ANOTHER HOBGOBLIN IN STREATHAM

January 2026. Streatham. London

Dad got the full ambulance treatment on Friday night, but made such a miraculous recovery overnight that I felt confident about trekking back to Rye the next morning. 90 year olds have incredible bouncebackability.

Time for a couple of London pubs ?

Half an hour and £8 from St Pancras brings you South-West to Streatham,

a culturally diverse place lacking the gentrification of Brixton and Dulwich,

but I bet you could eat well here.

This is going to be an exciting little break in an unsung part of London, with two GBG ticks 20 minutes apart,

and some great fontage,

and frontage.

Quosh reminds me that Streatham’s Crown and Sceptre is the pub name checked by The Clash.

“An’ if you’re in the crown tonight
Have a drink on me
But go easy…step lightly…stay free“

But it’s the White Lion that’s the architectural standout with its Hobgoblin (him again).

Faded grandeur is the word for Streatham High Road,

and the Spoons carpets at the Holland Tringham have seen better days.

But this is a cheery Spoons, a cultural melting pot of a pub (See also : the Elephant & Castle JDW), and I decide to linger over a late lunch.

A rather longer linger than expected, as I initially fail to press the button that says PAY, and sit like an idiot for 15 minutes wondering if I should chase my pint of Loddon Talon (cool, tasty NBSS 3.5).

On the next table a group of Old Boys are meeting up for their annual Christmas chinwag, a day which unexpectedly started “with caviar for breakfast“, before reaching its climax of ham, eggs and chips with pints of Leffe.

I’ve been in worse Spoons, I’ve been in better, worth a (belated) GBG spot.

I never did bother to read what the connection to Barclay Perkins is.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

20 thoughts on “ANOTHER HOBGOBLIN IN STREATHAM”

  1. I’m not sure there is a connection to BP, but the Holland Tringham tribute has some pretty interesting information in it. Love the bit about getting sacked.

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  2. No doubt if you drink Leffe in Wetherspoons you can afford caviar for breakfast. Personally I tried caviar, probably for the first time, last year and wasn’t impressed.

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  4. I paid an average of £6.43 in London yesterday – from a very reasonable £5.80 for Harvey’s Old Ale in the Royal Oak to £6.80 ( double the £3.40 in Sinclairs three months ago ) for OBB in the Olde Cheshire Cheese and a ridiculous £7.15 for Taylors Landlord in the National Trust’s George.

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      1. No Bill, not only because tea allegedly drinks better with their scones but also because the pub is managed by Greene King who are more interested in looking after Tim, hence my 10am 6½% pint of Abbot Reserve at just £1.75 with a “Tombo voucher” three days ago heading towards my nearest Hall and Woodhouse pub.

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  5. ” 90 year olds have incredible bouncebackability.”

    That’s partly because they’ve been there, done that… twice!

    “Time for a couple of London pubs ?”

    I think these days that is followed by (check bank account balance) before deciding. 😉

    “a culturally diverse place lacking the gentrification of Brixton and Dulwich,”

    I’m not sure which leg you’re pulling.

    “and frontage.”

    My mind, initially, went somewhere else, of course. 😏

    “But it’s the White Lion that’s the architectural standout with its Hobgoblin (him again).”

    Aha! I just realised that this must be a Weatherspoon’s pub. 😎

    “and the Spoons carpets at the Holland Tringham have seen better days.”

    Another Spoons!

    “(See also : the Elephant & Castle JDW)”

    I had a cousin who lived in that area way back in the 80’s. Very Cockney. I was always a sentence behind due to having to translate in my head when she spoke. 😊

    “as I initially fail to press the button that says PAY, and sit like an idiot for 15 minutes wondering if I should chase my pint of Loddon Talon”

    Hey, at least you have a PAY button. Over here you have to catch the eye of your ‘waiting’ person.

    “before reaching its climax of ham, eggs and chips with pints of Leffe.”

    Is Leffe becoming a ‘thing’ across the Channel?

    “I never did bother to read what the connection to Barclay Perkins is.”

    I’ve tried the connection without success. But I will continue to persevere!

    Cheers

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    1. The pub in that drawing is a Barclay Perkins pub that the chap used to use, I guess.

      Leffe was a big thing 30 years ago, and since Wetherspoons started selling a UK brewed version of it cheap (or bargain with a meal) it’s become popular again.

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      1. Phew! So I can check looking up the connection off my list.

        And I mentioned Leffe as it’s fairly common where my brother lives in northern France. Didn’t it was (and is?) popular in the UK.

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      2. The early 90s was a time when continental beers became popular in the UK, possibly driven by the new pub chains run by Whitbread. Hoegarden and Leffe were quite common for a while.

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  6. Glad your dad was looked after well. Love to see old laundrettes. One in Herefordshire had a big sign in window saying not to wash your horse coats in their machines. Have you seen those washing machine facilities on the street? I have seen a couple on my travels, none of them around the Midlands.

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