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Picture of The Royal Oak
Image posted by Rex Rattus
Submitted on Thursday, 18th December 2014
With picture contributions to 1103 other pubs
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The Royal Oak, Bexleyheath

Mount Road
Bexleyheath
DA6 8JS
Correct details

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Reviews of The Royal Oak (Average Rating: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about The Royal Oak

This must have once been a rural or village pub, now engulfed within a 20th century housing estate. It has an attractive weatherboarded exterior, inside maintains some rustic charm with a black and white beamed ceiling, padded pew benches, a copper fireplace hood and high shelves laden with bottles. The main room is L-shaped with a squarish side room situated to one side. Carpeted throughout apart from the immediate bar area the pub felt warm and homely. There was a busy buzz about the place on Sunday afternoon with a local feel although both staff and the chaps watching football from the bar stools all came across as friendly. There were bits of cheese with pickles and crackers laid out on the bar as nibbles. We settled in for a decent session here after the football at nearby Welling Utd finished, mainly because we heard that The Robin Hood and Little John closes from 4-7 and the micropub the Door Hinge closes at 3 too. It is however a comfortable place to sink a few.
Three handpumps, Bombardier Gold, Exmoor Ale and Skinner's Betty Stogs.
One unusual twist I spotted, there was a skeleton wearing a hat sitting on a bench at the rear of the pub. Oh well!

On 9th March 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The Royal Oak

There were three ales on in here - Doom Bar, Master Brew, and Wells A Good Stuffing (£1.80 a half). This a reasonable selection without being anything too special. The Good Stuffing is obviously a Christmas ale, and was actually rather good. There was a small chalkboard propped up on the bar counter advertising three lunch specials of the day (chilli/rice; beef stew; and cottage pie) all for a fiver a pop. There was also a rolled up menu in a jar on one of the other tables, but I didn't examine it.

This pub has an alter ego - Polly Clean Stairs, and so named after a 19th Century landlady who seemed to be obsessive about cleaning the pub's steps. This is another cracking little pub in this general area, where it has to be said isn't exactly overendowed with great pubs. It's carpeted (apart from a bare-boarded splash area around the bar counter) and furnished with settles, small round stools, and normal tables and chairs. Black painted beams/posts on the walls and ceiling, coupled with cream painted walls give it a "brewer's rustic" appearance, but it's not overdone here and doesn't look out of place. Apart from the main bar area to the front and left of the servery, there's another small room on the left that seems to be as a result of an extension to the pub at some stage. There are all manner of knick knacks around the place, making it more interesting - to me at least.

This is definitely a locals' pub, and I reckon they're lucky to have such a characterful pub as their local. This is another one that's worth going out of your way to visit if you're anywhere nearby.

On 20th December 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Roger Button left this review about The Royal Oak

The Royal Oak bears all hallmarks of a lovely weatherboarded country pub albeit these days it stands in the middle of a large residential estate near Danson Park. Its history is a bit sketchy but it is known to date from at least 1827. The pub is known locally as Polly Clean Stairs (the name can be found on the pub sign) after a former houseproud landlady who was regularly to be seen cleaning the front steps and whilst her true identity remains a bit of a mystery, she is thought to have been a long standing landlady from the mid-late 19th century although others suggest the nickname is a more modern invention.

With the death of the previou s landlord a couple of years ago, then future of the pub was uncertain but its future has now been secured and it has recently reopened after a sympathetic refurbishment. Fortunately what was left of the original features thankfully remains intact including the etched windows on the front doors.

The interior is an L-shape with an additional side room to the left although the front doors indicate that the main bar was originally divided into Saloon and Public Bars. The décor is Brewery Tudor and the recent refurbishment is noticeable by the spotless paintwork and the bounce in the carpet. There are a couple of plain brick fireplaces and built in padded pews line most of the exterior walls. Most of the old pictures, brasses, plates and pewter tankards have gone as well as the old thrones that used to guard the entrance to the side room which leaves the place a bit less cluttered than it was although some of its charm has perhaps also gone because of it. There are some modern artworks that don’t look as out of place as they could do and my fears that the place would be gutted, stripped back and turned into some kind of sofa lounge like so many local pubs have not been realised.

Beer wise, there are still 3 hand pumps with Youngs, Pride and Harveys – decent enough quality and prices on par for the area.

The custonmer base has always seemed quite respectable although I have usually only been here at off peak times. I understand that they will start doing food on a regular basis once they start to find their feet after the lengthy closure. It is a bit of a lengthy stroll from the main Bexleyheath shopping area but anyone doing the rounds in Bexleyheath should try to include Polly’s which isn’t much further out than the town’s most essential pub, the Robin Hood & Little John. I for one am glad to see the place back up and running.

On 12th January 2011 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]

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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Roger Button
Bexleyheath, 0.99 miles, 19 min walk (show)
Bexley, 1.59 miles, 30 min walk (show)
Albany Park, 1.75 miles, 33 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for The Royal Oak, Bexleyheath
9th Mar 2015, 09:16
Review submitted by Malden man amended by Malden man
 
9th Mar 2015, 09:15
Review submitted by Malden man

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 20 December 2014 by Rex Rattus
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 20 December 2014 by Rex Rattus
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