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The crawl starts in what's left of the original Bermondsey and moves toward the designer trendiness that has redefined the former industrial area closer to the river. The contrast between the start and end of the crawl could not be more apparent.
A map of the route is here.
#1 |
5.45pm - 6.45pm |
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The Roebuck
50 Great Dover Street, Borough, London, SE1 4YG
- A preliminary pub for the early birds who would rather walk a bit than rely on the vagaries of London's buses: a smart, lively pub about 5 minutes walking distance from Borough tube station (Northern Line).
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#2 |
7.00pm - 7.40pm |
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The George
40 Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey, London, SE1 4TR
- This pub (and the next) belong more in the 1970s: there are a few modern-era updates (to their detriment methinks) but they remain essentially time-capsuled. They are down-to-earth, honest, unpretentious establishments however.
If this is your first pub on the crawl, the easiest way to get to it is the 1 or 188 bus from stop K on the New Kent Road outside Elephant & Castle tube station (Northern Line building). It's the 3rd bus stop - the bus stop is slightly beyond this pub, so you will see it on the right hand side of the bus.
Alternative ways are the number 1 bus from Canada Water station or the 188 from North Greenwich station.
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#3 |
7.45pm - 8.30pm |
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The Victoria
68-70 Pages Walk, Bermondsey, London, SE1 4HL
- Voted pub of the year by the Evening Standard in, er, 1972. In this era of disappearing traditional pubs, it stands almost a relic of a bygone age. Worth savouring before something modern happens to it (gastropub, luxury flats).
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#4 |
8.35pm - 9.05pm |
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The Marigold
244 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3UH
- Opposite Bermondsey Square, South London's coolest quarter, it somehow retains a locals feel and is on the border of the micro-community of the preceding area and the 'new world' of the following pubs. |
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#5 |
9.15pm - 9.50pm |
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Leather Exchange
15 Leather Market Street, London Bridge, London, SE1 3HN
- It gets its name from one of the industries once based in the area. This is a Fullers pub though a bit of a strange one. It functions both as normal pub and gastropub, though on the research trip it seemed as if it was normal pub by this time of the evening. If it's full of late diners for whatever reason, we'll just move on to the next pub. |
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This next section is play-it-by-ear; you'll have to follow the host. There isn't enough time to do the three remaining pubs listed here, it'll be a case of two out of three. There are several other pubs on the way to London Bridge station in addition to these but the following are recommended above the others for the very important criteria of the likelihood of everyone being able to fit into them.
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#6 |
9.50pm - 10.25pm |
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The Rose
123 Snowfields, London Bridge, London, SE1 3ST
- Ignore the ridiculously out of date review on FancyAPint.com - this is a modern, atmospheric establishment. To be honest, it seems that it's trying to be too many things at the same time. It doesn't really work overall but it's interesting nonetheless and still a cut above its neighbouring competitors. |
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#7 |
10.30pm - closing |
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Shipwright's Arms
88 Tooley St, London SE1 2TF
- Large pub with live entertainment on the upper floor (normally bands on a Friday night, if anyone fancies a late night). The downstairs is just a normal bar.
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