The Actress - final curtain?

[cjanker]

Picked up takeaway pizzas earlier this evening (as I do most Fridays) and was rather surprised when I got home to find them much smaller than they were just a couple of weeks ago. Shame no-one behind the bar thought to mention they've been resized but then again they're probably too busy dealing with the fact the pub currently has no loos (bar the one at ground level), a distinct lack of staff (advert on door), no projector (wires dangling from ceiling and obtrusive TVs now present in the bar) and, most importantly, only 1 of 4 taps serving bitter.

Can't help feeling there's trouble on the horizon. Anyone know anything?

Even The Uplands didn't have this many problems...

[GriffDHFC]

With so many pubs around the area it wasn't going to be too long before another one suffered a downturn in fortunes. Maybe a bit of TLC is needed, maybe a special offer here and there. Perhaps some quirky film nights on the big screen rather ubiquitous sports or maybe more sports just not the "normal" ones.

[steveo]

Resized

Downsized

Right sized

My old boss used to say

[dumpertruck]

Not been the same since the skinny dude with the flip flops left. He was ace.

[TigerTraveller]

I miss braless wonder. She was cute.

[DulwichFox]

I think The Bishop is also going that way.. 5-6 staff having left in the last 2-3 weeks...

Seems staff morale is at rock bottom..

DulwichFox

[Sue]

Yet I noticed as I passed the other day that their (Actress) little garden had been given some TLC for the first time I've seen since they opened. The plants previously always looked quite neglected.

ETA. The Actress has always felt a bit odd, but I would be sorry if it closed, especially for watching the tennis.

[TheArtfulDogger]

Wow

Had pizza in on Thursday at the actress and it felt normal size wise, the downstairs looks were working fine and loads of drinks on tap.

Maybe the op was just unlucky Friday but I don't think there is a problem there.

[Otta]

I think there has been a problem there since way before it was the actress. The Uplands refurb around 2002/03 was so bad and irreversible. It's been improved upon, but it's basically just a horrible space imo.

[DulwichFox]

Never really liked The Actress.. Sitting high up on those perches never appealled to me.

The Bishop has got rid of similar seating.

Steep stairs to get to the loos..

Poor bar design with little storage for glasses.. resulted in Wine being served in thick stackable Tumblers..

Just never seemed to work for me...

It's the little things that put you off..

DulwichFox

[jimmyraj]

All the ex Capital Pub Co pubs have gone massively downhill in the last year or two since being taken over by Greene King. The Actress is a bit of a hole now; the Bishop had a mind bogglingly rubbish refurb ruining what atmosphere it ever had with weird MOR check upholstery (bad chain pub fayre); the Victoria Inn has gone massively downhill with terrible service and dirty interior and exterior in need of a full refurb; ditto the Rye, which is now just a football watching spot. Looks like the owners intent on running them into the ground with minimum investment. There's superior competition from the others (EDT, Lordship, Exhibition, Cherry Tree, Montpelier, White Horse, Gowlett) IMO.

[Jeremy]

Not sure it's fair to say the owners are intent on running them into the ground, when they've just refurbed the Bishop. But I'd agree about the Victoria - generally they're not looking after the place. The Antic pubs are better, as well as most of the newer ones (Great exhibition, Watsons, White Horse).

[Millhaven]

I personally think the EDT has gone a bit meh. I still enjoy the Bishop but agree the Victoria Inn has got very shabby (service and maintenance wise) which coincided with the last change of manager imho. Thank goodness for the Cherry Tree, White Horse and Montpelier.

[dumpertruck]

Just got back from EDT. Great boozer, but the new table layout in the left-hand bar is a total shambles. You can't move, let alone sit down. Stick the sofas back in this room and shift the tables back where they belong in the right-hand room please!

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Never really liked The Actress.. Sitting high up

> on those perches never appealled to me.

> The Bishop has got rid of similar seating.

There are lots of seats at ground level, Fox!

> Steep stairs to get to the loos..

There's a loo on the ground floor as well

> Poor bar design with little storage for

> glasses.. resulted in Wine being served in thick

> stackable Tumblers..

I'm pretty sure the wine being served in tumblers hasn't got much to do with lack of storage space. There was discussion about this on the forum when the Actress had just opened, and most people seemed to prefer the wine in tumblers.

I believe it's the French style, not that I've been to France for donkey's years.

I like wine in tumblers myself, unless it's very expensive wine, which I wouldn't expect to be drinking in a pub.

[Jeremy]

I think the tumblers thing was seen as trendy at the time... or a nod to rustic mediterranean style.

[*Bob*]

Bishop wins top award for 'most uninspiring recent makeover', thus removing any last vestige of interest was clinging on by a thread.

I can't quite put my finger on the ambience, but it's something similar to being trapped in the bar of a P&O ferry from Zeebrugge to Hull, circa 1992.

[Jeremy]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> something similar to being trapped in the bar

> of a P&O ferry from Zeebrugge to Hull, circa 1992.

The refurbed Albert on Bellenden Rd has a similar feel...

[healey]

It's just a really average space - pubs should be cozy wooden places filled with tat and a nice fire if possible. The actress is like an airport lounge. The recent revamp the Cherry Tree shows how it should be done.