We’d left Mrs RM scrambling through Woolwich tunnel. She’s now restored to full fitness, heels healed,
I’m sure Erlanger Nick will approve of the use of the stairs, though few sane people would have used that lift.
And so we entered the magical land of South-east London, and Woolwich proper.
I’m a sucker for the views from the Woolwich Waterfront Leisure Centre. You can even see That London in the distance if you blow the picture up.
But Mrs RM needed “facilities” and we pressed on into magical Hare St. Of which more later.
Mrs RM worked as a Speech Therapist in Tower Hamlets for a bit, so is used to the “cultural melting pot” that is outer London. I’d primed her to expect a radically different Woolwich from her last visit, though reassuringly the High Vis jackets were still there.
And the Elephant & Castle (not that one) doesn’t change much either.
This looks a great pub, what with cask Courage and all, but the opening hours per What Pub have always put me off;
Opening Times 8-9 Mon-Thu; 8-10 Fri & Sat; 8-9 Sun
Nine hours a week; that might just pip The Well.
Anyway, I’d promised Mrs RM Craft. So craft she got, in the new GBG entry inside the Royal Arsenal.
Woolwich seems to alternate its lone Guide entry, so we’ve already said hello and waved goodbye to Antic’s Equitable and the Dial Arch in recent years.
If that cannon is there to protect SE18 from the Craft invasion then it’s failed miserably.
Mrs RM’s eyes lit up as she surveyed a modern beer bar with exposed light bulbs, stools around beer barrels and a sourdough pizza menu. Pub Curmudgeon may have had a different reaction.
The Tap Room was all very Hackney Wick, without the depressed West Ham fans anyway. Notably, I was immediately handed the contactless pad when I came to pay.
The beer range, mainly their own Hop Stuff, looked ambitious.
But their Azacca (NBSS 3.5), and a lemony keg one from Wylam for Evil Keg Monster were excellent, the pizza cheap and hot, and the staff cheery.
Ten points if you can tell where that shirt cropped up before.
“Y’all right buddy” We were.
Technically you need to walk off sourdough pizza, so we explored Royal Arsenal.
It’s rather gorgeous down by the river, more than a match for Greenwich.
SE10 may have the old boats, but SE18 has the Iron Men.
All it lacks is a pop-up ice cream and brownie stand along the promenade. We popped back to the centre for pudding.
The market is wonderful, with the most vibrant Caribbean atmosphere outside of Montego Bay.
And we were treated to some impromptu (and very angry) gospel outside the station entrance, another Woolwich speciality.
There was one more Woolwich Wonder to explore before the dangerous ferry back.
retiredmartin 
For a brewpub, there is the option of putting on smaller containers of your own beer to make sure you get through it in a reasonable timeframe.
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Elephant and Castle was the first pub i did on my second visit to Woolwich on the 2nd May 2015.
As you say proper London,where i have done loads of pubs.
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The photo of the entrance to the Woolwich tunnel looks a tad unnerving.
“Opening Times 8-9 Mon-Thu; 8-10 Fri & Sat; 8-9 Sun”
Good lord; I would have assumed that was AM to PM. Sheesh
“Ducts”
The lone brewpub where I live is all artsy fartsy ducts as well (sigh).
“Y’all right buddy”
Ah, more of that “cultural melting pot”. Good thing Mrs RM was there to translate for you. 🙂
Cheers
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Why would you assume that’s AM to PM, Russ ? Never assume anything.
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“Angry gospel” deserves more detail. I hope Simon runs into it.
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Perhaps “committed” is more politically correct, but Simon would use “angry”, certainly more than “Evangelical”.
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Open for just one hour per day, Sunday through Friday?! How could this be anything other than a money losing venture– doesn’t seem to add up.
You’re making me want to read, side by side, Mrs RM’s review of this particular venue and that of Pub Curmudgeon.
I honestly thought at first that you were casually generalizing about a certain brewing style as “hop stuff,” before seeing, from the photographs, that it’s the actual brand name! Well, at least you know what you’re getting. 🙂
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Sorry. That was a none too subtle joke about the lack of the 24 hour system (or am/pm) in What Pub. It’s open 8am to 9pm, a real market pub. Opening hours can be really confusing e,g, Wetherspoons show as 8-12 is morning to midnight, but some rural pubs really don’t open till 8pm in the evenings !
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Wait, what? So it is AM to PM. That makes me a master ass(umer). 😋
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I know we Brits have daft opening hours now, but you didn’t really think 8-9am !!!
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“but you didn’t really think 8-9am !!!”
I was thinking more like 8-9pm, but for now I’m going to cease the think and have a drink.😏
Cheers
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I’m trying to get Mrs RM to blog, but I fear it would be a series of complaints about me !
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Ha! She probably looks at the time and effort you put into it and concludes, “Good heavens, I can’t manage all that, let alone deal with the oddball Yanks commenting on things. I’ll just enjoy visiting places and leave the blogging to Martin.” ; )
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That pub conclusively makes the case for using the 24-hour clock for opening times 😉
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