Originele Cafés in Vlaanderen
(Original Bars in [Belgian] Flanders), www.bloggen.be/originelecafes

The italicised portion of the above heading is part of the title of an essential book by Bob Hendrickx that comes out every two years; the 2005-2006 version, the sixth edition, is called 332 Originele Cafés in Vlaanderen (ISBN 90-75463-62-6). Each issue is eagerly awaited, to see what new entries it contains in Belgian Flanders and across the border in The Netherlands and France. However, in this edition, for the first time, five establishments from across The Channel, in Greater London, are included.

This Web page concentrates on the five London entries. There was a London launch of the book on the 3rd of June, 2005, that took the form of a crawl covering all the entries; around thirty people participated in the crawl. These included: Sylvain "Altaïr" Dupuis (pages.videotron.com/altair), from Montreal (click here to see his fully illustrated French-language report on the crawl) (click here for details of Sylvain's whole European tour, which this London Crawl was a part of); and David Kernick (click here for his report).

Note that this book provides one with a second beer free in most of its entries. Thus one rapidly gets the cost of the guide, €14.75, back. The book is typically purchased at any of the places featured in it, but, in Belgium, it is also available in larger book shops. In the London entries, it costs £10, which will be more than recouped by just covering these alone!

Note that this Web page covers features the issue of Bob's book reproduced at the top of this page, as it has this special section covering places in London. The subsequent editions have a different format. For example, the one published in April, 2006, has the title 208 Originele Cafes in Oost-Vlaanderen, West Vlaanderen & Brussel. In 2007 the rest of Belgian Flanders - Limburg, Antwerp and Brabant - will be covered. Bob's book covering eating establishments (for example, 183 Eetcafés in Vlaanderen) has been discontinued.

The section in Bob's book covering the London entries, which is in English, was written by JezzaP, whose descriptions are accompanied by his truly excellent, impossible-to-get-lost instructions for stringing them together into a crawl, these being also available in Dutch, having been translated by Donald Lemmens. In the photo to the left, which was taken by John White, on the day of the June, 2005 London launch crawl, JezzaP is making the launch speech in the Royal Oak, in Borough, this pub being covered below.

Bob works for the Lefèbvre Brewery (www.brasserielefebvre.be), in Quenast, in Belgium; the bottled beers on the bar (bottom right in the above photo), are both produced by this brewery: the Honey Beer, Barbãr; and one of the brewery's Floreffe range of Abbey Beers.

The rest of the book is only in Dutch, but this is no problem once just a few words have been learnt. There is one page for each entry, the format being similar for each. The crucial phrases repeated on each page are: "Aantal bieren van 't vat" (Number of draught beers); "Aantal bieren van de fles" (Number of bottled beers); Openingsuren (Opening Times); and Sluitingsdag (Day Not Open) (maandag=Monday, dinsdag=Tuesday; woensdag=Wednesday; donderdag=Thursday; vrijdag=Friday; zaterdag=Saturday; zondag=Sunday). Apart from the days of the week, one can also glean this from the 2005-2006 edition, since JezzaP's entries in English follow the same format as the ones for Belgium, that are written in Dutch.

Note that Bob's Guide for 2006-7 is called 208 Originele Cafés in Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen & Brussel; the one that comes out in the following year will cover the rest of Flanders. London is not covered in these later editions.

The London Entries in the 2005-2006 edition

When it comes to pubs with decent beer in the UK, it is impossible not to mention CAMRA (www.camra.org.uk), the CAMpaign for Real Ale, which was formed in 1971. CAMRA truly did save Real Ale (Cask Ale) for the nation, at a time when the big brewers were seemingly trying to kill it off, by forcing the beer drinking public to drink ghastly fizzes such as Watney's Red Barrel. Such beers, and appalling imitations of classic German and Czech Pilsener-style beer (Lager) were heavily marketed at this time, as they are to this day. These beers are filtered and subject to pasteurisation, a process which destroys beneficial flavours produced during the fermentation stage of the brewing process. Real Ale is unpasteurised and unfiltered, the residual yeast present in the vessel from which it is delivered inducing a second fermentation in the cask: it is cask-conditioned.

The following descriptions are based on those that appear in the eighty-three page White Beer Travels Notes on London pubs that can be obtained from the Downloads page. In these notes, full details of any decent pubs close to them are provided, only outline information being given on them in this Web page. I denote whether any pubs mentioned appear in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide (GBG), e.g. GBG 2007 means that the place in question appears in the 2007 edition (published in September, 2006). Note that, should a place not appear in the GBG, it could, but does not necessarily mean that it does not serve Real Ale, or that there are problems with its Real Ale; the choice of pubs competing for entry is so great that a number of places serving Real Ale in tip-top condition have to be excluded for space reasons. Also, if, for example, a pub is in the 2006 guide, but not the 2007 one, it can by, no means, be assumed that its beer quality has deteriorated.

Unless indicated otherwise, all beer prices quoted on this page are June, 2005 ones for a pint of draught/tap beer, or for 33cl bottles. Most pubs are typically open seven days a week from 11am (Noon on Sunday) to 11pm (10.30pm on Sunday). If a pub that is featured opens at different times to these, they will be detailed. Note that licensing laws in England and Wales were subject to a major reform in November, 2005, with the much publicised introduction of twenty-four hour drinking. However, licences for this have only been granted to a small proportion of pubs, these not being typically of interest to the lover of Real Ale. However, many Real Ale outlets have extended their hours, to, for example, open at 10am in the morning and close an hour later at night, i.e. at Midnight.

The places are listed in the order of the June, 2005 crawl. I quote their post code (for example, SE1 4JU for the first entry); plugging this into www.streetmap.co.uk provides a location map for them, as does the more versatile maps.google.co.uk. Note that instructions for getting to the the pubs assume that one is visiting the entries individually. Should you be visiting them in crawl order, from Waterloo railway station, then look no further than JezzaP's instructions in Bob's book, that are mentioned above.

The Royal Oak (GBG 2006, GBG 2007 page 293)
44 Tabard Street (corner Nebraska Street ), SE1 4JU, tel 020 7357 7173, Mini A-Z: page 26, square 3A/4B

The above two photos were taken by John White, in May, 2005. The exterior shot of The Royal Oak on the left shows the Nebraska Street (on the left) and the Tabard Street façades of this exceptional pub. The photo on the right features Frank Taylor, The Royal Oak's co-proprietor (with John Porteous) and an array of handpumps for Harveys exquisite Real Ales.

The superlative Royal Oak is the only Harveys (www.harveys.org.uk, Royal Oak on the Harveys website) pub in London; it is an absolute don't-miss, with the full range of their beers, including seasonals. In the photo, above right, Frank Taylor is pulling me a Pint of Harveys Sussex Pale Ale (3.5%) (£2.30), which was in marvellous condition; it was a superb drinking experience, a major brewing achievement to pack so much into a weak beer. The other handpumps are for Harveys Armada Ale (4.5%) (£2.60), Sussex Best Bitter (4%) (£2.50) and Sussex Mild (3%) (£2), the latter being another wonderful, characterful beer, despite its strength, this being my free beer, courtesy of Bob's book! In the other bar, there is also a handpump for a Harveys Seasonal Beer, which was Harveys Knots of May Light Mild (3%) (£2.20) on the May, 2005 visit, this being followed, in June, by Copperwheat Brew (4.8%), which has a 40/60 Wheat/Malt mash. These seasonal beers are mentioned on the place's outside lettering: "Fine Food Seasonal Brews". In the background, in the photo on the right, is Julia Snow, who has been a barmaid in this wonderful place, since it became a Harveys pub, in August, 1997. Prior to this it had been a Courage pub and had been boarded up for a fair period of time.

The Royal Oak has an entrance on both Tabard Street and Nebraska Street. Note that to get to the toilets, one has to be in the room entered to the left in this two-roomed bar, when entering from Nebraska Street, although you might be allowed to walk through the servery to reach them. It has and, praise be, no fruit machines or juke box. It is most pleasant inside; I am particularly taken by the carpets that partially cover the planked floor; they give the place a real warm, homely feeling.

The food, which gets good reviews, includes changing "Home Cooked Specials", listed on a blackboard, such as, on my May, 2005 visit: Roast Beef at £6.95; Cottage Pie at £5.25; Lamb & Apricot Pie at £5.50; Braised Lamb Shank at £6.25; Beef Goulash at £7.25; a Vegetarian Dish, Stuffed Aubergine at £5.25; and Grilled Plaice at £8.75. Items on the permanent menu include: Sandwiches at £2.50; Cumberland Sausage, Mash & Onion Gravy at £4.95; and Cajun Chicken, Chips and Salad at £4.95.

The Royal Oak falls within the area covered by the SE London branch of CAMRA (www.selcamra.org.uk), but in 2003, it was the CAMRA Pub of the Year for the whole of London . Yes, this pub is special! The  Royal Oak opens at normal pub hours on Monday to Friday and from 6pm to 11pm on Saturday (food until 9.30pm ) and from Noon until 6pm on Sunday, when a Roast is available until 5pm.

The A. Le Coq company was founded by the Belgian, Albert Le Coq, in London, in 1807. It exported Imperial Russian Stout to Russia, before being invited by the Tsarist government to produce it in Tartu, Estonia's second city, after Tallinn, the latter being a marvellous city that holds a well-known Beer Festival every July (4th to the 8th, in 2007), the Õllesummer (Beer Summer), www.ollesummer.ee. Note that there is an A. Le Coq brewery in Tartu today, using the Crown and signature logo, with the 1807 date on it, but it does not produce an Imperial Stout, although, as can be seen from its website (which has English pages), www.alecoq.ee, it does produce A. Le Coq Porter (6.5%), which they describe as its successor, although it is not bottle-conditioned, i.e. it is filtered; it can be obtained in the UK from the excellent beer shop (www.tuckersonline.co.uk) within Tuckers Maltings, in Newton Abbot, in Devon (www.tuckersmaltings.com). Note that on the rear label of Harveys Imperial Extra Double Stout, it states that it is brewed by Harvey and Son (Lewes) Ltd under the supervision of the board of trustees of A. Le Coq and Tartu Brewery, Estonia; click here to see a scan of this rear label, the matching one for the front label reproduced above.

Borough tube station, on the Northern Line, is the nearest one to the Royal Oak. However, I will give the directions from London Bridge (Jubilee and the Northern Lines on the Tube, and Main Line Trains), as the route from it passes a mega-famous pub, The George Inn, and the site of a former pub, that is featured in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the Tabard Inn, these being mentioned below. From the platforms of the tube station, follow "Borough High Street" signs, then "Borough High Street (East Side)" ones. From the exit, turn left and the sign for The George, on Borough High Street, can soon be seen on the left. On leaving the station, on the opposite side of the road (West Side of Borough High Street), you can't miss Borough Market, behind which is Southwark Cathedral (www.southwark.anglican.org/cathedral). The sign for The George is at the entrance to a yard called, would you believe, the "George Inn Yard", where the entrance to the place can be found and from where all the photos of its famous exterior are taken. To reach the Royal Oak, carry on past The George, and turn left onto the required Tabard Street (just before the St George the Martyr Church, which has an impressive, prominent steeple), the Royal Oak being on the right on the near corner of Nebraska Street, which comes after the break in Tabard Street, caused by Long Lane and the junction with Silvester Street.

Chaucer (who was the son of a tavern owner, John Chaucer) and his thirty or so fellow pilgrims were going on a journey to visit the shrine of Thomas à Becket (1118-1170), in Canterbury Cathedral, in Kent. Chaucer refers to The Tabard Inn in the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, the Prologue itself being regarded as his greatest work; in the Prologue he also mentions The Tabard's landlord. Indeed, the landlord, who accompanies the pilgrim's to Canterbury, is the one who suggests that participants recount "Tales" on the journey, to make the time pass more enjoyably, and he elected himself to be judge of the best Tale, examples including: the Wife of Bath's Tale; the Knight's Tale; the bawdy Miller's Tale (in which the Miller blames Southwark Ale for getting him drunk); and the Nun's Priest's Tale (in which Chaucer mentions a dog called Talbot, the earliest citation (c. 1386) of the word Talbot in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (www.oed.com), the latter stating that it is probably an ancient English family name, but points out that the evidence for this is lacking. Note that in a 1562 citation in the OED, that Talbot is defined as a breed of dog or hound, used for hunting, rather than a name of one. Thus the dictionary does not buy into the Google "fact" that someone with the surname Talbot came over with William the Conqueror from Normandy, in 1066, with Talbot Hounds (that had originally come to Normandy from present-day Belgium) and became the Earl of Shrewsbury, although it is a fact that the first Earl of Shrewsbury was Sir John Talbot (1390-1453) and his Coat of Arms has two white dogs on it. In 1902, the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot put up the money to build the French Clement automobile (car) in England; these had the Talbot logo on them, which included a white dog. At the time, the Earl owned what is, today, the Alton Towers Theme Park (www.alton-towers.co.uk), which was subsequently sold. Today, there are many pubs in England and beyond that are named the Talbot Inn, most having a pub sign depicting a white dog; some of these have black spots. The Talbot Hound is now extinct, although its genes live on in present-day breeds. And there are many pubs named Tabard (which is a sleeveless coat worn by Heralds and Knights), but the Talbot Yard in Southwark is the site of the original.

Amazingly, the already mentioned George Inn Yard next to the Talbot Yard, contains what is perhaps England's most famous pub that is still on the go: The George Inn (GBG 2004), 77 Borough High Street, SE1 1NH, which is an entry in The CAMRA National Inventory. Pub Interiors of Outstanding Historic Interest (NI). It is one of only a few pubs in England, that is housed in a Grade I listed building, other examples being its namesake, The George Inn, in Norton St. Philip, near Bath, in Somerset (www.thegeorgeinn-nsp.co.uk), and Cupola House, in Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk (www.thesuffolkpubcompany.co.uk/cupola/cupola.htm). Southwark's The George is the sole example left in London of a galleried pub. It looks like it has come straight out of a set for a play by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). It is covered in further detail in the White Beer Travels Notes on London. Despite its fame and obvious tourist appeal, it serves up decent Real Ale, in very good condition.

Utobeer in Borough Market
8 Southwark Street, SE1 1TL, tel 020 7407 1002,
Mini A-Z: page 26, square 2B, www.boroughmarket.org.uk

There are over a hundred stall holders in this must-visit gourmand's Mecca of a market, which is informally known as "London's Larder". Apart from the odd stalls on its periphery, that are open at normal shop hours all week, and a handful in the Market itself, the Market is open to the general public on Fridays from Noon until 6pm, and on Saturdays, from 9am until 4pm, although an increasing number of stalls are open on Thursday from Noon until 6pm, including an exceptional Speciality Beer outlet, which has a permanent stall on the market: Richard Dinwoodie and MIke Hill's Utobeer, www.utobeer.co.uk; one of both of these two usually man the stall, along with their consultant, Jeff Pickthall. Utobeer - slogan, The Hip Hop - has a superb selection of beers from the UK, Germany, the USA and Belgium, all of which can also be ordered for delivery by mail, the website listing what is available. Utobeer is to open a brewery, which will only be about half a mile (less than a kilometre) from Borough Market, on the South side of the river from Tower Bridge.

Utobeer is one of four companies in a group called The Drinks Cage (Borough Market) Ltd, that share the same "Cage" in the Market. The other three are wine companies: Cartwright Brothers Vintners Ltd; Rose Blanc Rouge Wine; and Wine Wine Wine Limited (www.winewinewine.co.uk).

The photo above left was taken by John White, in June, 2005. The people who can be seen in and in front of the Utobeer stall in the market are from the group who participated in the London launch of Bob Hendrickx's bar book. The photo on the right was also taken by John White on the same day. It features one of three racks of beer on the stall. The person to the right, is Utobeer's Richard Dinwoodie. To the right of him is a copy of Bob's book. To the left of the beers can be seen wines from one of the wine retailers in "The Drinks Cage" that Utobeer is in, see above. The cage meshing can be seen on the left, in the photo on the left.

Some of the beers available in Utobeer are listed on their website, but, as is the norm, as it proved on a June, 2005 visit, there will also be a very good number of pleasant surprises. The beers are categorised on the website into Real Ale; German Kölsch; Stout; Oktoberfest Bier; Belgian Beers; and US microbrewery. There is also a good selection of bottled beers from the UK, but these do not have a headed link on the website at present, which is clearly being worked on. There are typically two Real Ales, these being to put in containers to drink at home. The biggest categories are the Belgian Beers, examples including a range from Abbaye des Rocs (www.abbaye-des-rocs.com), De Bie (www.brijdebie.be), Boon (www.boon.be), Cantillon (www.cantillon.be, White Beer Travels Web page), De Dolle Brouwers (www.dedollebrouwers.be), and Dupont (www.brasserie-dupont.com). In this category, some beers from The Netherlands are included, such as the excellent beers produced by 't IJ, in Amsterdam (www.brouwerijhetij.nl), and Christoffel (www.christoffelbeer.com). Sample prices from the June, 2005 visit include: De Dolle Brouwers Extra Stout (9%) at £2.60; La Trappe Quadrupel (10%), this being brewed in De Koningshoeven Trappist Monastery (www.latrappe.nl, White Beer Travels Web page), in The Netherlands, at £2.30; and Biére Lancelot (6%) and a Buckwheat (Sarrasin) beer, Telenn Du (4.5%), both these being from the Brasserie Lancelot (www.brasserie-lancelot.com), in Brittany (Bretagne), in France, and both costing £2. These prices include bottle deposits.

On a number of the stalls in Borough Market, one can buy food for immediate consumption, some of the stalls having tables and chairs for this. On the June, 2005 visit I had an excellent Salad Platter, for £4, from Garry Greenland's Total Organics stall, which is close to Utobeer. Note that the toilet signs in the Market direct you to Southwark Cathedral New Buildings on Montague Close, which are just North of the Cathedral itself. These buildings have a café and a shop.

Note that, in addition to the part of the market that is open to the public, Borough Market is an important Wholesale Market, selling goods to restaurateurs, etc, all week. Thus, certain pubs near it open at unusual hours, for example the exceptional Market Porter (GBG 2006, GBG 2007 page 293, 9 Stoney Street, SE1 9AA) on it Western side, very close to Utobeer, this having eight or nine ever-changing Real Ales. Also very close by is a marvellous Young's house (www.youngs.co.uk), the Grade II listed Wheatsheaf (GBG 2007 page 293), at 6 Stoney Street, SE1 9AA. Note that, in May, 2006, it was announced that Young's Brewery, in London, was to close, and its beers would be brewed by Charles Wells (www.charleswells.co.uk), in Bedford. It is expected that pubs such as this will remain Young's pubs.

On the street on which the Market Porter is on the corner of, on the right is a superb Cheese Shop, Neal's Yard Dairy, 6 Park Street, SE1 9AB, www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk. This is open from 9am to 6pm, on Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 4.30pm on Saturdays. There is also a branch in Covent Garden at 17 Shorts Gardens, WC2H 9UP. In the Wheatsheaf, one can have a Neal's Yard Ploughman's.

The Borough Market Book (Civic Books) provides a very good feel for the market from your armchair, as does the place's website, which has a list of all the stalls.

Very close to Borough Market is the Vinopolis "World of Wine" place (1 Bank End, SE1 9BU, www.vinopolis.co.uk). In 2005, a related Brew Pub/Restaurant opened up as part of the complex: Brew Wharf (Brew Wharf Yard, Stoney Street, SE1 9AD, tel 020 7378 6601, www.meantimebrewing.com/brew_wharf.html)

The above two photos of the Beer Wharf were taken by John White, in November, 2005. As can be seen from the external shot on the left, Brew Wharf is below railway lines, i.e. the operational lines leading to and from Cannon Street Station, on the other side of the River Thames. The arch that can be seen is one of three sub-arches that comprise this most impressive of places. Note the heated terrace at the front and the reflection of Southwark Cathedral in the glass below the arch. The photo, above right, shows the brewery within Brew Wharf that can be seen behind glass from the eating and drinking area in the middle arch. The casks feeding the handpumps in the bar can also be seen behind glass.

The brewer is Iain Peebles, a former Vinopolis sommelier. The beers brewed on the premises are traditional Real Ales, delivered by handpump: Beer Wharf Bitter (3.6%) and Beer Wharf Best (4.2%), both at £2.80 (November, 2005 prices). These are served alongside a range of draught beers, supplied by the Meantime Brewing Company (The Greenwich Brewery) (www.meantimebrewing.com, White Beer Travels Web page), in Charlton, in the Borough of Greenwich, in London. These include Meantime Raspberry at £3, Meantime Pilsner at £2.70 and Meantime Wheat at £2.80. There are also some bottled beers from Meantime, including Meantime Coffee at £3.50 (33cl) and their bottle-conditioned (Real Ale in a bottle) versions of two classic English beers: India Pale Ale (7.5%) (www.india-pale-ale.com); and London Porter (6.5%) (www.london-porter.com), both at £8.50 (75cl). The latter and other Meantime beers are imported into the USA by Bob Leggett and Lanny Hoff's Artisanal Imports, www.artisanalimports.com, who are based in Austin, Texas. Other bottled beers available in Beer Wharf include examples from Belgium (such as Rochefort 8^o, at £5.25 (33cl)), Germany, Australia (Coopers Sparkling Ale at £3.70 (37.5cl)) and the USA. Within Vinopolis, just beyond Brew Wharf is its longer established wine bar/restaurant equivalent, Wine Wharf, www.winewharf.com. The badging of the latter is more visible, when walking down from Borough Market, but then one cannot fail to be impressed by the archway on the left at the entrance to Brew Wharf Yard, which has clearly been named as such to be in line with the historic "Pub Yards" off Borough High Street that appear on the A to Z map of London, such as a couple mentioned above, the Talbot Yard and the George Inn Yard. Very good food is available in both the Beer Wharf and the Wine Wharf; they share the same kitchen. Brew Wharf's restaurant is in the "Last Arch", i.e. the third sub-arch from the front door. Example Brew Wharf dishes include: Marinated Half Chicken with Rotisserie Potatoes at £9.25; Cassoulet at £9.95; Choucroute (Sauerkraut) at £11.95; and Neal's Yard Cheeses, see above, with Grapes.

Note that it is expected that in the Borough Market area that a beer equivalent of Vinopolis will be opened: Beeropolis. This "Beer Museum" is an initiative of world-renowned beer writer, Roger Protz (1939-) (www.beer-pages.com).

En route to Brew Wharf and Vinopolis, also on the left one, passes Wright Brothers Oyster & Porter House (11 Stoney Street, SE1 9AD, (tel 020 7403 9554, www.wrightbros.eu.com). On the outside, this declares "Fruits de Mer (Seafood), Champagne, Ales, Moules (Mussels), Wine, Crustacea (Lobsters, Crabs, etc)". This is a very nice place, with a big selection of Oysters and other Seafood, and a range of interesting Porters/Stouts, rather than just the ubiquitous Dublin one. A good option for a meal, including breakfast, in elegant suroundings in the Market itself, is Iqbal Wahhab's "Roast", Floral Hall, Stoney Street, SE1 1TL, tel 020 7940 1300, www.roast-restaurant.com.

In August, 2006, Utobeer opened a pub just to the North of Borough Market: The Rake, 14 Winchester Walk, SE1 9AG, tel 020 7407 0557. With a floor measuring only thirteen by seven feet (ninety-one square feet (8.45 square metres)), The Rake is dubbed the Capital's smallest pub, although, with its provenance, it has a massive beer list, of both draught beers (including two Real Ales) and bottled beers. The above photos of the exterior of The Rake, and its servery, were taken by John White, in September and November, 2006. The beers from left to right on the taps and handpumps, in the photo, above right, are: Veltins Pilsener (www.veltins.de); Verhaeghe's Duchesse de Bourgogne (www.brouwerijverhaeghe.be); Liefmans Frambozen (www.liefmans.be); Anchor Steam Beer (www.anchorbrewing.com); O'Hanlon's Brewing Company's (www.ohanlons.co.uk) handpumped Royal Oak (5%) and Thomas Hardy's Ale (11.7%) (www.thomashardysale.org.uk); Veltins Pilsener again; and Maisel's Weisse (www.maisel.de). Thomas Hardy's Ale is normally only available in bottle, The Rake being the only outlet for it on draught in the UK; the pump clip declares it to be "The Rarest Ale in Britain". On my November, 2006 visit, it was £9 a pint (£3 for a third of a pint, £4.50 for a half). This is the most that I have ever paid for a draught beer, but it was worth it: truly superb!

The food is simple, but based on produce from Borough Market, such as Mrs Elizabeth King Pork Pies, Bread from the Flour Power City Bakery (www.flourpowercity.com), and Cheese from the already covered Neal's Yard. The Rake is open on Tuesday to Thursday from Noon until 11pm. On Friday, it opens from 11am until Midnight; on Saturday, it opens from 9am until 11pm ; and on Sunday, it opens from Noon until 10pm. It does not open on Mondays. Note that The Rake almost became the world's smallest pub; click here for the story about the one that is: The Signal Box Inn, in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England.

The Beer Circus (GBG 2006, GBG 2007 page 299)
282 High Street (A235), Croydon, CR0 1NG,
tel 020 8680 3030, www.thebeercircus.co.uk

The above photos were both taken by Joyce White in August, 2004. The one on the left shows John White outside The Beer Circus. In the photo on the right, John is between Yasmin Katherine-Syed Mannaerts and Alan Graeme Harker, these being their names as declared on the licensee information on the outside of the building; Graeme and Yasmin, are "an item" as they say, these days, who met when they both worked for the Royal Mail. I have a pint of draught Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (www.sierranevada.com) in my hand, whilst Yasmin is holding Joyce's Westvleteren 12^o (White Beer Travels Web page). Clearly, with two such special Speciality/Specialty/Craft Beers, this is no ordinary bar! However, it also offers handpumped Real Ale in superb condition. The Beer Circus is within the area covered by the Croydon & Sutton branch of CAMRA, www.croydoncamra.org.uk. It is their Croydon Pub of the Year for 2005. Considering that the place only opened in this form, on the 15th of May, 2004 (my birthday!), this award is an amazing achievement, and testament to the fact that this is a very special bar indeed.

The big feature of this bar is that it has over 200 foreign beers, both draught and in bottle, with Belgium being particularly well represented; it dubs itself "Croydon's Speciality Beer Bar". It has undoubtedly been inspired by a famous bar in Brussels, which also has a very big selection of Belgian Beer: Le Bier Circus (www.biercircus.be), which is covered in detail in the White Beer Travels Guide to Brussels, available from the Downloads page. I paid this Croydon Beer Circus a visit for the first time, in August, 2004, and very pleased I am that I did. Draught Beers included (Belgian unless indicated otherwise): the already mentioned Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, from California, at £3.50; Watou's Wit at £3.40; Poperings Hommelbier at £3.50; and De Koninck at £3.60. Belgian bottled beers included: Achel Blond and Brune, both at £3.60; Orval at £3.50; Rochefort 6^o/8^o/10^o at £3.75/4/4.50; the complete range from St. Bernard, all at £4; Westvleteren Blond/8^o/12^o (ABT) at £3.75/4/4.50; Grottenbier at £3.50; De Dolle Brouwers Dulle Teve at £4.25; Regenboog's 't Smisje Honingbier at £3.75; and De Cam Kriek at £4.75 (37.5cl) (there is a very good selection of Lambic derivatives such as this). Bottled beers from The Netherlands include: Sint Christoffel's Christoffel Blond at £3.25; and Schans Blond at £3.50. Esquelbecoise from the Thiriez Brewery, in France (brasseriethiriez.ifrance.com), is £6.50 (75cl). California 's Anchor Steam Porter is £3.50 (35.5cl). UK bottled beers include Coniston Bluebird Bitter at £3 (50cl). There is a good selection of German bottled beers, supplied by Olaf Schellenberg, who are based in Perth, in Scotland.

The Belgian Beers available in The Beer Circus are sourced from Bart Verhaeghe's Woking-based Belgian Beer Import Ltd, www.belgianbeerimport.co.uk (stopped working in November, 2005), who is on the right in the photo to the left, which was taken in The Beer Circus, by JezzaP, in June, 2005, on the day of the London launch of Bob Hendrickx's bar book. Also in the photo, from left to right are: Donald Lemmens, who, as stated above, did some English to Dutch translation for the book; yours truly, John White: and the man himself, Bob Hendrickx.

There is a good description of each beer available in The Beer Circus, in the nicely presented beer card. On one day each month, prices are discounted for CAMRA members.

My August, 2004 visit was on a Thursday evening, although the Wednesday dish of Paella was on, and excellent it was too, and very good value at £4. Other dishes available included: Flemish Beef Stew cooked in Westmalle Tripel at £4; Sausage and Fries at £5; Salads at £3.50; Sandwiches at £2; and Fries at £4. I understand that the food situation at The Beer Circus has not yet been finalised, i.e. subsequent to my visit, it was stopped, to concentrate on the beer side. However, there are a small number of small bar snacks available (June, 2005 prices): Salami at £2.50; Cheese at £2; and Olives at £1.50.

There is a ground floor bar and one upstairs, this having a growing number of brewery plaques, mainly from Belgium. The place is light, airy and trendy.

As well as Graeme and Yasmin, Martin is involved in the running of the place, which stages a number of special events, such as a Cider Festival, an Oktoberfest, and an Xmas and Winter Beer Festival. These are within the place itself; Graeme also organises a Belgian Beer Festival in a bigger venue nearby, which is covered later.

The Beer Circus is most easily reached from Central London by getting a main line train from Victoria, London Bridge or Clapham Junction, to East Croydon. It is in Zone 5 of the London Transport system, but as there are no daily Off-Peak Zone 1-5 Travelcards, one gets a Zone 1-6 one, see the White Beer Travels London Notes for details of how to do this. The Beer Circus is less than a mile from East Croydon station. Turn right out of the station onto George Street. When the junction with High Street is reached, turn left onto it and then The Beer Circus is on the right hand side of the High Street, on the far corner of West Street, which is just North of the more prominent junction with Coombe Road, the A212. Before reaching The Beer Circus, you will have walked under the Croydon Flyover (A232), which is roughly half way down the length of the High Street covered on the route.

On Saturday, the 2nd of July, 2005, Graeme, of The Beer Circus, ran the 1st  Belgian Draught Beer Festival, nearby, in the Cedar Hall, Ruskin House, 23 Coombe Road, CR0 1BD. The festival featured around forty draught beers, including quite a few real rarities, for example, one from the Alvinne Picobrouwerij (Pico Brewery - Very Small Brewery) (www.alvinne.be), a first for the UK. As it states on the poster for the event, there were no beers from that load of Bankers, InBev (formerly Interbrew). The festival will hopefully become an annual event. There are two sessions: Noon to 4.30pm; and 5.30pm to 10.30pm. It is a ticket-only event, these costing £5.50 per session or £7 for both sessions. Tickets can be purchased from The Beer Circus in person, or by post, using a sterling cheque, for which, the cost is increased by £0.50, i.e. to £6 and to £7.50 respectively (specify which session you wish to attend, if you can only go to one). The cost includes a souvenir glass and a programme. There is food available. Note that entry is by pre-purchased ticket only; all 400 were sold a week before the event, in 2005.

There are some decent pubs close to or directly en route to The Beer Circus, when walking from East Croydon station, including: The Ship (47 High Street, CR0 1QD, GBG  2005, GBG 2006 page 298); The Spread Eagle (39-41 Katherine Street (corner of the High Street, just before The Ship), CR0 1NX, a splendid Fuller's pub (www.fullers.co.uk, www.fullers-ales.com (North America), White Beer Travels Web page); The Dog & Bull, 24 Surrey Street, CR0 1RG, GBG  2006, GBG 2007 page 299, which is a Young's pub in a Grade II listed building; and The Royal Standard, a highly regarded Fuller's house, at 1 Sheldon Street, CR0 1SS, GBG 2007 page 299.

The White Horse (GBG 2006, GBG 2007 page 303)
1-3 Parson's Green, SW6 4UL, tel 020 7736 2115,
Mini A-Z: page 86, square 4C,
www.whitehorsesw6.com, GPS: 51.474257^o N, 0.200559^o W

An emphatic don't-miss, The White Horse, which the locals call Sloanie Pony, has a second-to-none reputation for the quality of his cask-conditioned beer (Real Ale), hence Michael Jackson  (1942-) (www.beerhunter.com), the world's most famous beer writer, featured The White Horse in his superlative "The Beer Hunter" TV series, a 1990 Channel 4 Production; Michael took the viewer from cask in the cellar to handpump in the bar. This made the place's landlord and cellarman, Mark Dorber, the most famous cellarman in the world. On The White Horse's website there is an excellent article on Cellarmanship, which is accompanied by video clips. The 16th of June, 2006, was the 25th anniversary of Mark starting at The White Horse. The photo to the left of the exterior of The White Horse, was taken by John White, in December, 2004.

In addition to immaculately kept British Beers, The White Horse has a good selection of Foreign Beers, particularly Belgian ones, these all being detailed on the place's website. There are not many places outside Belgium with beers such as Poperings Hommelbier and Avec les Bon Vœux de la Brasserie Dupont (9.5%) (£3.50 a pint, in December, 2004) on draught, but they have such excellent beers here, along with top-class German Beers, such as Jever Pilsner and Schneider Aventinus (both £3.50 a pint, in December, 2004). Food quality is way above normal pub standard. In short, The White Horse is an absolute don't-miss when in the UK. Many shrines to Real Ale and Specialty Beer are somewhat lacking in the comfort and décor side, but not The White Horse; the furnishings are splendid, the main seats are comfortable and there are a surprising number of sofas and matching chairs, with big tables; note also the church pews. Mark has also put in place a splendid collection of breweriana, which really tells you that this place is about beer.

The building dates from 1890, and you might think that the frieze near the splendid open fire and the servery dates from this time, but Mark had it done in 1996; see the photo to the left, which was taken in December, 2005 by John White; Mark appears in the frieze, on the left of the section featured in the photo. Because of the stamp that Mark has put on the place, and the structural changes that he has initiated (such as the conversion of a former Coach House into the ground floor restaurant; check out the floor plan on the wall), it is not obvious that The White Horse is actually in the Castle Estate of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) (www.mbplc.com), which was historically part of the Bass Empire (when Michael did his TV programme, The White Horse was regarded as the place to sample Draught Bass).

I have eaten in The White Horse on a number of occasions, and found the food to be most acceptable, a number of the dishes being quite innovative; The White Horse's chef is Liliana Tamberi. One can eat in the main drinking area, in the ground floor, Coach House, or in the separate restaurant upstairs. There is an excellent range of wines to choose from. The menu has recommended beers or wine for each dish. In summer, a barbecue is also set up in the outside seating area. A 2005 initiative is the opening upstairs of a restaurant, using fresh seasonal produce, called "Upstairs At The White Horse". This is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 7pm. It has a changing menu each week, examples from my June, 2005 visit being: a starter of Classic Moules Marinières at £6.75; a main course of Swordfish with Broccoli and Orange Sauce at £14.50; and a dessert of Pear and Puff Pastry Tart with Chocolate Sauce at £5.50, or Award Winning British Cheeses at £5.75. As per downstairs, these have recommended Beer and/or Wine pairings. Typical dishes downstairs include (December, 2005 prices): Cardamonand Lemon Chicken at £10.25; Traitional Steak and Ale Pie at £9.75; Steak Sandwich at £10.75; and Tarragon & Mushroom Ravioli at £8.75.

There is a large upstairs function room, one particularly interesting use for it being by the Beer Academy (www.beeracademy.org), a non-profit making organisation that runs low-cost, but top-class courses, that, with an irresistible passion, teach people about beer. Typical attendees include brewery office staff and publicans; they are also open to members of CAMRA. The upstairs room can accommodate fifty people, The Coach House thirty, the downstairs main bar a hundred, and there is space, with much seating for another hundred outside. Note that, in 2007, the activities of the Beer Academy were absorbed into the training function of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (www.ibd.org.uk).

If you talk nicely to Mark, who is particularly pleasant, he may give you a quick cellar tour. The photo in the famous cellar to the left was taken by Mark, in December, 2005. With John White is Matthias Trum, the proprietor of both "Heller-Bräu" - Trum, a truly famous brewery, in Bamberg, Germany, and its world-class tavern, the Schlenkerla (www.schlenkerla.de and www.smokebeer.com (English-language pages), White Beer Travels Web page). The Schlenkerla, the most famous outlet in the world for Rauchbier (Smoke Beer), gives its name to its beers, Schlenkerla Rauchbier; which, of course, is available, in The White Horse (sourced from James Clay and Sons (www.beersolutions.co.uk), via the Kaiserdom Brewery, in Bamberg (www.kaiserdom.de)). Matthias was in London for the British Guild of Beer Writers annual dinner, and John was showing him round London, one part of the itinerary being, of course, The White Horse [to see how Real Ale gets from cellar to handpump]. Matthias and John have glasses of a very special beer in their hands, which Mark has just drawn from a cask in the cellar for them: a Fuller's beer that has been matured in a Jim Beam Bourbon cask. It was truly special, with wonderful, unmistakable vanilla notes. By coincidence, on the visit to Fuller's the previous day, the Fuller's Brewing Director, John Keeling had mentioned this rare beer to Matthias and myself, so it was a great honour and privilege to taste this beer, along with the other treasures that Mark produced, these including an Adnams Christmas beer,Tally-Ho (7%), that he had matured for a year in the cellar. The photo in the cellar to the right was taken by Louise Osborne, in December, 2004. Louise was on Honeymoon in London, with her husband, Tony Osborne, who is on the left in the photo, which has Mark Dorber in the middle, with myself on the right. We all have glasses of a different batch of long-matured Tally-Ho (7%), that Mark has just drawn, directly from the cask. I have its pump clip in my other hand, that would subsequently be put on a handpump upstairs connected to the cask in question. Tony and Louise and I live in Grimsby; we are fellow members of the Grimsby & NE Lincolnshire branch of CAMRA.

The White Horse has, of course, won numerous awards, for example, in September, 2005, it was voted by the premier Publicans' paper, The Morning Advertiser (www.morningadvertiser.co.uk), the best pub in England.

Note that, from 2004, Mark Dorber began sharing his time between The White Horse and a hotel/bar/restaurant, The Anchor, Main Street, Walberswick, Suffolk, IP18 6UA (tel 01502 722112, GPS: 52.312894^o N, 1.662317^o E, www.anchoratwalberswick.com). Walberswick, which is on the North Sea, is on the South bank of the mouth of the river Blyth. The more well-known Southwold, which is on the other side of the river from Walberswick, can be reached by foot ferry or pedestrian bridge. Southwold is home to the highly regarded Adnams Brewery (www.adnams.co.uk, www.beerfromthecoast.co.uk), who, in fact, are the freehold owners and landlord of The Anchor. Mark has a fifteen year tied lease on the place, so it is his business for this period of time. In The Anchor, there are initiatives that have already proved a great success in The White Horse, such as "Meet the Brewer" and "Meet the Winemaker", Adnams being renowned wine retailers, as well as brewers. Following Mark's arrival, a trendy board has appeared outside, with the wording "The freshest of local, seasonal produce. Organic fruit juices and cordials. Characterful organic and bio-dynamic wines. Speciality Beer from San Francisco to Southwold". With regard to the latter, there are Initially twelve non-Adnams beers available, The Anchor is sure to become "The White Horse on Sea"! For more information on The Anchor, click here to go to a White Beer Travels Web page featuring it.

A don't-miss event each year in The White Horse, is its magnificent Winter Beer Festival; the dates being given in the place's website; they are typically the last Saturday and Sunday in November. These are particularly popular with members of the Burgundian Babble Belt (www.babblebelt.com), a major Belgian Beer message board; posters on it often gather together, the "Babblefest" being pre-arranged on the message board. The photos below were taken during a Babblefest at the time of The White Horse's Winter Ale Festival, in November, 2002. As you can see, from the one on the left, Mark has no problem with children being on the premises.

In the photo above, which was taken by Joyce White, from left to right are John White's grandson Jack Skinner, John White, and Mark Dorber. The Velociraptor in Jack's hand was obtained from a visit a little earlier to the Natural History Museum, www.nhm.ac.uk.

From left to right in the photo above, taken by John White, in The White Horse's hallowed cellar, are Warren Becker, Bill Coleman, Mark and MatW. By Bill's right foot is a keg of Old Salty [Dog] that he had brought with him from New York the previous day. Note the pliers in Mark's hand, which were used to allow sampling of this great beer, before it was made available to those above stairs. Warren, Bill, MatW and John are regular contributors to the Burgundian Babble Belt.

Old Salty Dog is a Barley Wine brewed to Bill Coleman's recipe by the Heavyweight Brewing Company, in Ocean Township, New Jersey, USA, www.heavyweight-brewing.com. Bill has an excellent website for his "Malted Barley Appreciation Society", hbd.org/mbas. This has much information on the New York Specialty Beer (Craft) Beer scene. See also Clay Irving's excellent don't-enter-New-York-before-consulting "New York City Beer Guide" website, ww.panix.com/clay/nycbeer.

Babblefests are also organised to coincide with CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival (GBBF), which is held each year, in London, on the first Tuesday to Saturday of August. It has become the norm to have a Babblefest on the Friday night, the venue being The White Horse! The above photo was taken in The White Horse, by Joyce White, in August, 2002. Pictured, from left to right, are John White, Paulette & Thom Aikman, and Josh Oakes. John has a Dupont Moinette Blonde (see www.brasserie-dupont.com). Josh is Editor-in-Chief of the highly regarded ratebeer website, www.ratebeer.com.

The above photo was taken by John White, at a Babblefest in The White Horse at GBBF time, in August, 2004. From left to right are: Lorenzo (Kuaska) Dabove, Italy's number one (by far) promoter of Speciality/Specialty/Craft Beer, especially Belgian Beer and Italian Artisanal Beer (www.kuaska.be (English-language version), www.kuaska.it (Italian version), White Beer Travels Web page); and Tim Webb, author of the award winning, don't-enter-Belgium-without Good Beer Guide Belgium (www.booksaboutbeer.com, White Beer Travels Web page).

The photo to the left was taken by John White, on the day of the London launch of Bob's book, in June, 2005. In it, Bob is signing one of his books in The White Horse. On the table in front of him, in the photo, is a pint of Lefèbvre's Wheat Beer, Blanche de Bruxelles (£3.50), which was one of a number of draught Foreign Beers available in The White Horse on this day, including: Celis White at £3.50; Liefmans Kriek at £4; and Küppers Kölsch at £3.50. See above for more information on the Brasserie Lefèbvre, for whom, as already stated, Bob works.

The White Horse is open on from 11am to Midnight (00.30am on Friday and Saturday).

Although some way from Central London, The White Horse is very easily reached by Tube. Get off at Parson's Green on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line (Zone 2); The White Horse can be seen from the platform. On leaving the station, turn right, and the tree-shaded Parson's Green is soon reached; The White Horse is on the corner with Ackmar Road, on the left. On Ackmar Street, there is one of three entrances to The White Horse, this being the one to head for if you are desperate for the toilet on arrival; they are labelled Pistols and Dolls, the signs having a portrait of a Pistol and a Doll respectively above them, these being a man and a woman respectively, who are based on the characters Captain Pistol and Doll Tearsheet, from William Shakespeare's Henry VI, part I.

Note that should you be visiting The White Horse with someone who wants to do a bit of shopping, etc, then it is worth bearing in mind that there is not much in this line around Parson's Green itself. However, if you leave Parson's Green Underground and turn left on Parson's Green Lane, instead of right, one soon reaches Fulham Road. Turning left on to this, one soon comes across oodles of shops and galleries. On the right in this direction, there is a Loch Fyne Fish Restaurant Oyster Bar & Shop (www.lochfyne.com), at 676 Fulham Road (corner Rostrevor Road), SW6 5SA, tel 020 7610 8020, Mini A-Z : page 86, square 4B. If on reaching Fulham Road, you turn right, you will soon reach, on the other side of the road, a Greene King pub, The Wheatsheaf, at 582  Fulham Road, SW6 5NT, tel 020 7384 1509, Mini A-Z : page 86, square 3C. This has Greene King IPA and Abbott on handpump.

If you cross Parson's Green, using the path down the middle, starting near The White Horse, you reach a typical Young's house, a GBG  2004 and 2005 entry (page 303), the Duke of Cumberland (235 New King's Road, SW6 4XG).

Microbar
14 Lavender Hill (A3036), Battersea, SW11 5RW, tel 020 7228 5300,
Mini A-Z: page 102, square 1C, www.microbar.org

The above photos were taken by John White, in May, 2005. In the one on the left, Microbar is on the right. Note the 77A London bus passing it, the bus stop being just in front of Microbar; it provides a useful starting point for getting back to Central London, after a visit to this wonderful place, see below. In the photo on the right are Alex Smith (with Bob Hendrickx's book in hand) and Tim Bassett, the proprietors of Microbar.

Microbar has an excellent, well-chosen selection of International draught beers and bottled beers, particularly Belgian ones, these including also some exceptional and unusual beers from the USA and Germany.

Alex and Tim are quite clearly genuine fans of the very best in Speciality/Specialty/Craft Beer. Draught beers on my May, 2005 visit included: Jever Pilsener (www.jever.de), from Germany at £3.20; Celis White at £3.70, which is brewed in Belgium by Bios/Van Steenberge (www.vansteenberge.com); and Anchor Liberty Ale and Steam Beer, from San Francisco (www.anchorbrewing.com), both at £3.70.

In the photo, above, Alex Smith is holding my copy of Bob's book, which he has just signed to show that I have received, following a wonderful De Graal Gember (8%) (a Belgian "Ginger Beer", www.degraal.be, at £3.80), my second beer free, this being a bottle of Urbanus Kellerweizen (5.5%), a German Wheat Beer from the Urbanus Brewery, in Pfaffenhofen (www.brauhaus-pfaffenhofen.de) which is produced using a Sparkling Wine (Sekt) yeast, Sekthefe, as well as a conventional one. The taps that can be seen in the photo are for dispensing the Jever Pilsener and the Celis White. Behind the bar, is a large blackboard listing many, but not all of the place's truly excellent selection of beers.

The blackboard gives each beer's bottle/measure size, percentage alcohol and strength. I say that it lists "Many" of the place's beers, since a note on the blackboard states that it is not big enough and that, for example, at least fifteen other Belgian Beers are available (as it states on the blackboard: "So many beers, so few boards … So really just ask"). I suppose that they could produce conventional menus, but, somehow, the blackboard suits the ethos of the trendy place, that has a minimalist exterior and interior. Bottles not already covered include: Schneider Aventinus at £4.40 (50ml); Westvleteren 12^o (ABT) at £6.50, this rarest of Belgian Trappist Beers alone proving that they mean business here; the "everyday" Belgian Trappist Beer, Orval (www.orval.be, White Beer Travels Web page) at £3.50; a varying selection of wonderful beers from the Fantôme Brewery (www.fantome.be) and the Dupont Brewery (www.brasserie-dupont.com), in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, all at £9.50 (75ml); Struis, Columbus and Biobock from 't IJ, in Amsterdam (www.brouwerijhetij.nl) at £4.40/4.40/3.20; Victory HopDevil from the USA (www.victorybeer.com) at £3.80 (12 Fl Oz, 355 ml); Titanic Stout (www.titanicbrewery.co.uk) at £3.40 (50ml), this Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire brewed beer being CAMRA's Champion Bottled Beer, in 2004; and many more wonderful beers.

Almost opposite Microbar, there is a pedestrianised road, going up a short incline, called Wix's Lane, which is difficult to spot on maps. On either side of this, there are "Lavender Hill S.W." street signs, the one on the Eastern side being badged the "Borough of Wandsworth" and the other the "Borough of Battersea". Carrying this boundary across the road would put Microbar, in Wandsworth, but its official address is in Battersea.

The nearest Tube Station is Clapham Common on the Northern Line (Zone 2), which is about a mile away; it is about the same distance to Clapham Junction main line station, which is served by heaps of trains from a number of stations in London, such as Victoria, Waterloo, London Bridge, and Cannon Street. Indeed, it is the busiest railway station in Britain and possibly the world. Microbar is East of Clapham Junction railway station and NW of the Tube Station, on the North side of Lavender Hill, just to the West of the Queenstown Road (A3216) junction, and close to the junctions of Audley Close with Lavender Hill. On my May, 2005 visit, I walked from Clapham Common Tube Station, but a better bet is to get a bus from Vauxhall, where there is an interchange with Vauxhall Tube Station on the Victoria Line. The bus stop for the return journey to Vauxhall, is right outside Microbar, all the buses stopping at the stop going to Vauxhall, some going onward beyond it (to Aldwych and Waterloo), i.e. the 77/77A/156/N77, the latter being a Night Bus. On the left, on the route to Vauxhall, is the famous Battersea Dogs Home. Note that should you come via Clapham Junction, the buses that stop outside Microbar also stop at the station.

Microbar opens at 6pm on Monday to Thursday, 4pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, with the conventional pub closing time of 11pm (10.30pm on Sunday). The Western extension of Microbar's "street", Lavender Hill, is called St. John's Hill. At 197 St. John's Hill, SW9 7DG, The Beehive (GBG 2006, GBG 2007 page 304) (Mini A-Z: page 101, square 2F), is an excellent Fuller's pub.

John White (1945-), , May, 2005, updated in June, 2007.

Back to Top