London Pub Tour 47 - South Lambeth: Duke of Cambridge, Priory Arms and Flanagans

I jumped on the Victoria Line and headed three stops south to Stockwell for the start of my next three pubs in my London Pub Tour. Walking round the back of Stockwell bus garage I arrive at my first stop the Duke of Cambridge (SW8 2DQ). This is an estate pub under housing which had a few people outside smoking on seating. The pub looks like it might have originally had two sides but currently the pub occupies the right side and the left is a Venezuelan restaurant. Upon entering the pub the bar is on your left and runs down to the rear wall. There is cushioned seating under the front windows, with tables and then stools opposite. The majority of the pub space is taken up by a pool table which was in use an operating on the classic winner stays on, and as is always common, the better man loses to a fluke pot. The floor was a hard wearing grey carpet, that at first glance I thought was concrete. The walls are red and white and there was a table on one of the walls with the racing on, whilst a modern jukebox sat in the corner.

As is quite common with locals pubs all of the men were stood drinking around the bar which makes it impossible for you to find space to order. There were no ales on offer and the keg selection offered Strongbow in original, dark fruits or cloudy, Fosters, Guinness, San Miguel, Stella and Old Speckled Hen. The bottle selection was small but they did sell Super Bock and Super Bock Stout. I grabbed a pint of Stella for an amazing £3.80 and found a space on a table under the window. I watched the pool match ongoing and noted that the pub was mainly older Irish men who appeared to be in the building trade, with the rest being bus drivers who I hope had finished their shift.

I only stayed for the one and moved on to my main stop for the day the Priory Arms (SW8 2PB). The Priory Arms is not a large pub, but sits on a corner and has space outside for benches. The front of the pub has green boarding around it, and I understand is listed. The pub doesn't open till 5pm and I was a few minutes early but the lady setting up the outside let me go and sit inside till they opened. This gave me the perfect opportunity to browse around at the beer selection. The bar on the right hand wall and had 7 hand pumps. Only 4 hand pumps were on which were Kent Brewery's Brewers Reserve, Prohibition, Oakham's Enough Rope and Scarlet Macaw. On keg there was Paulaner Munich Hell, Pirate Life Stout, Gamma Ray, Schremser Hausbier, Jakes Kentish Cider, Drifter, Day Tripper and Easy Answer. There was also Blackberry Bush cider on cask. By the time I had finished perusing the bar was open for serving. I bought a pint of the Brewers Reserve for £4.50. The beer was very clear with a good lacing. Considering it was an american IPA the beer was quite bitter.

Now the pub has two levels to it, with the bar being on the lower level, and only having a few high tables with chairs. The rest of the seating is in the raised area which is only accessible by going past the front door again. The seating here is a long black 'leather like' cushioned seat running along the walls. I sat down on a small table that overlooked the bar. The walls of the pub are adorned with pump clips but if you look closely it appears where pump clips have been stolen they're putting XT Brewing or Tiny Rebel pump clips. On the pillar directly in front of me there were probably about 8 examples of this. The pub was very light and in the corner there were board games and books. I was still the only customer in the pub when I went up for my second beer, Stout by Pirates Life Brewing. As this beer was 7.1% I only went for a half and also bought a packet of the wonderful Synders jalapeno pretzels. The beer had a wonderful tan head and a great roasted flavour though you could taste the ABV, so was glad I went for a half (Or there abouts as they did pour in my favour). By my final drink, Day Drifter by Sand City Brewery four more punters had come into the pub. Again I only went for a half with Day Drifter, which was only 5.5% and had a very sweet aroma. The immediate taste is sweet with a bitterness in the after taste. Accompanying my drink this time was a packet of Tayto's Bang Bang Spicy Thai.

I left the pub though returned mere minutes later once I realised I had left my bag behind. Thankfully I don't have a dog nor child. Now with my bag in tow I made my way towards Battersea Park Station. Prior to arrving at the station I made a stop, mainly due to my bladder requiring emptying. I stopped at Flanagans (SW8 4AG) which is a nice looking stand along pub, with flower boxes on the outside, next to the train tracks in Battersea, surrounded by new developments going up in all directions. The outside normally has lots of benches but there appeared to be gas works going on, so the area was all dug up. The pub inside is very cosy and is exactly as advertised, an Irish Pub.

Irish Pub checklist
The pub is carpeted - Tick
Proper wooden bar - Tick
Solid wood seats - Tick
Female bar staff apart from owner - Tick
Irish Sports shown - Tick (Though Horse Racing currently on - Double Tick)

The pub itself is nice inside. As I said, cosy is the word I would use to describe as it was busy with lots of workers from the building site, and all the seats were taken. There is a raised seating area just beside the door with one table on it. The bar is in an L shape and had bar stools which all the regulars were sat on and chatting with the bar staff. On the top shelf of the bar there were a selection of unopened bottles ales, though they clearly weren't for sale.

The pub had two hand pumps which I wasn't expecting. Only one was one and it offered up Wandle. On keg we had Becks Vier, John Smith, Strongbow Original and Dark Fruits, Guinness (lots of), Coors Light, Stella, Carling and Fosters. I went for the Stella which much like the Duke of Cambridge can in at £3.80. There were a selection of Tayto crisps but after the pack I had at the last pub, I decided to steer clear this time. This pub isn't going to win any CAMRA pub awards but its a pub that I feel comfortable walking into, ordering a pint and either choosing to chat to people or just sit in quiet. It has a fire for winter time, and a nice outdoor area. Testament to this is how busy the pub always seems to be and the varying age of the customers. I enjoyed my pint and made the short walk to the station, happy with my pit stop.

London Pub Tour 46 - Barnsbury: White Swan, Brewhouse & Kitchen and Famous Cock Tavern

This was an unprepared London Pub Tour. My train route had delays so I got off at Highbury & Islington and decided to pop into a pub there and wait for the rush hour traffic to die down before getting my train home. I decided to pop into the Spoons - White Swan (N1 1RY) as it was only to be a quick drink whilst waiting for the trains to sort themselves out. This spoons is always popular with arsenal fans prior to and after the game so I wouldn't recommend visiting on a home match day. The pub takes the ground floor in an office block and to enter you walk up a few steps. The pub is very much to the spoons style with a large open plan floor stretching back quite some distance. The difference being that there is a mezzanine area with more seating which looks directly over the bar area. Underneath the mezzanine section there are low tables aimed more for the diners whilst the tables in front of the bar are all high tables with stools. The carpet is red with orange and black patterned leaves. Wood wavy blocks feature throughout on the walls, the bar and support columns. The pub certainly has that art deco feel to it, though the art on the wall looks like block patterns from Minecraft.

The queue at the bar was quite big and there wasn't an orderly service though I did get served by the nice assistant manager who was my name sake. As to be expected from a Spoons the normal keg range was available including Guinness, Shipyard, Carlsberg and Fosters. They also offered Asahi, Four Hour Session, Erdinger and Tuborg. Thankfully the Bud Light was off. There were 10 hand pumps which were serving Pride, GK IPA, Black Eel, Golden Host from Jennings, Via Ferrata, Ghost Ship. Abbott, Jamboree Elb, Doombar and Market Porter. I selected a pint of Four Hour Session from Hop Stuff Brewery which came in at £3.75. The beer is 4.2% abv and certainly wasn't hoppy in the way that I was expecting. The hops came with light floral taste and not the big hop hit I perhaps was expecting. Though the pub was busy there were plenty of tables free so I found one to drink my pint on. Whilst there I noticed there was quite a bit of natural light coming in for a spoons and realised there was a large floor to ceiling window opposite the bar and along the mezzanine staircase. Having the natural light really does bring more colour to the pub. Whilst sitting I noted that European Football was on tonight so texted a mate and decided to make an evening of it.

Now I've been to Highbury and Islington a few times but it's always to the same two pubs next to the station (the Famous Cock and the White Swan). I opened up WhatPub.com and decided to see what other places were nearby that I could visit. The one that stood out for me was the Brewhouse & Kitchen (N5 1JJ) which was directly across the square. When walking towards you see the large sign at the top of a building which you assume is the pub. As you enter the pub grounds you realise that the ground drops down to a lower level and into the large brewpub area and the stairs up to the hut like building are not where you're heading. I understand the upstairs does also have a bar and seating but on this day it wasn't deemed busy enough to be opened. The main downstairs area though was busy with quite a few people outside and all the tables inside taken or reserved. The pub had a very industrial look, with pipe work, exposed brick walls, vents, bottle lights hanging down on chains and more bottles used to make a tree of lights.

The bar is against the left hand side wall and offers up a selection of lagers from different breweries on the large copper pipes on the bar. There are also beers being dispensed from the taps on the rear wall. Sadly the own brewed lagers were all off but the house ales were on. A board on the rear displays what is available but is a bit confusing hence why it wasn't just me that enquirer about the house lager due to seeing it on the sign. For those who wish to know for a future visit, if there is a number next to it, its on, if its on the board and no number, its not. I guess I'm just used to signs showing what is on. There was a very large bottle selection. I'll just list everything that I could see available on keg and hand. So of the 8 hand pumps there were 2 off. The ales on were Trashed, Goal Scorer, Astronomer, Illustrator, Old Major and Orchard Pig Ginger Chili (I guess bag in box and not hand pump). On the keg there was Tongeelo Blond, Whistable Bay Black Oyster Stout, Aspall Suffolk, Sam Adams, Oranjeboom, Weihenstephan. There were some further keg beers on the back bar as see in the photo above. As I'd never come across the Whitstable Bay Black Oyster Stout, and the house lagers were off, I went for that. The beer was more creamy than their Double Stout but was of a similar good quality. It was to me a delightful beer and one I would have again.

As there were no seats I stood at an empty end of the bar and had my drink. The bar had a smooth stone top which was chipped in a few sections behind the bar. There were tiles around the bar floor but wood everywhere else. The cooper tanks for brewing were at the far end of the pub. Down the sides of the pub there were soft seating and tables, whilst the middle row houses high tables. The furniture was laid out where everyone had space, and I'm certain they could have added additional tables and seating if they wanted and still be spacious. There was an open kitchen area, and besides this there were a selection of boards games. Towards the front there was a large open raised fire pit, which wasn't on, but would certainly be a draw on a cold day. The pub was slightly dark as is normal with the element light bulbs some pubs use now days.

Sadly I was only able to stay for one as I had to rush across to the Famous Cock Tavern (N1 1RU) right next to Highbury & Islington station, to meet a mate to watch football with. As football was on the Cock was busy and no tables were free. But as the match had already kicked off there was no queue at the bar and I was easily able to order. There were 6 hand pumps with only three ales on - Landlord, Doombar and Atlantic. There was more choice in keg with Carling, Groslch, Sharps Orchard, Sharps Pilsner, Wolf Rock, Doombar, Budvar, Cheiftain, Blue Moon and Stowford Press. I got my pint of Wolf Rock and stood by one of the large centre pillars which had space to rest your pint. The beer was a sweet red ale which was fruity but not sessionable.

Down the middle of the pub were high tables, whilst on the side were booths. Towards the front it was just low tables and wood chairs. There were multiple screens in the pub, with a large projector towards the rear. The bar in this pub is actually towards the rear, probably because the closest entrance from the station is here. There is a covered beer garden out back, but at present due to construction work there are no tables out front of the pub. The bar is a dark wood and the floor has worn wood floorboards. There are some nice hanging lamps above the bar, and you almost don't notice the dark red paint on the walls and ceiling. This isn't a pub generally you would head to for a night out, and is more a pub for watching football or a quick pint whilst waiting to meet someone at the station.

After switching to the Pilsner and having a few pints, I actually went back to the Brewhouse and Kitchen. I managed to grab a table near the front door and had a pint of their ale. Goalscorer. It wasn't that great tasting but that could perhaps be my taste being affected by a mixture of drink by this stage. All in all it was nice to finally stray a little further in an area I do often stop by, but never explore. It's certainly an area that needs more exploring based on the Whatpub.com results.

London Pub Tour 45 - Hornsey: Great Northern Railway Tavern, Three Compasses and Hornsey Tavern

On a lovely warm Sunday I went to pay a visit to an area I used to hang out and visit some of the pubs I frequented. I selected this day as one of the pubs had just been re-opened by Fullers so I was interested to see what they had done with the pub. The location - Hornsey, the pub - Great Northern Railway Tavern (N8 7QB). I had fond memories of the GNR Taverm. This was a large pub with a beautiful wooden interior and a partition between the rear of the pub and the front. My over-riding memory was sitting drinking beer whilst a choir were practicing next door and hearing beautiful voices filling up the air. The pub though was in need of a good repair and it did close for while whilst undergoing a refurb. I never visited after the refurb but learned last year Fuller's had bought out the pub and it's been on my list to visit since.

I arrive early into the afternoon with the sun still high, and only four days after the official opening of the pub. The outside has remained the same with the etched windows and Fuller's have brought some of the lovely iron works back to life. I entered via the eastern door closest to the station and immediately could see the difference from before. The bar was facing straight at you and then turned down some steps, turned again and run all the way down the middle wall ending just prior to the conservatory area. This was now a large 'horseshoe' style bar. There were taps displaying about 6 beers on this short end of the bar. Walking down the steps and into the main pub area you are confronted with all the rest of the taps and 4 hand pumps. In all there were 21 taps serving up a selection of Fullers beer (Black IPA, Pride Unfiltered, Frontier...), some standard Fullers options (Veltins, Sierra, Kozel...) and a variety of small London brewery beers (N1, Crate). The four ales on offer were Howling Hops Chocolate Coffee Vanilla Milk Porter (Which was the first beer to run out at the Reading Beer Festival this year), Redemption Trinity, Sound Wave and of course London Pride. To go alongside this large offering we also had a large bottle selection offering the likes of Delirium and Kwak for the high ABV lovers.

I got speaking with the manager who gave me a taster of the Howling Hops Choc Coffee.....Porter which was okay but I really couldn't taste all those flavours in the one beer. I though had my eye on the Fullers Black IPA which I had not come across before but did know of its existence. The barmaid I ordered from tried to tell me cool kids don't call it Black I.P.A but Bipa. I'm not one for turning initialisation into words, and retorted do people come in and order ipa's or epa's? I took my lovely dark looking Black IPA, which came in 5.7% and cost £5.85, and walked to the conservatory of the pub. Now the area I entered the pub from seemed small and had a few tables. Then the area opposite the bar was more spacious and had quite a few tables against the wall. The conservatory area though is in a class of its own. From the four large high back chairs/sofas, to the grandfather chairs in front of the mirrored fire place, and tables around the outside. The ultimate piece was the stain glass windows on the ceiling. I sat down and just took in the look of the pub and though my pint had a sticky after feel it went well for the hot day and location.

I went back to the bar and ordered a pint of Brick Field Brown from Five Points Brewing which was also charged at £5.85. This was a dark caramel brown beer which has that sticky malty taste you expect. It was good but not a session beer. The pub wasn't that busy as it seemed a lazy Sunday and people were out elsewhere and perhaps unaware of this excellent establishment being open. The majority of people were sat outside in the beer patio area which didn't have a spare table. The back wall in the garden had multiple sloped roofs that make it feel like sheds lined up in a row. I would recommend people come visit this pub to see how a pub can be beautifully restored and brought back to be a central focal point. My only concern with such a large pub being run by Fullers and having such a large beer option is the knock on effect at the other local pubs. My next stop was to visit the Three Compasses (N8 7NX) which used to be the more upmarket Gastro pub.

The pub is a short walk and across the road from the GNR Tavern. The pub is beautiful to look at from the outside which a curvature to the building, and the white frontage fitting in nicely with the brick above. There are two entrances on either side of the pub. The floor is wood, with tiles around the bar floor and some bar stools available. The back bar is also tiled which I always like the look of. The pub is an L shape and the bar also, and the bar is made of a beautiful solid wood. The pub stretches back further than it's width. In the front half of the bar are lots of small numbered tables for dining and drinking. The rear has a sofa area opposite the bar which gathers around the fireplace but the rest is mainly setup for dining. The rear area has a sunlight and glass partitions which help the area look nice and bright. The pub has been refurbished since I last visited and seems to have become more food focused. Originally it would have been aimed at the city type who lived nearby but the area seems to have become younger and more upmarket which is who the pub are aiming at.

The bar had 6 hand pumps serving Pride, Knowles Spring by Tim Taylor, Rutterkin, Landlord, Last Suspect by Upham and Pride (again). The keg front was Carlsberg, Brooklyn, London Pale Ale, Pravha, Heneken, Stowford Press, East Coast IPA, Angelo, Poretti, Guinness and Amstel. I went for a pint of Rutterkin at £4.10. This golden ale had a slight citrus nose and quite a bitter taste to it, which they may classify as the zesty finish. The pub wasn't too busy and had about 10 people inside relaxing. This is Hornsey's oldest public bar and I don't see it being impacted too much by the Fuller's opening and should at least provide them with the need to up their game. The pub always has a good selection of ales which are non-gimmicky compared to perhaps the GNR Tavern's offerings.The pub was nice and airy and had a relaxing environment, with the furniture fitting in perfectly with the atmosphere.

I only stayed for the one as I had one more pub to visit which falls into the local pub category compared to the previous two pubs. The Hornsey Tavern (N8 7PB) is an ex-Greene King pub which I understand has been bought out and become independent. Upon entering though I seen that out of the three hand pumps, only one was on offering GK IPA, and bizarrely this was gravity drop and not from the tap. Just like the previous two pubs this is a large corner pub with multiple entrances. I entered through the front door where the bar slightly separates out the front and rear, but not entirely. The floor is carpeted with a dark colour and there is an array of low and high tables throughout the pub. Football was on TV and everyone was looking up at the many screens around the pub. The pub actually feels lighter than when I previously visited.

Since the only ale offering was GK IPA I knew I would be having a lager. The options were Coors light, Carlsberg, Stella, Peroni, Carling or Fosters. I went for a Stella which cost £4 and came in a Carling glass. The pub also served a variety of cheap snacks such as Space Raiders and Cheese Moments, so I obliged in picking up a few. I took a seat at an empty small table which had those accompanying small stools. There was a pool table towards the rear of the pub next to an electronic juke box. There were some cuddly toys above the bar. The pub was actually quite open and so felt empty considering there was at least 15 people in the pub. There is a small outdoor patio area which is mainly used for smoking and doesn't, as I learnt, lead to an outside exit.

I watched the first half of the football and made my way back down to the GNR Tavern to see whether it had picked up at all. The pub hadn't got any busier though more people were sitting inside as the Spring sun started to set. I picked up a pint of the generically named Lager by Crate Brewery and took up a seat again in the conservatory area. The pint wasn't that great as it had a strange after taste but it didn't ruin me harking back to fond memories of nights out always ending in the GNR.