July 2023. Camberwell.
Five minute blog post.
It’s never a good idea to start your day with an early Spoons pint, really slows you down later, but never mind.
With my father-in-law safely home from Kings Hospital, I felt invigorated to explore a bit of Camberwell.
The first thing you see from Denmark Hill station is the majestic Salvation Army training centre, fronted by statues of the founders.
Catherine Booth was an inspirational lady, the second General of the Salvation Army.
Across the road the pub my in-laws had spent the night before their hospital trip commemorates a Prime Minister who lasted just 119 days in office.
Loads of history round here in the surprisingly quiet back streets away from Kings and the Maudsley.
Some rally great art in the pocket park near the train line,
and a reminder about you’re only half a mile from Brixton.
You’re also only 150 million miles from the sun,
or five minutes from the Sun of Camberwell, by a huge stroke of luck a new GBG tick for me.
The door is open, I peer in and spy a lady who seems to be the entirety of the workforce.
“Hello, are you open ?”
“What time is it, we open at 12”
“It’s 12”. Actually, it was 11.59. Sorry, nice lady.
Look, it’s an Antic. Bare boards, long tables, games, TV,
and Volden on the bar. Who are Volden ?
And more to the point, who are Antic ?
Just as Spoons dominated GBG new entries in the 90s, Antics newbies popped up every year a decade ago, but the Sun is the first one I’ve been in for years.
They’re cute, the Volden was cool (NBSS 3, at a push) and cheap,
And the little parlour room a quirky joy.
But lunchtime trade looked invisible, and the one thing a London pub needs is people, if only so I can comment on Londoners in this blog. Let’s go west (young man).
retiredmartin 
I seem to remember that the George Canning was keg only last time that I looked, but maybe that’s changed.
Nottingham has a Canning Circus.
I wonder which places will have a Truss Circus?
Love Camberwell, and a bit sad that our eldest and second eldest have both moved to other parts of S. London.
The Sun was riotous, packed with young hospital staff after shifts and energetically de-stressing when Mrs. E and I last went. Didn’t spot the pool table in your pics – was it still there?
(Etu)
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Def keg only, though I doubt that’s why my in-laws walked to the Spoons instead of having a meal there !
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Didn’t notice a pool table but it’s a rambling place isn’t it?
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It was too packed to wander round, but looked so from the outside.
(Etu – WordPress will, in their own good time, make all well with the world again I expect)
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At least Canning died in office as opposed to getting forced out for being generally useless.
Bill
What’s happened to our names on here?
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It’s all come good.
It’s Open Source, you see.
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And 1812 since one was assassinated.
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150 million km / 93 million miles. Still a long way. 🙂
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Average distance to the loo in a Spoons.
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Canning was responsible for some of the worst beer I’d known fifty years ago.
I’ve heard that it’s meant to be perfectly acceptable now but can’t think why.
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