Into Streatham, where’s there a bit more blog material than further west.
For a start, this is the birthplace of Tommy Trinder, whose old home I passed and whose image graces the wall near the Leigham Well.
I hope the attractive looking Leigham (London Pride, By the Horns) gets in the Guide as the side door exits directly on to the road which could be entertaining if this is Simon’s sixth pub.
The walk to Streatham from Norwood is leafy but lacks woods for the gentleman’s discrete comfort break.
In my last post I pondered which team folk here supported, having somehow forgotten about mighty Dulwich Hamlet (see top). Tommy himself was a Craven Cottager, of course.
With half an hour till opening time at the GBG newbie, I had ample time to take in the sights and sounds of Streatham High Road.
Sadly, 27.5 minutes were spent queueing in Lloyds to deposit a cheque for £25, Mrs RM’s latest premium bond win. With eight people in the queue and the deposit point not working, Lloyds chose the ideal moment to close one of the two cashier windows.
Service was more efficient in Pratts & Payne.
Paul Bailey asked about Antic recently; this is a perfect example of the chain.
Shabby chic, old adverts for lard, glitter balls, Hull City player stickers (really).
At the bar I should have been tempted by the plastic figurines,
but of course I have to try the cask. And of course you ignore the Cwtch at your peril, despite the subliminal Volden adverts.
The service at the bar was stellar; recognition, a friendly word, a “thank you“. Everything you rarely get in West London. And the barmaid seemed to know every Old Boy who came to the bar.
Those Old Boys were the sort you’d expect to see in the Spoons next door. All I’ll say is that I wiped my feet on the way out of the Holland Tringham.
I would have stayed in P&P to watch the football on the TV (probably Cardiff v Arsenal 1927 FA Cup Final), but a group of 30 Marisas was about to arrive.
I continued my walk into Lambeth.
retiredmartin 
I imagine Antic have a national house clearance firm who come in when folks move into care homes. They surely don’t buy this tosh.
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Hadn’t thought of that, but you may be right ;-o
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““Slow” down for pub tickers emerging at speed from side door”
Indeed! (crikey!)
“which could be entertaining if this is Simon’s sixth pub.”
With his wonky knee any time Simon crosses the road could be entertaining. 🙂
“but lacks woods for the gentleman’s discrete comfort break.”
This is why I prefer to walk in the woods. 😉
“having somehow forgotten about mighty Dulwich Hamlet”
Who have the highly original nickname of Hamlet.
“Sadly, 27.5 minutes were spent queueing in Lloyds to deposit a cheque for £25, Mrs RM’s latest premium bond win.”
Veddy old school that. Even my wife simply takes photos of her catering cheques with her smart phone and gets them deposited straight into her bank account without having to go near the bank itself (and she doesn’t have to send them the cheque after the fact either).
“Very London”
I think Shabby Chic summed it up nicely.
“Cwtch to you too”
Gesundheit!
“Marisa x 30, or possibly Marisa in 3D”
Surely you could have hung about to check? 🙂
Cheers
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I could have told you more about the 27.5 minute wait to pay a cheque in but sometimes it’s best to stay schtun.
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Banks claim to be closing branches because of lack of business, but whenever you actually go in there’s a queue. You can get Premium Bond wins paid directly into your bank account, you know.
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I didn’t know that, thanks Mudgie. As you may imagine, folk in a Streatham Lloyds seem to have an unusually complex set of financial transactions involving evidencing identity !
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Almost by definition, people only need to visit bank branches now to do the more complex and time-consuming transactions. Try getting a mandate changed without physically visiting a branch!
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But the queues are of people wanting change for the parking outside and that’s why banks are closing – a bit like people only going into a pub to use the toilet.
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Do people really do that ??
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Yes. Last month there was a letter in my local paper from a woman moaning about the long queue in a bank she went into for change for parking.
Had I been one for writing letters to Editors I would have pointed out that employing staff to give change for parking doesn’t do much for the viability of that branch.
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Did she need change to park her car so she could use the bank for getting change ?
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Wow. Cwtch in St. Reatham.
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I’m convinced the 30 Marisas were the latest hen night stalking you.
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Duncan I fear.
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