It's a long time since I visited the leafy suburbs of Forest Hill, worth the trip for one of Wetherspoon's best pub conversions and the quite superb Horniman Museum...
Underneath the scaffold is an impressive 1929 Art Deco cinema which normally looks great from the outside and is equally spectacular within.
It screened it's last film in the early 70's, then was used as a bingo hall until 1996.
Through the front doors is the old ticket booth, retained as a coffee station. Then up a couple of steps is the first bunch of tables and WCs with retro lighted signage. The real joy is stepping beyond this into the cavernous heart of the old cinema.
 |
| Grade II listed interior of the Capitol, with the original upper circle looming above the bar |
I grabbed a table at the side, next to signage on the wall celebrating Bela Lugosi who lived nearby.
OK, so my pizza and Twickenham - 'Honey Dark Mild' were both just OK. But this is a magnificent place that I was very happy to have made it back to.
Leaving the Capitol, I took the underpass beneath the railway lines at the station, then began walking along the main road eastbound in search of Forest Hill's sole Good Beer Guide entry.
Reaching the pub I was struck by a sense of doom as I caught a glimpse of an A4 sign on the door.
A4 white paper signs on pub doors tend to bring bad news of unexpected closures.
But I could cope with this one, even if I wasn't about to partake...
OK, so my pizza and Twickenham - 'Honey Dark Mild' were both just OK. But this is a magnificent place that I was very happy to have made it back to.
Leaving the Capitol, I took the underpass beneath the railway lines at the station, then began walking along the main road eastbound in search of Forest Hill's sole Good Beer Guide entry.
Reaching the pub I was struck by a sense of doom as I caught a glimpse of an A4 sign on the door.
A4 white paper signs on pub doors tend to bring bad news of unexpected closures.
But I could cope with this one, even if I wasn't about to partake...
Blythe Hill Tavern (319 Stanstead Road, Forest Hill, SE23 1JB - web)
This is a superb community local with it's layout and 1920's wood-panelling giving it a place on the Heritage Pub list.
It has a three-room layout, unusual in that you have to walk through the bar to get from the front room to the back (I asked beforehand, lest I get in trouble yet again).
There were a ton of pictures throughout with an Irish theme.
A top-notch pint of Harvey's 'Sussex Best'.
Smartly attired bar staff.
And all walks of South London life in the pub.
This is a superb community local with it's layout and 1920's wood-panelling giving it a place on the Heritage Pub list.
It has a three-room layout, unusual in that you have to walk through the bar to get from the front room to the back (I asked beforehand, lest I get in trouble yet again).
There were a ton of pictures throughout with an Irish theme.
A top-notch pint of Harvey's 'Sussex Best'.
Smartly attired bar staff.
And all walks of South London life in the pub.
As they were talking about the current Everton match Mrs FirstDate noticed that they didn't have to look across the other side of the room to check the score, as it was showing on another TV just above them.
"Wow. That just shows how good the conversation is," she said earnestly. "The conversation's been so good that for the whole first half we didn't even spot the match was on the TV right by us".
Well, actually, what you didn't spot was the gaffer popping out from behind the bar with the remote control a minute ago and switching it on, but who am I to spoil a lovely moment.
For the second time in the day, scaffolding obscured my chosen pub...
This was something of a random pub pick and one which I regretted almost instantly, but I decided I was going to stick it out.
The Honor Oak appears to have been decorated with the intention of creating a pub that appeals to people who don't like pubs.
Arty light covers, big leather sofa's and that thoroughly horrid horticultural wall.
This is operated by Brighton brewer and pubco Laine's. There was a bank of 4 hand pumps, but nothing being dispensed from them, so I opted for a pricey half of Laine's 'Mangolicious' on draft.
 |
| Yikes! |
The music was a notch or two too loud for Sunday afternoon (heck, I'm getting old) and I was happy to drink my fruity craft murk quickly and move on.
I kept heading up Brockley Rise, past the fine Maxi Priest mural...
And the spectacular looking Brockley Jack pub...
 |
| Handy for the bus stop |
From one Brighton run pub to another - this is the sister pub to the Brighton Beer Dispensary.
It was previously converted from a wine bar by Late Knights Brewery of Penge. That brewery ceased to be, only to be reincarnated as Southey. It was their 'Pale Ale' that I picked here - a very smooth, easy-drinking beer.
The London Beer Dispensary is well worth a visit, the kind of comfortable place with plenty of choice which you could settle down in for the whole afternoon.
But I'm a restless soul...
Checking what else was in the vicinity, I spotted the chance to visit a brewery tap.
This provided another moment of expected disappointment, as on first glance it looked distinctly un-open.
But not so - the door is hidden along the little alley to the side.
Brockley Brewery Tap (31 Harcourt Road, Brockley, SE4 2AJ - web)This proved to be a pleasant little brewery tap, drinking the ales right next to the shiny brewing kit, whilst sat on German beer garden style benches.
And settled at the side of the taproom, with my very agreeable 4.3% Brockley porter, I decided to be sensible and call it a day.
It's been a long time since I've made a trip to London and this part of town had proved a bit of a winner - Spoons in an incredible building, heritage pub, beer bar and brewery.
Hopefully it won't be quite so long before I'm back in the big smoke again.
It's been a long time since I've made a trip to London and this part of town had proved a bit of a winner - Spoons in an incredible building, heritage pub, beer bar and brewery.
Hopefully it won't be quite so long before I'm back in the big smoke again.
No comments:
Post a Comment