The Birds Nest, Deptford, SE8

Dating from the early 19th century, this was originally the Oxford Arms, situated on a noisy roundabout, five minutes’ walk from Deptford Bridge DLR. As CAMRA says, this is really something of a bohemian place with a ‘bought at a junkshop’ feel about it but not in a bad way. This is very much an established live music venue with a band on the go on my 10.00pm Saturday arrival (it’s open ‘til 1.00am) playing what I initially mistook for Northampton’s prog rock take on Focus’ House of the King until I realised they were tuning up, though the final result was very good; I wished I could have stayed. Customers were mixed, with many older rocker-types, some studenty-sorts or backpackers from above, many popping out to get some of the appetizing-smelling street food from stalls which seem to enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the pub and Snake Pit next door. Sadly it’s only keg now, a half of Brixton Low Voltage costing a very reasonable £2.90 a half, served by a dude of a barman. Despite the lack of cask and dispiriting location, this place certainly makes for something different (especially when paired with the Snake Pit) and if I lived locally would return, making for a good triple with the Royal George and Dog & Bell; a decent cask selection would get the score up.

Official site of The Birds Nest - thebirdsnestpub.co.uk

Official site of The Birds Nest - thebirdsnestpub.co.uk

Usually when one visits an unreviewed pub it's because it doesn't sell real ale or is for some reason a sub 5-star pub, but this one bucked the trend. There were three ales on - Deuchars IPA, Adnams Ghost Ship, and Truman's Firestarter (£1.85 a half). I didn't see any sign of food when we visited on Wednesday afternoon. This was originally a Victorian pub called the Oxford Arms, but the landlord told us that there had been a pub on this site for hundreds of years. A green-banded window in the now disused corner door proclaims it to be an ex-Charrinton's pub. It's now a dark and Gothic music pub. Decor includes skulls and crossbones, a large scythe on the wall thankfully minus the grim reaper, and wooden Gothic designs on the bar counter front. The front area of the pub is what you might regard as the bar area, with basic and grubby tables and chairs, and with a dark and gloomy room at the back being the music area. It's incredibly tatty with paintwork missing all over the place, masses of wires everywhere, and oddly photocopies of photos hanging by pegs from a wire strung across the front of the window. Everything here is incredibly and charmingly tasteless. Everything is tatty with the notable exception of the very friendly and welcoming barmaid. One of my companions considered it to be a nest of anarchists rather than a nest of birds, but that's perhaps going a bit far. Very strangely I quite liked it in here. Perhaps drinking my beer of the day, the Firestarter, in here boosted my appreciation somewhat, and clearly the presence of the very friendly barmaid was also a massive plus.