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Picture of The Spark House
Image posted by Alan Winfield
Submitted on Sunday, 22nd March 2015
With picture contributions to 6053 other pubs
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Requested be closed with reason - Other: Closed according to the pub's website and CAMRA.

The Spark House, E10

557-559 Lea Bridge Road
E10
E10 7EQ
Correct details

Served areas

Reviews of The Spark House (Average Rating: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


David Hughes left this review about The Drum (JD Wetherspoon)

Small but a very good pub for locals. Unfortunately, a lot of the lower tables have been replaced by higher ones with uncomfortable stools, maybe to deter older people who used to cluster in largish groups? I think the idea was to encourage younger people but why youngsters would want to frequent this pub en masse I fail to imagine. Toilets could be visited more often, but that's a failing with most JDW's and other chains, have a rota up for hourly 'toilet checks' and sign it every 2-3 hours.
A lot of the staff seem to make a good effort, which hasn't always been the case here and many are friendly and accommodating. One has just started a quiz night on a Thursday and i hope she is successful, however, the pub is too small I fear for it to last. I hope not as she is keen and has support. There is a large car park next to the pub and at the time of writing this was free after 5pm. Overall a very friendly local and everyone seems to get on well with each other. A pub where you feel that the staff actually listen to you.

On 27th November 2019 - rating: 8
[User has posted 4 recommendations about 4 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The Drum (JD Wetherspoon)

We were in here for our breakfast/brunch before setting off to sample the delights of Walthamstow's pub. The traditional breakfast in here is the fairly standard (for London anyway) £3.35. I also had a pint of Nethergate Stour Valley Gold for £1.99, which is outstanding value even for during a 'spoons beer festival. The range of ales on offer was also good, although I tend to expect that during their festivals.

We thought that this 'spoons was a notch or two above the norm. There are several separate drinking areas, and the light pine wood everywhere gave it a much lighter aspect than in most 'spoons with their dark varnish, and the small conservatory type area at the back also made it much brighter. There's also an outside drinking area at the back. The two members of staff with whom we interacted were more friendly and helpful than is sometimes the case in a 'spoons. This is simply a better than average 'spoons - or at least it was when I visited.

On 27th October 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Aqualung . left this review about The Drum (JD Wetherspoon)

It's a myth that this place was an original pub. Whatever the original use of this building was it certainly wasn't a pub. It's first outing as a drinking establishment was in the early 1980s as a wine bar called Nancy's. Some time after that it became a bar / pub called the Drum but was not a real ale venue. In the early to mid 1980s JDW had the Auctioneer (now Bootlaces) across the road but were keeping an eye on this place as it was a much bigger venue. Eventually in that decade (I don't have a date) they took it on and at some time afterwards the Auctioneer became the Tap & Spile.
For many years the JDW Drum retained the percussion bric-a-brac from the previous owners but it's now long gone.
The burning question is what the original use of this building was. Research by the local CAMRA branch suggests it was an auction house, while I was told many years ago that it had been a Barnardo's home.
As a JDW in 2016 it is a complete anachronism. Few people come here just to eat, in fact there are more high tables and chairs than lower furniture. On a recent Friday afternoon visit there were no large menu cards and no Fish Friday fliers on any of the tables. There was a limited non-standard "Deli" menu which included a pork pie option, more micropub than JDW. The JDW web site doesn't have the usual food display for this venue which given the fact they don't open until 10:00 might suggest they don't now do the usual JDW Breakfast club either but that would need confirming.
I'm sure these food changes have only come about recently so the future of the pub has clearly been under review. This leads to the other question about this place which is how on earth has it survived? This is especially relevant in the current climate of JDW closures. There have been rumours of it closing down for almost as long as I've been coming here. It survives due to one simple fact, it's a personal favourite of Tim Martin. In the past I've seen him drop in twice but at 61 he could in theory throw in the towel any time although I suspect he won't.
My recent visit was the first in a few years after being served poor quality pints on a couple of occasions. All ten hand pumps were going with no doubling up, available soon or any other nonsense. I went for a Salopian Oracle (£2.19) and a Hackney APA (£2.35) both of which were in excellent condition. The only problem was that on a hot day they were both rather warm. They used to have cooling systems on the lines here so either they have been removed or are not working. Apart from that I enjoyed my afternoon visit here. If you haven't already been it's worth a look as it is now a unique JDW outlet despite not being the oldest or smallest.

On 29th August 2016 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]


View more reviews of The Spark House (17)
This pub features in the following crawls:
East 17 by Bucking Fastard
External web links for The Spark House

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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Alan Winfield
Leyton Midland Road, 0.61 miles, 11 min walk (show)
Walthamstow Central, 0.74 miles, 14 min walk (show)
Walthamstow Queens Road, 0.85 miles, 16 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for The Spark House, E10
25th Oct 2023, 22:11
Request to mark pub as closed by Tris C approved
 
25th Oct 2023, 19:46
Request to mark pub as closed submitted by Tris C, with included notes: Other: Closed according to the pub's website and CAMRA.

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.

  • Accommodation : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Beer Festivals : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Beer Garden : Yes last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • CAMRA Discount : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Car Park : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Micropub : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Real Ale : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Real Cider : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • Wheelchair Access : No last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
  • WiFi : Yes last updated 19 April 2022 by ROB Camra
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