Coach & Horses, Beckenham

Official site of Coach & Horses - coachandhorsesbeckenham.com

Official site of Coach & Horses - coachandhorsesbeckenham.com

The Coach and Horses is a nice looking pub that is set just off the busy high street. Once inside there is a small single room which has a narrow area to the front which is opposite the bar,the front area is bare boarded and the right side is carpeted,there is comfy bench seating and normal tables and chairs,there were two TVs the one to the rear was showing the WBA v Arsenal game and the on to the front left was showing the rugby. There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Westerham British Bulldog,which was a decent drink,the other real ale was Doom Bar. I was happy enough having a drink in this pub. Pub visited 18/3/2017

Located just off the main Beckenham High Street, down a pleasant little side road, the Coach and Horses is a nice traditional pub with a peaceful, almost rural, feel to it. The pub has a wide U-shaped interior, formed by opening out what i assume was previously a multiple room layout. The main bar area is to the fore and there are a couple of seating areas further back to either side of the servery. There are plenty of dark floorboards and low wood panelled walls throughout whilst the servery has a lovely curved counter and a smart, pillared bar back topped with old chests, whiskey boxes and champagne bottles, High stools run along a ledge directly opposite the bar, underneath the front windows, whilst standard chairs and low stools can be found in each of the rear seating spaces. The ceiling is crossed with dark wood beams which have coloured flower motifs at each intersection and a white anglypta covering in between the beams. TV screens near the entrance were showing muted Sky News and Sky Sports News, so I imagine live sport can be viewed here as well, but there was just a quiet soundtrack playing in the background on this midweek evening visit. There are fireplaces in each of the rear sections, each with a plain mirror above and other items of decor include framed amusing quotes and slogans, old photos of various sporting teams, retro advertisements for Bisto and Notting Hill Brewery and a list entitled 'Famous People of Beckenham'. The left rear section seemed to be acting a bit like a public bar, with a decent group of locals in there chatting to the landlord, whilst the right rear area was decorated more like a lounge and was notably quieter. Three of the four handpulls were in operation when I arrived, offering Harvey's Sussex Best, Trumans Runner and Exmoor Wild Cat. I tried a pint of the latter and thought it was in good condition and arguably the best Exmoor beer I've had in many years. Most of the locals appeared to be on the lager, so I'm not sure how much turnover the ale gets, but based on this visit, they certainly know how to keep it well. This is another pleasant little Beckenham pub in a similar mould to the Bricklayers Arms and Jolly Woodman, that does the basics well without really being a destination pub in its own right. The slim pickings elsewhere in town make this a worthy port of call if you find yourself in the area and a good bet for a well kept pint in relaxed surroundings.