LONDON BEER GUIDES UPDATE 123

Eldridge Pope, having sold its brewery to the management, are embarking on a programme of pub acquisition including two so far in London - in EC2 Bishopsgate and N1 Islington. Morlands have acquired a pub in N18 Upper Edmonton and Shepherd Neame have bought a pub in Kingston. The details of the Gibbs Mew pub in Brentford recorded last month are also included. Several more renamings have taken place including two non-brewing Firkins in SE3 Black-heath and SE10 Greenwich.

The numbers in brackets after each entry refer to the page number in the following guides: E - East London & City Beer Guide, 3rd edition; K - 'Real Ale Drinkers Guide to Kent Pubs', 8th edition; N - North London Beer Guide, 3rd edition; SE - South East London Pub Guide, 4th edition; 3SE - South East London Pub Guide, 3rd edition; SW - Real Beer in South West London; W - Real Beer in West London; X - Essex Beer Guide, 8th edition. U refers to earlier updates.

NEW & REOPENED PUBS & PUBS CONVERTED TO REAL ALE

CENTRAL

EC2, SLURPING TOAD, 232-238 Bishopsgate. Draught Bass. Courage: Best Bitter. Hardy: Popes Traditional Bitter, Country Bitter, Royal Oak. Webster: Green Label (labelled Toads Tipple). The first of a planned chain of "ale houses" opened by Eldridge Pope in former wine bar premises. Traditional decor with bare floor and exposed brickwork. Stairs rise to upstairs seating area. Food. Open 11-11 Mon to Sat only.

W1(S), ATLANTIC BAR & GRILL, 20 Glasshouse Street. Free House. No real ale. Well appointed and expensive basement bar under Regent Palace Hotel with connections with owner of Freedom Brewery, SW6. Draught Belgian beers.

SOUTH EAST

SE10, STUDIO BAR, 174 Greenwich High Road. Renamed FUNNEL & FIRKIN. Firkin: Shipshape Ale (3.5%), Funnel Ale (4.3%), Sets Ale (5.0%), Dogbolter (5.6%). Addlestonc Cider. The latest Allied Firkin conversion in this relatively small bar has seen the reintroduction of real ale. The beers are believed to originate at the Flag & Firkin brewery in Watford. Usual Firkin decor with a rather muted nautical theme. Food. Open all permitted hours. (SE102, U104)

WEST

W3, EXCHANGE, Royal Leisure Park, Kendal Avenue. No real ale. New "bar & diner", part of a chain acquired recently by Morlands from Allied.

W3, MULLINS BAR, Royal Leisure Park, Kendal Avenue. Free House. No real ale. New Irish bar.

W3, RUFFY BAUMANN, Royal Leisure Park, Kendal Avenue. Boddington: Bitter. Flowers: Original Bitter. Fuller: London Pride. New Whitbread Brewers Fayre pub adjacent to leisure complex. A variety of seating and eating areas and indoor children's play room with admission charge. Felix Ruffy and Edouard Baumann were early aviation engineers believed to have been employed at an aircraft factory previously on the site. Open all permitted hours.

PUBS CLOSED OR CEASED SELLING REAL ALE

EAST

E13, VILLAGE (AT PLAISTOW). Free House, closed, future uncertain. Delete also from 1997 Good Beer Guide. (El 37, U69, U78, U82, U93)

E15, WOODMAN. Grand Met (ex Watney), closed, future uncertain. (E156)

NORTH

N1, BLUE CAT. Free House, closed, future uncertain. Formerly SUTTON ARMS. (N58, U112, U120)

NORTH WEST

NW1, DRUMMONDS. Renamed O'NEILLS, H removed. (N164)

SOUTH EAST

SE1, BUNTERS. Grand Met (ex Watney), closed, future uncertain. (SE12, U102)

SE7, WATERMANS ARMS. Grand Met (ex Watney), now demolished. (SE74, U121)

SOUTH WEST

SW3, SHUCKBURGH ARMS. Renamed FINNEGANS WAKE, Scottish & Newcastle, H removed. Irish theme pub conversion and another loss of historic name. (SW23, U39, U74, U107)

OTHER CHANGES TO PUBS & BEER RANGES

NORTH

N1, BAR CENTRAL. Renamed BARTIZAN, still fizz. (U113)

N1, CROWN, 116 Cloudesley Street. -Fuller: Hock, Chiswick Bitter. +Fuller: Seasonal beer. +Guest beer. Despite concerns, most of the internal decorative features and screens have thankfully survived an insensitive and inappropriate renovation which has imposed a garish blue name board, ghastly blue and green lights and pastel shaded panels. The emphasis is even more on food. Let us hope that someone at Fullers has the courage to accept that the changes do not work and carry out the sort of renovation that befits a Victorian and listed building. (N40)

N1, HUNTINGDON ARMS. -Beers listed. +Draught Bass. +Courage: Best Bitter. +Hardy: Country Bitter. Free House acquired by Eldridge Pope. Emphasis on food, restaurant upstairs. (N48)

N12, MOSS HALL TAVERN. Renamed ELEPHANT INN. Now has restaurant area selling Thai food. Yet another loss of a historic pub name. (N111)

N18, RISING SUN. Acquired by Morland from Whitbread, still fizz. (N139)

NORTH WEST

NW4, GREYHOUND. -Beers listed except Ushers seasonal guest. +Ushers: Best Bitter, Founders Ale. (N193, U110)

SOUTH EAST

SE3, RAILWAY TAVERN. Renamed FAIRWAY & FIRKIN. -Beers listed. +Firkin: Birdie Bitter (3.5%), Fairway Ale (4.3%), Above Par Bitter (5.0%), Dogbolter (5.6%). +Addlestone Cider. Historic pub completely "firkinised" with bare polished floors, tables & chairs etc. Intrusive video games and wide screen TV for sporting events. Beer believed to come from Flag & Firkin in Watford. A list of former licensees from 1851 to 1975 is about all that remains to commemorate its previous incarnation. The golfing theme reflects the fact that Blackheath open space was the home of the oldest golf club in Britain, the Royal Blackheath Golf Club which moved to Eltham in 1923. Food. Open all permitted hours. (SE48)

SE10, CRICKETERS. -Beers listed. +Banks's: Bitter. +Marston: Bitter, Pedigree. Now a one-bar Saxon Inns pub, ex Bass. Beware Banks's Bitter also on fizz and the price of half pints rounded up to exceed half the price of a pint. (SE93)

SE10, MITRE, 291 Greenwich High Road. -Courage: Directors Bitter. -John Smith: Bitter. +Draught Bass. +Greene King: IPA. The shop units on Roan Street have been absorbed into the pub to create "O'Sullivans Bar" in Irish style without real ale. (SE98, U102)

SOUTH WEST

SW1(W), REGENT ARMS. -Charrington: IPA. Now a Free House, ex Bass. (SW17)

SW3, PHOENIX. renamed RESIDENT. -Beers listed. +Courage: Best Bitter, Directors Bitter. +Greene King: IPA. Refurbished in cafe-bar style with emphasis on food. (SW22, U38, U107)

SW5, CLARENCE. Renamed DUKE OF CLARENCE. -Beers listed. +Courage: Best Bitter, Directors Bitter. +Greene King: IPA. +Theakston: XB. (SW25, U53, U107)

SW6, IMPERIAL, 6 Lillie Road. Renamed IMPERIAL ARMS. (SW28, U74, U80, U104)

SW9, BEDFORD ARMS. Renamed HOGSHEAD. -Beers listed except Marston: Pedigree and Wadworth: 6X. +3 Guest beers (2 on gravity. Converted in characteristic Hogshead style. (SW36, U39, U57, U63, U 105)

SW12, PRINCE OF WALES. Now an Ascot Estates pub, ex Inntrepreneur (originally Courage). (SW43, U51, U55, U78, U121)

KINGSTON, BARONS PUZZLE. Renamed PUZZLE. (U106, U109)

KINGSTON, BULL & BUSH. -Webster: Yorkshire Bitter. +Courage: Best Bitter. Formerly GROVE TAVERN. (SW138)

KINGSTON, LAMB. -Beers listed. +Shepherd Neame: Bitter, Spitfire. Now a Shepherd Neame pub, ex Courage. (SW66, U60, U68)

KINGSTON, OUTRIGGER. -Beers listed. +Shepherd Neame: Spitfire. +Theakston: XB. (SW66, U119)

WEST

BRENTFORD, ALBANY ARMS. -Beers listed. +Gibbs Mew: Wiltshire Bitter, Salisbury Bitter. Now a Gibbs Mew pub, ex Free House, originally Courage. (W97, U83, U101)

TEDDINGTON, LION. -Beers listed. +Brakspear: Bitter. +Courage: Best Bitter. (W147, U91)

TEDDINGTON, TIDE END COTTAGE. -Boddington: Bitter. +Courage: Best Bitter. +Greene King: Abbot Ale. +Guest beer. (W147, U94, U98, U101, U117)

TWICKENHAM, NELSON. Renamed FISHERMENS HUT. -Courage: Directors Bitter. +Young: Bitter. Now operated largely as a fresh fish and organic restaurant but retaining a small bar area for non-eaters. Still displays a small "Nelson Inn" sign on the corner. (W151)

WHITTON, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE. -Beers listed except Webster: Yorkshire Bitter. +Young: Special. (W162, U61)

WHITTON, WHITE HART. -Smiles: Best Bitter. +Morland: Old Speckled Hen. (W162, U56, U69, U77, U101)