ale. It's a T&J Bernard pub (now owned by Scottish Newcastle?), and these are supposed to have good ale keeping. The IPA was great. It's a local for sure, and the interior is ok. Bayswater Rd is like a local community/village (that's what it takes), so it's good to have a pub near the center. The pub sign has a somewhat grisly image of Charles I's head - detached. Give it a plus for good real ale, but a - for only 2. If all 5 pumps had been up, it would have been a four. |
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Bayswater bottom line |
If you are staying near Princes Square, best bet is the Prince Edward. If you are staying near Lancaster Gate, try the Swan and the Archery. If you want to stop in for a drink, the others are ok. |
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| E-Mail: | bhensonb@aol.com |
