Bloody Sydenham Hill

[malumbu]

I loved the Woodhouse.  It's been awful for years.  I cycle up Sydenham Hill to go to Sydenham or Crystal Palace. 

[Sue]

2 hours ago, jazzer said:

I'm lucky if I can afford fish & chips take away, let alone the prices in the Wood House.  

We weren't eating there, just having a pint after a walk in the woods.

Can't remember the price of a pint or what we've had, but I've never liked Young's beer.

Apart from the Winter Warmer (unless I've misremembered and that isn't Young's).

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

I'm surprised there's such hate for the Wood House. I don't particularly like the interior decor but it's good a big garden with a bunch of covered and uncovered seating.

I'm not surprised the culture warriors have showed up with their usual "facts".

[malumbu]

It was such a lovely pub.  I drank and occasionally ate there for many years.  It had a locals feeling about it.  It had the most grumpy couple who managed it, and an outrageous gothed up person behind the bar.  Then it went through several makeovers and it was never the same again.

Bums on seats.  The plastic grass, little cabins, relatively expensive alcohol, ubiquitous menu, all brings the punters in.  Pub business has changed.   The brewery who ran their pubs so well has long since gone.  They don't need my business and my sense of nostalgia to survive.

[Sephiroth]

"I'm not surprised the culture warriors have showed up with their usual "facts"." what does this even mean?

[Sue]

2 hours ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

I'm surprised there's such hate for the Wood House. I don't particularly like the interior decor but it's good a big garden with a bunch of covered and uncovered seating.

I'm not surprised the culture warriors have showed up with their usual "facts".

What is a "culture warrior"?

What "facts" are you referring to, and why the inverted commas?

Yes, the "garden" is big (I can use inverted commas too!) Yes, it has seats. 

Are you a fan of AstroTurf and artificial plants? How would you define a "garden"?

[Cyclemonkey]

I dunno. "Facts " like you can get to Crystal Palace and Sydenham Woods via Sydenham Hill?

[David Peckham]

5 hours ago, malumbu said:

It had the most grumpy couple who managed it

Did Young's have a policy of only letting unpleasant couples be licencees?

I remember the couple who ran the Clock House. Their son was an arse, as well.

New Year's Day, probably 1998/99. Absolutely freezing. Lovely walk through Peckham Rye Park, fancied a pint. They wouldn't let us sit inside with a two year old. We had to sit out in the sleet. Tiny, cold hands. Massive, hot chips. A fortnight of toddler chilblains.

I think the landlord was ex Met, if I recall correctly.

 

[Sue]

4 hours ago, David Peckham said:

Did Young's have a policy of only letting unpleasant couples be licencees?

I remember the couple who ran the Clock House. Their son was an arse, as well.

New Year's Day, probably 1998/99. Absolutely freezing. Lovely walk through Peckham Rye Park, fancied a pint. They wouldn't let us sit inside with a two year old. We had to sit out in the sleet. Tiny, cold hands. Massive, hot chips. A fortnight of toddler chilblains.

I think the landlord was ex Met, if I recall correctly.

 

But if they had a no under 18s policy, that was fair enough, surely?

You can't have a rule then start making exceptions? Even if it's below zero outside?

I imagine that was before the pubs round here became child friendly, after which  you couldn't have a quiet pint without hordes of screaming kids rushing around you.

[malumbu]

8 hours ago, David Peckham said:

Did Young's have a policy of only letting unpleasant couples be licencees?

I remember the couple who ran the Clock House. Their son was an arse, as well.

New Year's Day, probably 1998/99. Absolutely freezing. Lovely walk through Peckham Rye Park, fancied a pint. They wouldn't let us sit inside with a two year old. We had to sit out in the sleet. Tiny, cold hands. Massive, hot chips. A fortnight of toddler chilblains.

I think the landlord was ex Met, if I recall correctly.

 

I met them when they ran the Morpeth near Tate Britain, before they retired, and they moaned about running the Woodhouse.  I don't recall them being grumpy when at the Woodhouse (apart from their mixed attitude to families), just not particularly helpful*.  They'd get many more punters in on a lovely hot day but put no extra staff on, I could say more but I'd be getting too personal.  Did love the place irrespective of them.  I used to love the Clock in the old days, and the Buck in Petty France and the  Royal Oak near Strutton Ground and the Morpeth.  Common denominator is that they are all very different to when the Brewery was running and they were part of the Youngs estate.

 

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

16 hours ago, Sephiroth said:

"I'm not surprised the culture warriors have showed up with their usual "facts"." what does this even mean?

It means people are pursuing culture wars by making stuff up based on their passionately held prejudices and acting as if it's a fact. See the OP and this as examples:

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/365902-bloody-sydenham-hill/#findComment-1717782