A Borough and Bermondsey Loop

On a rainy day in London, I headed down to Southwark and devised a rather neat loop from a relatively new Wetherspoon's to take in a few Good Beer Guide entries and some great-looking pubs.

My first stop of the day was Wetherspoon's where I was early enough for a plate of breakfast and a pre-noon pint.
The Sun Wharf is one of the latest additions to Tim's portfolio, opening last autumn. It's somewhere I've been keen to pay a visit to.

The Sun Wharf (50 Tooley Street, London Bridge, London, SE1 2TF)
Why?  Because I wanted to see the transformation of the one-time London Dungeon, somewhere I used to get invited to each time they opened a new exhibit, being as we used to sell Merlin attraction tickets.  It was great fun with good company and no entry fee.
The thing is, it felt HUGE wandering around the recreations of Pudding Street as the Great Fire started and Whitechapel as Jack the Ripper eyed up their next victim.  Yet exploring the pokey corners and various seating areas of the new pub, you realise how misleading those twists and turns and set designs were.  Sizable, but not as big as it seemed.

The London Dungeon was based here from 1974 until 2013 when it moved to County Hall.  Wetherspoon's spent £2.75 million converting the vacant space into a pub, opening in autumn 2025.
You'll find lots of brickwork, lots of exposed ductwork, and lots of little seating areas hidden around corners.  The table plan must have been a headache for the staff on day one.

£4.05 for the guest cask puts this right at the higher end of the JDW pricing scale.
From a choice including a couple of Sambrook's, Windsor and Eton and Brewsters beers, I picked the ever-reliable Salopian.
'1000 Yard Stare'.  The pump-clip suggests it's named after warfare-induced trauma rather than the Slough shoegaze band who my perpetually stoned mate at Uni was a big fan of. 
The 5.2% ABV was bold for 11:30am, but I still think I made the best choice as this American hopped golden ale was thoroughly enjoyable. 

Despite the warren-like layout, I failed to find a cosy corner and ended up on a high table by the archway window where I could check for a break in the rain.

After a quick stroll around London Market - busy as ever - I made my way up Borough High Street to GBG 2026 newbie The Blue Maid.

The Blue Maid (173 Borough High Street, Borough, London, SE1 1HR)
I must have walked past this and ignored it dozens of times.  It's been around a while, first recorded as a pub in 1542 and receiving a mention in Dickens' Little Dorrit.
It hasn't had an illustrious recent past, spending time as a shisha bar and restaurant before closing in 2019.  It's the 2025 reopening which has whisked it into the Beer Guide. 

Being as I rocked up not long after midday, there were only a couple of customers who'd beaten me here, the barman with enough time on his hands to do a little jig to the The Cribs 'Men's Needs'.
Three cask ales from Pillars, Five Points and Burning Sky.  Loads on the keg list, Brighton's Unbarrd (who were involved in the reopening of the pub) featuring heavily alongside the likes of Anspach & Hobday and Kernel.
The intriguing 'Cold Porter' by London brewery Pillars for me.

"A lager in porter's clothing" according to the brewery website, which goes into great detail about the style.  It's a sensible strength Baltic porter - a dunkel to some - an enjoyable brew with subtle coffee and chocolate notes.
The Cribs were followed by the Wombats, Bloc Party and Jamie T, on a playlist created by someone stuck in 2007. 

The Blue Maid didn't stay quite as quiet as in my picture, although the folks dressed in office attire all seemed to prefer the outdoor seating under the awnings.
I appreciate a few more punters would make for a bit more atmosphere, but I enjoyed my porter and snuck a bespoke beermat into my pocket, so I was happy.

A little further up the road, past Bermondsey tube station, is the multi-award winning Royal Oak.

The Royal Oak (44 Tabard Street, Borough, London, SE1 4JU)
When Harvey's Brewery acquired this Victorian corner pub in 1997 it was in a run-down sorry state of disrepair.  I think the refurbishment, to a style befitting it's 1850s origins, looks pretty good.

The main entrance leads to a porch with an old off-sales hatch, doors leading in either direction to two rooms separated by a spectacular central bar.
Plenty of Harvey's to pick from, with 'XX', 'Armada', 'Sussex Best', 'Sisters', and 'Old Ale' on offer.  I almost went Old Ale, then spotted this...

Wow!  A dark 5.8% malty brew with a burnt smoky flavour - the 'Bonfire Boy' was beer of the day, hands down.
The next customer in, wheeling his luggage behind him, bonded with the chap behind the bar over Falkirk roots.  He declared the Guinness here on top form, picked the seat next to mine and chatted to me about worldwide adventures, train fares and pubs.
Whoever knew the Scots could be so friendly?

My next stop was a bit of an unknown quantity, picked purely because I was passing close by, it promised a local cask ale, and had plentiful picnic benches outside, which would be useful if the weather took an abrupt turn for the better.

The Roebuck (50 Great Dover Street, Borough, London, SE1 4YG)
An inn has existed on this spot on the London to Dover road since at least 1732, although the Victorian bull-nosed flat-iron building we see today dates to 1892.  It was elaborately designed by architect Edgar Augustine Hawkins with red brick frontage, green domed roof and Dutch gables.

It turned out to be a very typically revamped pub.  Open-plan, familiar paint colours, abundant plant life, a pricey but interesting food menu.
Beer-wise, the choice was pale ales from Southwark or Big Smoke, or a best bitter from Five Points.

The Five Points for me - on average form.
The Roebuck is certainly worth a look, but it wasn't somewhere I wanted to linger on this occasion.

Moving on, I walked to the end of Great Dover Street and turned left at the New Kent Road roundabout.  This bit of my route was bereft of real ale pubs, but I was passing The George which had a Heritage star.
And a description on the CAMRA website that demanded investigation:
"Ungentrified local custom"

The George (40 Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey, SE1 4TR)
Just in case the grey skies didn't foil the perfect pub picture, the scaffolders have paid the George a visit.
The first thing of note was some lovely 'Truman's Burton Brewed Beers' windows.  There are three ways in, my route through the door on the corner labelled 'Saloon Bar' with additional "Our Toilets Are For Customers Only" signage. 

It doesn't matter what door you go through - the interior is now open plan, enabling you to circumnavigate the central bar.
It's rather lovely.  A grand peninsula counter, lots of wood, magnificent stained glass on the doors to the Office and Ladies (the Gents either didn't warrant an elaborate bit of glass or have broken theirs).

The best features are preserved from the 1930's Truman's rebuild of this corner pub, when they opted to replace the former mid-19th century Sportsman Inn that stood on the site.
Just don't come in expecting exotic craft beer...

I took a seat on the fine benches at the side of the room with radiators behind them - they must be on a great energy tariff as my £3.20 for a pint of John Smiths Smooth is unlikely to cover the toasty heat which demanded outdoor layers be stripped off.

Albert Hammond, Diiv, and Husbands on the sound system confirmed we'd moved forward a decade from the Blue Maid.
The TVs were showing the horse racing channel, but you already knew that.
There were ten or so locals dotted around, half them depositing a shopping bag on a chair before doing the rounds.
"Stop asking if I'm alright," the wine-quaffing lady nearest to me reprimanded her friends, before declaring "Victoria married the most handsome man on the planet."

Prince Albert? David Beckham? David Mitchell? I shall never know.

It was a short hike down the road to reach the turn for Bermondsey Street where I was heading back into cask ale and Beer Guide territory.

The Hand & Marigold (244 Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey-West, London, SE1 3UH)
This Victorian street corner local was constructed around the end of the 19th century.  It took the name from an older hostelry that traded in several locations nearby, named after the ladies who strode out onto the Thames Marshes nearby to pick flowers.  Hunting for marigolds to pick by the Thames in 2026 is likely to end in disappointment.

I entered to Lynrd Skynrd, a jovial welcome, and a choice of ales that required a bit more decision making than the Strongbow-John Smiths conundrum in the George.

The one with the castle on the pump clip, please.  (What, not the dinosaur?!)
My Leigh-on-Sea Brewery 'Castle Black' was a super porter, packing in plenty of flavour for a sub 4% strength.
The keg list was impressive too, including beers from Kernel, Cloudwater, Two Flints and Utopian, a green hopped brew from Anspach & Hobday or sour from Pastore.  The kind of pub where you could very sensibly assess the increasingly heavy rain outside and elect to spend the rest of the afternoon in.

More folks arrived as I sat to one side enjoying a fine beer and a bit of Tom Petty and Blue Öyster Cult.
But I must move on.

The walk down Bermondsey Street confirmed that this is a bit of South London that has well and truly become gentrified...Gail's bakery, ramen, hip coffee shops, seafood and wine bar, pricey hair salons.
And an art gallery ready to be badly photographed..

I walked up this street in October 2025 on my way between Southwark Brewery and The Trinity.  How did I not notice the gallery?
I decided to pop my head in.  Nice ceiling display of umbrellas on the main thoroughfare - they'd come in handy - are they for sale?

Modern art is sometimes challenging.

What an incredible venue, though...

Pulling my hood up, I trundled on to  the bottom of Bermondsey Street and under the railway lines...

Back on the southern side of the station I was close to the Shipwright Arms, somewhere I did visit years ago but it - or at least it's immediate surroundings - have changed beyond recognition.

The Shipwrights Arms (88 Tooley Street, London Bridge, SE1 2TF)
Another Victorian inn, this time dating back to 1884 when George Treacher oversaw the construction of this blue and brick inn with a Caryatid figure supporting the corner bay window.  Or the "bird with one tit out above the door" as I found it described elsewhere - not the kind of uncouth wording you'd ever get on this blog.

At the bar was a relatively rare sighting these days of Doom Bar, but I picked the 'London Pale Ale' from Southwark, brewed just down the road in the railway arches.

"Are you staying inside?" asked the bubbly young lady serving me, despite the need for outdoor plastic pint pots being minimal in the miserable weather. "Silly question, but you never know."
Kelly Rowland's 'Motivational' blasted from the speakers too loudly, competing with the babble of tipsy conversation from the big groups.

The arrival of Wetherspoon's doesn't appear to have affected the Shipwright's pre-train-trip business too much, judging by the crowd on my visit.
The island bar is wonderful. The beer quality good, if not great.  Not a place to finish your Southwark explorations if you're looking for a peaceful pint, though.

It doesn't seem five minutes since I was posting pictures from London with glorious blue sky over the Thames.
I think my luck with the weather has changed for the rest of 2026...

London's Pub of the Year 2026

On the first day of October the sun was still shining and London was calling (to the faraway towns).
My main aim was to visit the 2026 CAMRA Greater London pub of the year.  The Cockpit in Chislehurst claims that accolade, one of the 16 winners throughout the country which get the chance to be beaten to overall winner by the Tamworth Tap.

A direct train from central London would whisk me to Chislehurst too early for the pub, so I instead caught the non-stop service from Victoria to Bromley, from where I could catch a bus later.

Bromley has two stations either side of the pedestrianised shopping centre.  Arriving in the southern one placed me straight across the road from Wetherspoons.
Back to business as usual and starting the day in Spoons (of which there were no shortage on this day out).

The Richmal Crompton (23 Westmoreland Place, Bromley, BR1 1DS)
Opened in 1999 as a Lloyds No.1, this is named after the Just William author who was born just up the road in Chislehurst.
It's a cavernous place, stretching back a long way into a L-shape with ample outdoor seating to the side.

Perusing the hand-pumps I asked for the Lymestone Cowboy only to be told it was off, followed by no attempt being made to turn the pump-clip round.  Why-oh-why keep advertising something I can't have?
So I ended up with the Nethergate 'White Stout' - the £3.40 guest ale price suggesting Bromley doesn't qualify for the bargain end of the Spoons pricing matrix.

White Stout?!  It was a beer packed full of vanilla and white chocolate and was fine for about half a pint until the novelty wore off.

My breakfast wrap was a let-down - haphazardly wrapped, all the best bits at one end, with an egg that looked like it had been cooked several hours earlier.
Hmmm... unavailable beer; substandard wrap; dubious carpet design; a pub too vast to find a cosy corner; this wasn't winning me over.
But on the plus side you get some lovely loos on ground floor level and the lesser-seen Wetherspoon's feature of darts boards in the Richmal Crompton.

Moving on, I wandered through the centre of Bromley, making my way to current Beer Guide entry, the Partridge.

 

The Partridge (194 High Street, Bromley, BR1 1HE)
This impressive building was opened as the National Provincial Bank in 1927, during a post-war period where residential properties were being demolished to make way for a more commercial High Street.  It was designed by architects Gunton & Gunton in a Neo-Georgian style with lots of elaborate decorative features which would later secure it Grade II listed status.
The entrance lobby is an instant delight...

The Provincial became Nat West, then closed in the early nineties, providing Fuller's the opportunity to convert this into one of their Ale & Pie pubs in 1995.
The Partridge still offers 'signature pies', but the Ale & Pie brand disappeared when the marketing moguls decided they needed to make it clear to customers that a wider choice of food and drink were on offer.
Apparently not everyone wants a calorific pie and pint of ESB, although I've no idea why not.

I plumped for the guest Bristol Beer Factory 'Independence' - CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2026.  Tiny Rebel provided the second Fullers alternative in the form of 'Dunk', which seems to be getting everywhere at the moment.
My 'Independence' was on very good form.
The surroundings weren't too shabby either.

The Partridge's main bar is spectacular, with reserved tables in the neat little snug area next to the entrance, plus an additional dining area to the rear.
The soundtrack was lesser-heard Wings track 'Let Me Roll It', followed by 'Wayward Son', 'Friday I'm in Love', 'Hungry like Wolf', and 'Rocket Man'. 
That's a playlist steadily heading into poppier territory, so time to move on to (not another!) JDW... 
The second of Bromley's Spoons is close to the Partridge, north of the pedestrian main drag.

The Greyhound (205 High St, Bromley BR1 1NY)
And it is vastly different from the big open space of the earlier one.  The Greyhound is a pokey place with lots of wood panelled pillars dividing a deceptively big room and making it slightly awkward to maneuver through.
This was added to the Wetherspoon's estate in 2011, converting a building which had most recently been an Italian restaurant, although spent most of it's existence as a former pub of the same name.

It was doing a roaring Thursday lunchtime trade.
There were a mixture of folks standing at the bar and a couple awkwardly trying to form a queue.  The local - the type of fella who's having his Carling poured without having to ask - pointed at me and shouting "Him!" when the staff asked who's next, which was handy, even though I wasn't.

A Mad Cat 'Platinum Blonde' for me, brewed in Faversham.
A chewy, hoppy beer, in respectable condition.

Drinking up, I scooted through the streets to Bromley North where I could catch bus 269 to Chislehurst.

Chislehurst is home to just over 15,000 folks, has 'affluent' added to every description of it, has caves which some real rock legends have played gigs in, and was the birthplace of one-time land speed record holder Malcolm Campbell.
It can now also add 'home of the 2026 CAMRA Greater London pub of the year' to the list of achievements.

The Cockpit ( 4 Royal Parade, Chislehurst BR7 6NR)
Royal Parade isn't your average suburban row of retail outlets.  Instead of vape shops and fried chicken you get an art gallery, Paws pet care centre, a dry cleaners and Walnuts cafe.  Affluent.
No florists though, as that made way for the micro pub in 2020.

There is still a flower counter to the left of the front door incorporated into the Cockpit which must be a bit of a unique feature.
Head to the rear under the hops adorning the ceiling and you'll find the bar with beer board and an extensive range of crisps and nibbles.

The house beer is a 3.8% bitter brewed in collaboration with Tonbridge and priced under a fiver.  Other options on my visit were three ales from Kent Brewery, a session pale from Howling Hops, a strong IPA from Pig & Porter, and another bitter from Lakedown. 
I started with the Kent 'Dubai' - a delicious chocolate and pistachio stout.

The pub consists low tables to the front, high feet-danglers to the back.  No music or distractions.  Bespoke beer mats.  Posh snacking.
Two smartly dressed ladies made multiple visits to the bar to order a bottle of wine, iced water, charcuterie and cheese sharing board, then back again to add a pot of paté.
Yep, not food accompaniments found in the original Kent micros.

A smart comfortable pub with a fine choice of ale and cider.
I enjoyed it enough to stay for another, picking the 'Pit' house beer this time, served in excellent condition, as was the stout.

Deaprting from the Cockpit, I hopped aboard a bus back toward Chislehurst train station.
The signage on the bus doors is very friendly, ensuring you don't need to actually have that interaction with the driver.

I hopped off near the Ramblers Rest, a weatherboarded pub at the bottom of a grassy slope that I'd spotted when travelling past earlier.
Great pub sign...

The Rambers Rest (Mill Pl, Chislehurst BR7 5ND)
The pub claims to date back to 1684 when it was known as the Miller's Arms.  By the 18th century the railway had arrived in Chislehurst bringing additional custom who came to visit the fairs on the heath and take in the sights of Chislehurst.  Post war it had spells as an antiques store and restaurant, until Whitbread purchased the building in 1993.

It looks great from outside.
Does the interior live up to the exterior?  Nope.

A very dull modernisation - the dreary 'Drugs Don't Work' in the background - golf on TV - zero afternoon punters.
I ordered a half of the sole cask, Timothy Taylor 'Landlord'.
"There's a nice garden out back.  Or sit out front.  Sit anywhere you like m'love," the lady behind the bar told me  You don't get many 'm'loves' in London. 
Not a bad Tim Taylors, even if the Ramblers didn't give me the nice rustic pub room I was hoping for.

Down the hill to the station, I pondered which train to catch and where to head to next.
I guess the bear would go to the woods.

So Petts Wood it was.
There will be another Spoons there.