I knew things would pick up as soon as I made it into South-east London, they always do.
On Tuesday I set off from Waterbeach with a notional target of eight pubs to finish off That London, my trusty Indy Man pencil, and a scruffy bit of paper I couldn’t read.
Oh, and the Deserter book. I managed two chapters, which included a great moth joke.
No golf bore this time, so here’s a view from the window.
Exciting, huh ?
Northern Line to a bewilderingly refurbished London Bridge station, where I inadvertently paid £16 (sixteen) for an umbrella to replace the one I’d equally inadvertently left at Kings Cross.
It wasn’t going well. I had a whine to Duncan, who was unsympathetic.
Things picked up. A very fast link to Greenwich, the first time there since I watched something called Notro Circus at the O2 with two teenagers.
Mrs RM is actually working down there in New Cross, staying at an “Only Fools and Horses” themed pub which she should really blog about.
And she should really pop in the Morden Arms before it’s turned into a gastropub.
Only five minutes from the pashmina pubs around the market and the Cutty Sark, this is an astonishing survivor.
It was love at first sight. A shame there was only one other customer, a chap organising his next work after a long spell touring the world.
I had a great welcome from a Landlady who spent longer pulling beer through the pumps than I spent drinking my half of Truman’s Swift.
It was £1.50, and a very decent drop (NBSS 3).
“Are you sure ?” I said, sounding a little doubtful at the price.
Apparently the tills were being updated and prices for a half might be a bit off the pace.
At least a decade behind with those prices.
A charming place in which to attempt to resurrect a misbehaving umbrella while being regaled with stories about mammoth trees on North Island.
I don’t think that’s the real Dylan visiting tomorrow, but you never know.
retiredmartin 
I’ll go if you do. How many men could get away with wearing that jumper? Wow. Worth the trip by itself.
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It probably is.
Touch of Borough Royal Oak, touch of Hare and Hounds. Busy at 5pm I’ll bet.
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But, unlike the tattoos, the jumper is temporary.
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I’ve got a mate who has been wearing that jumper almost exclusively since I’ve known him (almost 35 years). I think his mum still knits him at least one per year.
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Did you say, “I’ll have a swift half of the Swift.” 😉 I gather the original Truman’s went under and then was restarted not so long ago. Do you reckon the new stuff is a worthy successor to the old stuff?
Your secret’s safe with me: I’ll not tell the Deserter lads you accused them of a rubbish joke. 😉
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Thanks Mark. I’d hate to put anyone off buying the Deserter book. Rubbish jokes are the best ones.
I think Truman predated my first pint!
Paul (both of them) will have a view, but i reckon the new Truman is good enough but being bought at a fraction of the volume of the 70s 😉
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The original Truman Brewery dated from 1666, and for a spell, during the 19th Century, was one of London’s, and indeed the nation’s largest breweries.
Somewhere long the line it was taken over and merged into the Watney-Mann – grand Metropolitan conglomerate. The brewery eventually closed in 1989.
The “new” Truman beers are very good, IMO, and well worth seeking out.
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The difficulty is recommending a pub where you can reliably expect them to be on regular sale and selling quickly.
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Thanks, Paul. Am I right that there are still old pubs around with the Truman’s signage out front (or the remnants thereof)?
Seems that’s one of those historical breweries whose heyday is so long ago that few people living today can say what their beers tasted like. I wonder if what they were brewing in those last years leading up to 1989 was even representative of what the old Truman’s tasted like.
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Mark,
Maybe “few people living today can say what their beers tasted like” but, although I drank very little Trumans beer because it was all keg until the last few years, I do know that “There’s more hops in Ben Truman” was a realistic claim.
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We go to Greenwich often but ,you will not be surprised to hear,we frequent the “pashmina pubs ” round the market or on the river .Never been to this beauty,not sure why,but may put it on the list for next time -I like the cut of it’s jib ! (will probably find Mr S doesn’t like Truemans )
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Higher class Pashmina Pubs in Greenwich, particularly near the Cutty Sark. This Morden Arms is a hidden gem!
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We went to Morden Arms yesterday -liked it -the clientele were interesting/pie eyed after watching the rugby during the afternoon. Can recommend the Travelodge nearby £25 Sunday night & parked car overnight at Lewisham shopping centre -£1.50 -bargain !
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Arguably the biggest news is the fact you were attempting to eat a Pret sandwich!
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Mrs RM (and Rory Stewart) has converted me to Pret. Their posh soup and sandwich is my service station treat on the M3.
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You’ll be celebrating Brunning & Price pubs next…
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Once they start sponsoring me, I will.
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I’ll start negotiating on your behalf
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Lovely
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Thanks. So are you.
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“The difficulty is recommending a pub where you can reliably expect them to be on regular sale and selling quickly.”
This is the problem for all the new breweries, esp. in London; we need tied houses back.
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We do. Property prices prevent that, except in a few micro/ale house models, like Brass Castle for one.
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