Crystal Palace is famous for a long burned down, rather large greenhouse. Or perhaps the two television transmitting towers that take advantage of the area being South London’s answer to Parliament Hill? But to London’s beer drinkers, the area offers a great opportunity for a pub crawl that sits – topographically at least – way above other rivals.
This crawl starts and finishes at Crystal Palace station. It mainly follows the compact Crystal Palace Triangle; an area of pubs, bars and mostly independent shops at the top of Westow Hill, about a ten-minute steep walk uphill from the station (though there’s plenty of buses which can take the strain). There’s a surprising concentration of pubs in the triangle and many more good ones than space allows to mention. So, don’t be surprised if you get lost in this triangle for longer than you anticipated.
Westow House is right at the top of Westow Hill, bang at a location that’s perhaps unique in London. It’s where the boundaries of five London boroughs converge at one single point: three inner, Lewisham, Southwark, and Lambeth, and two outer, Croydon and Bromley. On the Lambeth side, and maybe flouncing inner-city chutzpah, Westow House is a large Victorian pub, known both for its quirky décor (an Antic trademark) and its range of real ales. There’s usually something available from Volden, Antic’s house brewery, often Palace Pale, produced specially for the pub. Guests include Thornbridge Jaipur IPA and LocAles from the likes of Brockley brewery. The pub has a knack of appealing to all kinds of customers. On one hand there’s a menu that’s very quinoa burger gastropub but there’s also sport on the TV screens and table football to play yourself plus a library stuffed with quirky paperbacks.
Apparently Second World War bombs obliterated the pub’s original upper storeys. For the last two years the pub has been shrouded in scaffolding. At the end of 2019 Antic revealed the results of a restoration, reinstating the pub to its former glory with a function room and several boutique hotel bedrooms on two rebuilt upper floors. The restoration of Westow House mitigates, to some degree, the fate of the Grape and Grain opposite, which was a real-ale fixture until its closure late 2017. It is reported it will return.
There are several pubs further along Westow Hill, including Walker Briggs, another Antic house. It’s a long, thin pub with spectacular views from the back over the London skyline. The basement toilets (gents at least) appear to be extraordinarily ancient. A good selection of ales, included, on my visit, Volden’s Autumn, Pint from Marble Brewery and Oakham Citra. Opposite Walker Briggs is Craft and Courage, a cosy micropub that eschews mass-produced beers. There’s no cask beer, unfortunately, but worth a look if you dabble with keg ones.
Over the road – and passing from Lambeth to Croydon – the Sparrowhawk stands at a busy crossroads at the western corner of the Triangle. The open plan layout, huge windows and chunky pine furniture attract the sort of Millennial foodie crowd that large pubs like this need to thrive but I can attest that it does a nice pint of Harvey’s Sussex Best. Turn left at the Sparrowhawk and at the final corner of the triangle – crossing the boundary into Bromley – is the Alma. This is another Victorian pub with a central bar surrounded by wooden furniture which attracts a varied crowd, including young families and diners. The pub promotes LocAle and, unusually, frequently offers a mild. It was Magg’s Mild from West Berkshire Brewery on my visit. The Alma also serves beers from breweries such as Long Man, Purity and East London.
Rather than returning directly to Crystal Palace station, it’s worth taking a diversion along the back streets that run steeply downhill away from the Alma towards the main road between Crystal Palace and Anerley stations. That’s where the Gipsy Hill brewery-run micropub, the Douglas Fir, can be found. Formerly a hairdressers, it offers a couple of unusual cask beers (in addition to keg) in a disarmingly cosy and friendly environment. My Almasty Simcoe successfully took my mind off the steep trek back uphill to Crystal Palace station.
Charlie Mackle (who also took the photos)