CamberwellOnline Blog
Camberwell and my life in it
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Welcome to the Camberwell Online blog, a place for free and spirited exchange on anything with even a tangential connection to the South-East London district.
It’s almost summer, despite appearances
Published by Peter | Filed under General
Just got back from a weekend in Lisbon for my beautiful and talented wife’s birthday, and I’m a healthy burning red colour. Because of preparations and workload there were a few things that passed without my comment last week; thankfully, my diligent and industrious readership kept the ball rolling with another mammoth comments session. I shall miss you all when you move onto the new SE5Forum.org (coming soon).
Chief among the topics I meant to post about last week was the first public SE5 Forum meeting on Thursday. I couldn’t make it myself, unfortunately, but many did, and the verdict seems to be more hope than conviction at the moment; but then, hope’s better than despair, right? I’m sure there will be a full report on the new SE5Forum.org (coming soon).
To repeat a question that got somewhat lost in the comments, does anyone know when the Dark Horse is going to open, or what the delay is? It was due to open at the end of March, so it’s coming up to two months late, and nothing seems to have happened there at all. Can any gossip (or booze) hounds give us an update?
In the news: New Green councillor Jenny Jones hopes to use her voting power to form coalitions and comedienne Jo Brand has a few stories about working as a psychiatric nurse in Camberwell in the 80s (scroll down).
May 16th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Welcome back and apologies. I fear we hijacked your personal blog for our post-forum discussions. I’ll try to cut back and look forward to the SE5 Forum getting up and running.
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May 16th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Ha ha! Not at all! I like the attention.
Seriously, that’s what it’s here for. Enjoy!
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May 17th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
On the Dark Horse, I walk past it on my way to work and this morning had a sneaky peak inside… furniture now there (random dark leather cube seats, similar to the Black Sheep)and they looked like they were working on the bar back and other fittings.. can’t be long now!
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May 17th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
I heard a rumour that the brewery messed up installation of beer lines and cellar equipment and this held the opening up by 14 weeks…
Sounds too stupid to be true?
If only you knew.
Piss ups and breweries do not go together.
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May 17th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Betty Bezerra, the wife of the Portuguese Prime Minister (in 1817 for a few months) Joao Paulo Bezerra of Lisbon, was buried in St Giles’ churchyard in 1835, aged 82. Her dad was from Hull. His grand-daughter was called Zenoria. With this, I hope that Camberwell blog culture does not deteriorate into merely relevant and “on message” messages.
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May 17th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
Forgive me, I did not mean messages like 3 & 4 which are about pub lore, an essential leisure & health issue. Naturally, true dyed-in-the-wool and maybe died-in-the-pub SE5ers support the independents like the Sun & Doves and the Hermits Cave. The chains’ pubs, with their focus-group names like Daft Horse, their ubiquitous cool culture and diuretic lager, exist to deliver excellent shareholder value, blather blather…
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May 17th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Dagmar, rock on. Long live the Hermit, the only pub for me. A friend once told me it’s a real gem because it’s both real friendly and a bit rough. None of that theme-pub nonsense!
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May 18th, 2006 at 12:27 am
I hope Wetherspoons go bankrupt and The Fox On The Hill becomes a grand pub run independently once more…
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May 18th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
“does anyone know when the Dark Horse is going to open?”
Nay!
ha ha etc
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May 18th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Ouch.
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May 18th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
I sent the Dark Horse people an e-mail a few days ago and have had no response.
I went up to the pub next to Myatt’s Fields today (Prince of Wales, possibly?) and it was closed due to “unforeseen circumstances”. Whatever that means.
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May 19th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Here’s your answer:
I visited the group’s website: http://www.barbarblacksheep.com/
Called the Oval branch and spoke with a lady named ‘Asia’(?) who will manage the Dark Horse. She told me they are having a nightmare with British Gas for pipes in the kitchen, etc. They were told 13 weeks maximum and that was about 7 weeks ago. So they are hoping to open in the next 4 to 6 weeks, so she says…end of June.
Shall I play detective re: Myatt’s Fields pub?
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May 19th, 2006 at 12:19 pm
Fantastic detective work, TommyD!
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May 19th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Yep i’d like to find out about the Prince of Wales too as it’s my nearest pub. It always looked a bit dodgy then had a refurb - been meaning to go for a while then it shut is odd circumstances as described above!
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May 19th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
There was a pub in Minet Road called the Minet or something I was told had famous lock-ins by some underground people. Is it the Minet?
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May 20th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Afraid the trail went cold on Prince of Wales. I can say the phone is disconnected and the council didn’t shut it down for any health or financial/other criminal reasons.
Best bet is Mark - pub owners tend to know what is going on in their tight-knit community. Any gos Mark?
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May 21st, 2006 at 11:25 pm
Yes
And I’m always so awash with info that I got the 14 weeks right about Dark Horse but attributed the delay to cellar xervices when actually it was Gas… All pipes in the end and I got confused.
But the first principles of planning always applies.
To ensure a STABLE business, don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched and don’t sign a lease until you know the gas main is in good order or you might get SADDLED with a rum deal. I wouldn’t BET on their getting open when they want but that’s Horses for courses innit. OK so I’m tired.
As for P.O.W. - I assume you noticed Punch Pub Company’s wonderful frosted window design with the initials picked out:
1 It was marketed as needing a 70K investment by incomers (!that PubCo’s havin’ a laarf mate!). That might have been dropped because there wasn’t a lot of interest.
2 I didn’t have the heart to go in and meet the new lessees when it opened because I thought their wicket was up already.
3 Hardly any one ever went in there.
4 That means business failure, whether you’ve invested 70K or not - you still have to pay the rent.
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May 22nd, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I’ve just heard that the club that was supposed to be happening just up from the Green, between the phone shop and the kebab shop, has now been put on hold for at least of year. Boo hiss.
It’d be good if someone other than a bunch of scallies took over the Redstar. Plus a refurb for the King William on Camberwell New Rd would be nice. It’s just used for photo-shoots and filming these days (SYLVIA was one), which is a shame, as the previous landlord always used to let me in for a lock-in.
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May 23rd, 2006 at 12:22 am
Lord Henry - Agree about the Redstar - all it needs is a really good landlord/landlady that doesn’t take any nonsense and can sense any skullduggery that’s fermenting from a mile away - A bit like the magnificent Pat Burke (R.I.P) at The Prince Albert in Brixton - are you familiar with that old place?
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May 23rd, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Prince Of Wales has re-opened with “new management”. I wish them good luck but I don’t hold out much hope.
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June 1st, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Haven’t been to The Prince Albert. The George Canning is the furthest out of Camberwell I go, and that’s only because I’ve been next door at Buddha Jazz. I was in the Grove on Monday, and they’ve started a pub quiz, possibly in response to the Canning, which I heard had one.
This is off-topic, but I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned thus far –
http://www.bonkersfest.com/
I fancy the Mexican burritos and the helter-skelter. Preferably at the same time.
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June 1st, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Oi!! The Prince Albert is in Camberwell!! Denmark Road is SE5 and in Southwark!!
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June 1st, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Hannah M - You’re thinking of The Prince Of Wales…
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June 2nd, 2006 at 9:19 am
Oh Yeah so i am!!
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