Regional Cider Pub of the Year
The winner of the award for 2025 is the Owl & The Pussycat in Northfields. We send our congratulations accordingly. Arrangements for the presentation of the award are in hand.
Croydon & Sutton branch winners
Croydon & Sutton branch select a pub of the year in each of the boroughs that they cover. On Thursday 29 May, branch chair David Lands (right) presented the certificate to the Sutton borough winner, the Hope in Carshalton.
Then, on 10 June, David presented the Croydon borough certificate to Matt and Maria, owners of the Golden Ark in Selsdon. Their colleagues Ewan and Jonah also joined in the presentation.
The branch’s entry in the Regional Pub of the Year competition is the Hope.
Steve Thompson
Kingston & Leatherhead news
CAMRA is reorganising its regional structure and, as a result, the Kingston & Leatherhead branch will split later this year. Before that happens however, the branch celebrated its 50th anniversary. On 10 July, fifty years to the day, the branch revisited the Victoria in Surbiton where its inaugural meeting took place. This was followed, on 12 July, by a visit to the Park Brewery in Kingston. It was hoped to have some commemorative T-shirts available for order on-line. Check the branch website for details https://kandl.camra.org.uk/.
That part of the branch outside Greater London will move to the Elmbridge, Epsom and Leatherhead branch and a meeting will be held later in the year to discuss the creation of a new Kingston branch.
This edition’s cover photo of the Victoria (also above) comes from the archive of photographs left to the branch by long-term LD contributor Clive Taylor who passed away last June and will be remembered on 28 August (see diary entry).
Keith Richardson
Richmond & Hounslow news
Members of Richmond & Hounslow branch recently gathered at the Victoria Tavern in Isleworth to help landlord Paul Andrews celebrate his retirement after more than 50 years as a pub landlord. Paul, a great supporter of CAMRA, has owned this iconic back street corner pub for many years but it has now been sold.
Paul has managed several pubs in the branch area, including the Red Lion, the Rising Sun and the Swan, all in Isleworth, the Hogarth in Teddington and the Hole in the Wall in Richmond. Asked what he would be doing in retirement, Paul said he had no firm plans, but no more pubs to run please! The photo, with thanks to George Gimber, shows Paul in the pub doorway, surrounded by branch members.
John Austin
South East London
This year’s branch Cider Pub of the Year award has gone to the Victoria in Pages Walk, Bricklayers Arms, ten minutes from London Bridge. It is a lovely former Trumans pub dating from 1886 with traditional tiling.
The pub rates two stars on CAMRA’s inventory of pubs with interiors of national historic interest. It has been selling a range of cider for a number of years and is a worthy winner. The photo, with thanks to Steve Silcock, shows Ian White, the branch (and regional) cider representative presenting the award to Pat, the landlord.
Ian White
South West London Pubs of the Year
In June, South West London branch had two presentations to make in three days. The first, on 18 June, was for our Pub of the Year, the Sultan in South Wimbledon. We were delighted to have the Mayor of Merton, Councillor Martin Whelton, join us for the presentation. Local councillors Eleanor Stringer and Mike Brunt were also there.
The photo shows the Mayor with our host, Niall Thielen (holding the certificate), branch chair Stephen Blann (on the right) and members of Niall’s team. Niall specifically asked for ‘and team’ to be included on the certificate.
Two days later we assembled at the Trafalgar, also in South Wimbledon, to enjoy their Solstice festival and present them with the branch’s inaugural Branch Cider Pub of the Year award.
Once again, Stephen did the honours, with Karlis Pauzers accepting the certificate for the pub and with lots of customers and Morris dancers looking on.
London Young Members
On 22 June, our Greater London Young Members group visited the famous Bermondsey Beer Mile. A core group started at Southwark Brewery before moving on to the London Barrel Project. Further reinforcements arrived at Anspach & Hobday, where we sampled the delicious Hop Pickers pale ale on both cask and keg for comparison. Some members also took the opportunity to try London Black for the first time. We then moved on to the Dutch Taproom, where a wide range of strong dark beers and punchy, hoppy IPAs was enjoyed. Unfortunately, on a Sunday some of the taprooms that we had planned to visit were closed. Cloudwater however was a super substitute. Although they had just one cask beer, most of us were happy to sample some of their 20 keg beers. A surprising bar snack highlight was the Openshaws ploughmans lunch snack pack, which gave everything you needed in the one crisp-like packet. A tap takeover at Mash Paddle Brewery gave us the chance to sample a range of beers brewed with experimental hops. My personal favourite was HBC 1019, for which I recommend people keep an eye out. There were reports of some of the party continuing the evening with Lime bikes heading in the direction of the recently reopened Hand & Marigold. Thanks to Michael for organising an excellent afternoon. Keep an eye on our Facebook Group and WhatsApp for our next event.
Byron Jaye