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First Pubs Drinking Legally (or otherwise)

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  • I can’t remember, but I’d guess one of pubs on Eltham High St. 
  • Acab said:
    Pub - Yorkshire Grey, but was also drinking in the Greenwich Borough club opposite before the Grey.
    @Stig, If it’s the same one with a hotel attached then I stayed at the oysterfleet a few years ago.
    I must know you. When did you drink in the boro club.
    Have inboxed you
  • edited September 2020

    Wilma said:
    The Salutation in Dartford town centre. We were 15. Had two pints and my mate ended up outside puking. Bull and Vic in Dartford town centre was always good for under age drinking, and was run by the most miserable old git you could imagine, called Les. As someone has commented above, now a scummy disco. Drank in the Coach and Horses in Dartford town centre from about 16 to 26. Great great times. Then became a night club for teenagers and they bought the adjacent travel agents and knocked in to one. We visited for old times sake when we were in our 30s and looked a little out of place... Its now Dartford Sports Bar, and took my son there to watch Darts in the play off final a couple of months ago. Will definitely go back.
    Got asked for ID in the Bull & Vic once and the landlady (I think) pulled up the new barman and told him I was fine as I was a regular. I was only 16! 

    Also used to frequent the Coach & Horses and then stumble off to Zens for a dance. 


    The fact you called it Zens probably makes you about 8 years younger than me! When it opened as Flicks in 78 we went to the opening night. We were 17 and the required age was 25 I think. Have a feeling they were less bothered about age in those days
     We went to the 1st year anniversary at Flicks - 79  I assume from your post, so we would of been 17 - happy days
  • The White Hart, Eltham.
  • The Crown, Burnt Ash Hill, The Summerfield, Baring Road
  • edited September 2020
    The Alma in Plumstead at 15, used to go in there on a Sunday after football, the landlord wasn’t impressed when I celebrated my 18th in there. Would also pop in there during breaks in the school day, or the Forester’s as the teachers wouldn’t walk that far.
  • The Valley pub 
    Co-op club Woolwich
  • Wilma said:
    The Salutation in Dartford town centre. We were 15. Had two pints and my mate ended up outside puking. Bull and Vic in Dartford town centre was always good for under age drinking, and was run by the most miserable old git you could imagine, called Les. As someone has commented above, now a scummy disco. Drank in the Coach and Horses in Dartford town centre from about 16 to 26. Great great times. Then became a night club for teenagers and they bought the adjacent travel agents and knocked in to one. We visited for old times sake when we were in our 30s and looked a little out of place... Its now Dartford Sports Bar, and took my son there to watch Darts in the play off final a couple of months ago. Will definitely go back.
    Got asked for ID in the Bull & Vic once and the landlady (I think) pulled up the new barman and told him I was fine as I was a regular. I was only 16! 

    Also used to frequent the Coach & Horses and then stumble off to Zens for a dance. 


    The fact you called it Zens probably makes you about 8 years younger than me! When it opened as Flicks in 78 we went to the opening night. We were 17 and the required age was 25 I think. Have a feeling they were less bothered about age in those days
    I went to Flicks once, it was an under 18s night shortly before it closed and rebranded as Zens! 
  • edited September 2020
    The Bricklayers Arms, Trafalgar Rd, aged16.
    A pint of bitter was 33p and we'd drink in the side bar - 'Harry's Bar' - which had a jukebox with punk singles. You got drugs there as well: three 'tombstones' for a quid...
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  • edited September 2020
    The Kings Head Navenby - a ten minute walk from where I lived aged 16 in 1976.  I had a pint of Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter on my own and left without really talking to anyone.  A pattern that has stayed with me my whole life.  Except now it tends to be more than one pint...

    10 of the best places for Sunday lunch in and around Lincoln according to  Trip Advisor - Lincolnshire Live
  • The Kings Head Navenby - a ten minute walk from where I lived aged 16 in 1976.  I had a pint of Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter on my own and left without really talking to anyone.  A pattern that has stayed with me my whole life.  Except now it tends to be more than one pint...

    10 of the best places for Sunday lunch in and around Lincoln according to  Trip Advisor - Lincolnshire Live
    Must be one of the most unassuming pubs ever. Looks a bit like my old 2up/2down terrace house in Gravesend.
  • Think it was the Running Horses at Erith, I was 16 or 17 which is quite late compared to some. In our last year at school we used to go into the Royal Oak in North Heath, we'd sit at one end and some of the teachers were at the other end and used to pretend they didn't see us. Used to be funny when you arrived at the bar at the same time.
  • edited September 2020
    The Star in Woolwich on John Wilson Street. I went there on my own to see if I liked beer!! Guess what. I did.
  • Lord Hill Bexleyheath at around 15, if I remember I used to drink Lager and Lime before I went to the Real Ale, now I’m back on the Lager.
  • The Crown, Cranbrook High Street, now a Costa coffee shop. Plus the Railway Bell Tonbridge, now flats.
  • The Princess of Wales, Blackheath, before moving on to the Royal Standard.
  • The Salutation in Dartford town centre. We were 15. Had two pints and my mate ended up outside puking. Bull and Vic in Dartford town centre was always good for under age drinking, and was run by the most miserable old git you could imagine, called Les. As someone has commented above, now a scummy disco. Drank in the Coach and Horses in Dartford town centre from about 16 to 26. Great great times. Then became a night club for teenagers and they bought the adjacent travel agents and knocked in to one. We visited for old times sake when we were in our 30s and looked a little out of place... Its now Dartford Sports Bar, and took my son there to watch Darts in the play off final a couple of months ago. Will definitely go back.
    Was it the Coach and Horses that had Hurlimans on draught  or the Royal Oak up the road ? 
  • MrOneLung said:
    The Salutation in Dartford town centre. We were 15. Had two pints and my mate ended up outside puking. Bull and Vic in Dartford town centre was always good for under age drinking, and was run by the most miserable old git you could imagine, called Les. As someone has commented above, now a scummy disco. Drank in the Coach and Horses in Dartford town centre from about 16 to 26. Great great times. Then became a night club for teenagers and they bought the adjacent travel agents and knocked in to one. We visited for old times sake when we were in our 30s and looked a little out of place... Its now Dartford Sports Bar, and took my son there to watch Darts in the play off final a couple of months ago. Will definitely go back.
    Was it the Coach and Horses that had Hurlimans on draught  or the Royal Oak up the road ? 

    Wasn't the Coach. I used to drink Breaker myself. Didn't go in the Oak much so it may well have been there
  • King's head in Gravesend next to the cinema. 27p for a pint of Carling black label 29p with lime....those were the days.
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  • Think it was the Running Horses at Erith, I was 16 or 17 which is quite late compared to some. 
    I sadly was a very youthful kid much to my frustration and was 18 before I got served and always needed I.D.

    The last time i was asked for I.D I was buying White Spirit (aged 41) and it wasn't a cheap alternative to Whiskey if anyone is wondering. 😉


  • The George, Kingsman Street, Woolwich. Started when I was 15 as I looked a lot older and knocked around  with older friends.
    20 yards from where my girlfriend/wife lived in St Mary Street.
    Me too, I lived in Kingsman Street and could see The George from my bedroom window.
  • Freemasons Arms Plumstead, I was happily drinking a pint of light and bitter served by the landlord, when the landlady came out from the back and said, you are under age, you went to primary school with my son, and threw me  out, I was only 15.
  • edited October 2020
    @paulbaconsarnie @Acab My mum’s cousin ran the Greenwich Borough bar for a while. Would have been late 80s.  She also, with her husband, ran the Dover Castle on Deptford Broadway in the late 70s/early 80s.

    My da worked for Fords in Woolwich and they often went on a short working week. Da would do bar work at the Dover to make up for it and I used to do the Saturday morning shifts with him.  

    In at 9am, bottling up and making sure all the kegs in the cellar were ready. Up to Tary’s Cash & Carry in the Old Kent Road for a cheap keg or 2 without letting on to the brewery. Then serving pints from 11-3 when the pub closed and da let me have a beer. Only the odd half.


    I was doing that from the age of 12 for 2 years...probably explains a lot 🤷🏻‍♂️😂
  • edited October 2020
    The Kings Head Navenby - a ten minute walk from where I lived aged 16 in 1976.  I had a pint of Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter on my own and left without really talking to anyone.  A pattern that has stayed with me my whole life.  Except now it tends to be more than one pint...

    10 of the best places for Sunday lunch in and around Lincoln according to  Trip Advisor - Lincolnshire Live
    Must be one of the most unassuming pubs ever. Looks a bit like my old 2up/2down terrace house in Gravesend.
    It's bigger than that photo makes it look!  Probably a 40 - 45 foot frontage!

    Picture of Kings Head
  • Hare & Billet on summer evenings
    Kings Arms in Greenwich on a Friday night
    Dewdrop before gigs

    All served at 16 without any questions 
  • The Chequers, High Halden.
  • TelMc32 said:
    @paulbaconsarnie @Acab My mum’s cousin ran the Greenwich Borough bar for a while. Would have been late 80s.  She also, with her husband, ran the Dover Castle on Deptford Broadway in the late 70s/early 80s.

    My da worked for Fords in Woolwich and they often went on a short working week. Da would do bar work at the Dover to make up for it and I used to do the Saturday morning shifts with him.  

    In at 9am, bottling up and making sure all the kegs in the cellar were ready. Up to Tary’s Cash & Carry in the Old Kent Road for a cheap keg or 2 without letting on to the brewery. Then serving pints from 11-3 when the pub closed and da let me have a beer. Only the odd half.


    I was doing that from the age of 12 for 2 years...probably explains a lot 🤷🏻‍♂️😂
    Think you mentioned this in a inbox message to me previously.
    your mums cousin Pat? Proper old school landlady. 
  • Ye Olde Black Horse, Sidcup. Underage but if I could get served I'd go for a Barley wine or tripple vodka.
    God, I wonder if that’s still available, I seem to remember it being quite strong?

    I remember having one in my hand when the Cops 🚓 raided the pub I was in, can’t recall the pub, looking for underage drinkers of which I was one.
  • edited October 2020
    Probably, The Duchess, on Brook St, Northumberland Heath, almost next door to the school I attended.

    Also used to go to, The Pheasant near Grooms. They used to have a Bar Billiards table, I used to enjoy playing. Do they still exist?
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