Last March I had an afternoon out with the intention of visiting the Morden Arms in Greenwich (SE10 8SP), a Good Beer Guide pub that I’ve been meaning to get to for some time, along with any other pubs that I might come across.
I took the train to Greenwich. Outside the station there is what is now a Belushi’s. Previously this was the St Christopher’s Inn and before that it was two separate pubs, the Prince of Orange and the Station Hotel. I had been here thirty years ago when I had a pint of London Pride for £1.75. Unsurprisingly, there is no real ale now.
Turning right, away from the town, I proceeded along the High Road, passing Davy’s Wine Vault (formerly Colonel Jasper’s) but I didn’t go in as it didn’t seem likely to be doing any real ale; I may have been wrong. A bit further along used to be the North Star; once there were fourteen pubs in this area but now, sadly, this has been reduced to six.
Turning off the High Road I went through the side roads until I came to the Ashburnham Arms. This is a Shepherd Neame locals’ pub at the end of a terrace, built of sandstone brick with the lower walls painted pale green. Inside it’s very traditional, with front and side bars, a light wooded floor, low dark wood wall panels with green leafy wallpaper above and a white ceiling. The windows are leaded, there is a brick fireplace with a stove and the chesterfield settees and dark wood furniture make for a comfortable atmosphere. Again I had visited here thirty years ago when I drank Master Brew. This time, Master Brew was still available, along with Whitstable Bay, but I went for a seasonal ale called Maverick that I had not seen before. It cost £4.70 and it was good. Altogether this is a very pleasant pub. There were now several customers arriving as it was getting on for 5pm.
Carrying on in the same direction and turning right, I soon saw the Royal George, once another Shepherd Neame pub and still looking like a pub but unfortunately it is now flats, having closed in 2010. The pub name is still emblazoned across the front of the building with Shep’s logos either side.
Turning right into Guildford Grove I was presented with the impressive looking Guildford Arms. This is a good sized building with a curved front. The top two storeys are painted white and the ground surround is black. It seems that originally the building was a doctor’s surgery but was converted to a pub in 1822. Today it is very much upmarket in style, with a front two sided bar, a light wood floor, high wood wall panelling painted dark green and a black ceiling. The seating area at the rear has a panoramic view over the garden. At the bar there were two ales on offer, Brick Peckham Rye and By The Horns Classic. I went for the BTH which was very good but was £5.80. It was now 6pm and I was almost the only customer; time to move on.
Retracing my steps back up the hill to South Road, I came to Circus Street, a narrow unassuming side road where one would not expect a pub. Sure enough however, sitting on the next corner, was the brightly lit Morden Arms.
It is an impressive three-storey building, mostly in white and looking slightly out of place in a back street like this. Inside, it immediately felt quite comfortable, with a single bar area with a curved bar. It has a wood floor, red walls and a black and cream ceiling with several supporting pillars. For heating there is a stone fireplace with a stove and there are small square leaded windows around the walls. There is seating of various styles, with benches around the sides. There were four ales available; the seemingly inevitable Doom Bar plus some more local ales in the form of Forest Road Session, Iron Pier Perry Street and the one I went for, Brockley Red, which was good at £4.80. This is definitely a pub worth a visit and I wasn’t disappointed. It was getting busier now with quite a few customers in. As it was getting on for 7pm, I headed for my last port of call.
Going back to the High Road I called at the Lost Hour, a Stonegate pub. This is my favourite pub in the area to finish up in, being handy for the station. It’s not an original pub, having once been auction rooms and previously called the Auctioneer. It’s more of a modern sports bar but it was serving up to four ales when I came here in 2012 (including London Pride, Hobgoblin and Ghost Ship) at £3.05.
Today there was only Ghost Ship, still at a reasonable £4.20 and it was good. It was now 7.30 and was getting quite busy. I got my beer and settled into one of the metal tubed chairs in front of the many screens to watch the evening racing from Kempton Park. A good ending for another afternoon out with all the beers being good; now the short hop to the station and home.
Clive Taylor
Note: all four pubs that Clive visited are still open, although the beer ranges may have changed. The Davy’s Wine Vault does, in fact, do cask beer: Davy’s Old Wallop (believed to be Courage Directors).