The Bricklayers Arms, Sydenham, SE26

After the rush of reviews in H1 2016, best part of 8 years to the next one! I suspect little had changed here since the last reviews, a very traditional pub populated by people of my vintage taking part in a quiz on my arrival around 8.30pm. It is quite an attractive interior, modernised quite sympathetically I would say over the years. Four hand pumps on each side of the wrap around bar. Only TT Landlord and Youngs Original on offer on my visit. Plenty of typical keg options. I liked this place. Not as a destination but in itself, if in the area, a very pleasant place.

The Bricklayers Arms is a really nice looking wedged shaped pub. This was the first time i had set foot in Sydenham so all pubs would be new for me. Once inside the bar is sited in the middle area of the pub with rooms around it,the main bar area is carpeted and has wood bench seating and normal tables and chairs,there is a pool table in a separate room in the apex of the pub and one more room to the rear left or right depending which entrance you have come through which has a few leather settees,there were TVs showing Derby getting well beaten by Hull City Ha Ha. There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Youngs Bitter which went down well enough,the other beers were St Austell Proper Job and Bombardier. I thought this was a very pleasant pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 14/5/2016

Bateman's Hooker (presumably a rugby referenced beer, as opposed to a lady of easy virtue), Bombardier and Young's Bitter (£3 a pint) were on. There was no sign of any food at Wednesday lunchtime, but there was a food serving hatch in one corner but there was no evidence that it was in use. This is an attractive wedge-shaped corner-site pub. The original layout of the place is fairly easy to determine as some partitioning between the rooms - it looks as if there were four of them - is still in place. Three of the rooms are carpeted, with the fourth at the back being bare-boarded, and much brighter than the others with its tall glazed doors and large windows adjaent to the small "beer garden". A black and white tiled splash area around the counter is an interesting feature, plus there's a dartboard and games machine near the food serving hatch, a shelf bearing trophies above one of the room partitions, as well as a piano by one of the entrances. There are TVs all over the place, tuned to a news channel, but I saw Sky Sports advertised with forthcoming Premier League matches listed. There were three or four other drinkers in there, who all seemed to be regular locals. It did strike me as a locals' pub; it just had that feel and look about it. The beer prices are very reasonable (£3 for a pint of Young's), and although the ale selection is perhaps not to everyone's taste, my Bateman's Hooker was just fine. This is a decent "no frills" pub. Certainly worth dropping in here for a swift one if you're in the area.