The Iron Horse in Sidcup,complete hole. Which is the pub at the lights on the A20 in Mottingham? Only went there once 12 years ago,my sister was moving out of Chislehurst and we got the bus to Mottingham to get the train and had a pint there.Never again!
Also one of the Footscray establishments where a gentleman that lived in a caravan thought it was hysterically funny to let a shot gun off through the letterbox one Friday afternoon,not long after the all day opening started in the late 80s.
@sounsada$1.67 or whatever a pound is now (my keyboard doesnt have pounds on it )
I was brought up on perry vale where the forresters arms is, its had many owners, and it was beautiful when i was akid and started drinking there at 14yrs old (true...those were the days)...glad its making a comeback, my mum still lives 200yards away, maybe she can pop in bless here heart!
I saw the thread title and immediately thought of the Porcupine at the end of my road, popped in for a pint about 6 months ago with a mate, had about half of it and popped right back out. We were made to feel so uncomfortable.
Reminded me of a time when I was younger living in Downham, me and a couple of mates had a couple of pints in the Downham Tavern. In walk three black fellers, order a beer and sit down. The guy behind the bar turned the juke box off and everyone in the pub stopped talking and just stared at these fellers. It was like something out of a western, truly awful. Needless to say these fellers had about a quarter of their beers and left pretty sharpish. No sooner had the door shut behind them and the juke box came back on and everyone resumed their conversations, totally surreal.
The porky still has small animals at the back of its garden. like i said, such a shame. I'm definately going to go there more often in the summer to make the most of it. There are no other pubs with decent gardens for the summer.
Where is the Iron Horse in Sidcup? wasn't that turned into Metro about 20 years ago? its still rotton anyway. smells of wee. had a drink in there before xmas.
The black horse in sidcup high street was awful, went in for a quick drink a few years ago, they had some incredibly loud music blaring out so you could barely hear yourself think. turned into a curry house after and now demolished for flats.
Suzi its hardly surprising that no one goes in the Porky anymore when on just this thread alone there are at least 8 people that have been in within the last year and had an horrendous experience!
If the landlord has taken "the locals' to the Royal expect that to be closed within 6 months.
Agree that its sad though...we use to use the Porky as our post game pub for years after playing football on Sunday morning at Foxes Fields.
Continuing with the Porcupine........With the greatest respect Suzie the garden is looking decidedly rough.....worn patches of grass, unatended lawns turned brown and dusty.......sad looking and decidedly uninviting furniture, rubbish strewn paths and verges as well as crumbling ornamental walls and broken paving slabs. Add to that the dustbins, rubbish containers, peeling paintwork and dodgy looking guttering and outside water pipes and it's an awful eyesore. Certainly not a garden I could happily sit in and feel at ease and indeed didn't. I went out there to get away from the low lifes inside. Yes, there are the animal enclosures/pens but to be honest they aren't that well tended and I somehow ended up feeling quite sorry for them. The Bull in Chis has a lovely garden don't you think and potentialy The Lord Northbrook near Lee Station has a super garden, which I understand is being redeveloped shortly in keeping with the superb re-fit the pub has just had.
@DanDavis - less than 8, I have posted about it twice and others have posted about experiences years ago, so slight exaggeration.
Anyway, apologies for getting defensive but knowing some of the 'good' people of Mottingham that are locals to both the Royal and the Porcupine I'd rather you didnt tar everyone with the same brush. Perhaps 'regulars' would be a better term to use - as you were once one of those yourself on Sunday mornings.
The same person owns both pubs, so its rididculous that he is encouraging people to go to one and not the other considering he only bought the porky recently. The royal was empty for months when re opened as a gastro pub. the fella should take note from the new owners of the Northbook. that is how to turn around a pub. Do it up. Invite everyone including existing ratbag regulars. Invite local business to opening night. put prices up. introduce food. ratbag regulars won't go back as prices too much. within 3 weeks you have a pub that you can't get a table in any day of the week. good amount of bar staff and good selection of booze.
@Soundsasa$ the porky's garden is still bigger than any other garden in the area, with a mixture of seating, grass etc. I was in there a month ago, and didn't go down the end of the garden as it was fookin' cold on xmas eve, but just under the heaters under the umbrellas near the patio doors. seemed fine to me. Can't speak for the animals, although viewed a house which backed onto the pub garden this weekend and looked well kept from there as I specifically had a peek. Obviously viewing in the winter is not the best time to see a garden, and i think its only been back as the porky for a few months (it was changed to the elm tree for a period and had different owners)
The bull in chislehurst has an ok garden, although more tables and concrete (with cracks and gaps if we're getting really nit picky!) and not much grass if i remember rightly from last summer when I was there.
The northbrook has a courtyard garden at the moment, only with room for 2 benches in it? not sure where else there could be a garden as there is a building to the back of the courtyard and a gate to the side, but it would be brilliant if there was one attached and if it was available to customers.
Suzie, I can assure you there's a sizeable walled garden back there......if you look at the wall along the street at the back of the pub that's how long the garden is and I'd say it's a good 30 feet wide for the entire length.
I've counted at least 4 people agreeing with my post (so on the basis they all took a friend with them) I stand my figure of 8!
Sooze, c'mon you know when I say locals I don't refer to the whole of a town. (and you know I'll defend SE12 and close by to the hilt having spent my whole life there!)
Locals, regulars, whoever they were.......that afternoon last year was my worst experience in a SE London pub.....thats all I'm saying.
@Soundas - brill news. My dad is looking for somewhere to hold his 60th birthday afternoon drink up in the summer - as I was trying to find somewhere in south east london to hold my 30th that had a garden and a decent pub. It just simply doesn't exist so I had to hold it on Blackheath common and use the Hare and Billet pub. Because my dad wants his granddaughter and other kids to have a safe area to be in he would prefer a pub with a big garden and the northbrook would be perfect, seeing as he grew up in the area and it was one of the first pubs he ever drank in!
Years ago spent an evening with a Millwall supporter in a pub with Lawrie Madden and Mike Flanagan. Never remembered where it was, thought it was near Deptford. After Greenwich Market last Sunday stumbled across The yacht, that was the pub. Not my area, so most on here will probably know the Yacht well. Not one of London's worst though, probably one of the best? Lawrie Madden odffered to race me round the block as I said he was slow. Will never know.
Comments
Which is the pub at the lights on the A20 in Mottingham? Only went there once 12 years ago,my sister was moving out of Chislehurst and we got the bus to Mottingham to get the train and had a pint there.Never again!
Its been done up a fwe years now so i would say richie you would be safe to go back in. Its quite nice.
re the "the old porky" ...used to be a lovely pub when i was a kid ...they had donkeys ,goats etc in the beer garden
I was brought up on perry vale where the forresters arms is, its had many owners, and it was beautiful when i was akid and started drinking there at 14yrs old (true...those were the days)...glad its making a comeback, my mum still lives 200yards away, maybe she can pop in bless here heart!
Reminded me of a time when I was younger living in Downham, me and a couple of mates had a couple of pints in the Downham Tavern. In walk three black fellers, order a beer and sit down. The guy behind the bar turned the juke box off and everyone in the pub stopped talking and just stared at these fellers. It was like something out of a western, truly awful. Needless to say these fellers had about a quarter of their beers and left pretty sharpish. No sooner had the door shut behind them and the juke box came back on and everyone resumed their conversations, totally surreal.
Went in once for a quick pint, never again.
George and Dragon ..bottom blackheath Hill ..........say no more.
Also any pub in a back street of London bridge after 7pm..............
Where is the Iron Horse in Sidcup? wasn't that turned into Metro about 20 years ago? its still rotton anyway. smells of wee. had a drink in there before xmas.
The black horse in sidcup high street was awful, went in for a quick drink a few years ago, they had some incredibly loud music blaring out so you could barely hear yourself think. turned into a curry house after and now demolished for flats.
Just up the road from the station.
If the landlord has taken "the locals' to the Royal expect that to be closed within 6 months.
Agree that its sad though...we use to use the Porky as our post game pub for years after playing football on Sunday morning at Foxes Fields.
Add to that the dustbins, rubbish containers, peeling paintwork and dodgy looking guttering and outside water pipes and it's an awful eyesore. Certainly not a garden I could happily sit in and feel at ease and indeed didn't. I went out there to get away from the low lifes inside.
Yes, there are the animal enclosures/pens but to be honest they aren't that well tended and I somehow ended up feeling quite sorry for them.
The Bull in Chis has a lovely garden don't you think and potentialy The Lord Northbrook near Lee Station has a super garden, which I understand is being redeveloped shortly in keeping with the superb re-fit the pub has just had.
@DanDavis - less than 8, I have posted about it twice and others have posted about experiences years ago, so slight exaggeration.
Anyway, apologies for getting defensive but knowing some of the 'good' people of Mottingham that are locals to both the Royal and the Porcupine I'd rather you didnt tar everyone with the same brush. Perhaps 'regulars' would be a better term to use - as you were once one of those yourself on Sunday mornings.
The same person owns both pubs, so its rididculous that he is encouraging people to go to one and not the other considering he only bought the porky recently. The royal was empty for months when re opened as a gastro pub. the fella should take note from the new owners of the Northbook. that is how to turn around a pub. Do it up. Invite everyone including existing ratbag regulars. Invite local business to opening night. put prices up. introduce food. ratbag regulars won't go back as prices too much. within 3 weeks you have a pub that you can't get a table in any day of the week. good amount of bar staff and good selection of booze.
The bull in chislehurst has an ok garden, although more tables and concrete (with cracks and gaps if we're getting really nit picky!) and not much grass if i remember rightly from last summer when I was there.
The northbrook has a courtyard garden at the moment, only with room for 2 benches in it? not sure where else there could be a garden as there is a building to the back of the courtyard and a gate to the side, but it would be brilliant if there was one attached and if it was available to customers.
Sooze, c'mon you know when I say locals I don't refer to the whole of a town. (and you know I'll defend SE12 and close by to the hilt having spent my whole life there!)
Locals, regulars, whoever they were.......that afternoon last year was my worst experience in a SE London pub.....thats all I'm saying.
I might have to fly back from Atlanta to see The (New) Northbrook with my own eyes!