The George IV, Woolwich, SE18

Can’t add much to the below. Not too far from the Woolwich Ferry. Suspect the place has been smartened up a bit - new carpet for sure. Really pleasant manage, warm welcome as a newbie in the pub. It was quite busy in the room with the dart board as there was a match of sorts on-going. No-one other than me in the main bar but quite a few people in the paved beer garden now that the rain has finally stopped. Single hand pump on the bar that is purely decorative. Manager confirmed no cask for some time as no demand for it here. Keg options as you would expect so I opted for a pint of Guinness over the John Smiths. Lagers then plus the Inch’s and Blackthorn cider options. Not a place that is ever going to draw a crowd in from far and wide - it serves its locals well and provides what they want. Happy to have visited to have a look at but not going to find myself back here.

Despite there being a couple of handpumps on the bar counter they no longer do real ale. I thought that they might do Guinness, but no luck there either. On an impulse, I went for a 275 ml (just shy of a half-pint) bottle of Courage Pale Ale (£1.70) that I spotted in a fridge. A pretty nondescript beer it was as well, but not surprising at a very low ABV of 3.2%. I’m not a massive fan of Charles Wells beers, and this one did nothing to change my opinion. I didn’t see any sign of food on a Wednesday lunchtime. This was a fairly miserable pub on a wet midweek afternoon. It did have a nice red and blue carpet on the floor, but it was downhill from there. The banquette seating where I plonked myself was badly ripped, revealing the foam stuffing. A TV was on showing some horse racing, but muted so that we could endure (or obviously some would say enjoy) the rubbish pop music being played. There was a small stage at the back where there was a dartboard on the wall, and some bench seating outside in an enclosed courtyard. This has all the qualities that you look for in an estate pub. The two or three punters at the bar were sitting in silence, engrossed in their drinks or something or other. I'm not surprised that only Alan Winfield and I have visited this one. It's clearly gone downhill since Alan's visit - the real ale's gone for a start.

The George 1V is an estate pub that is a short walk from the middle of Woolwich. Once inside the pub has two separate room i had a drink in the bar which is to the front,this room is oblong shaped with the bar facing,the seating is comfy bench type and chairs,there is an unusual small raised area to the front middle which faces the bar,there is a darts board to the right and also a large screen which was showing sky sports football updates,there is a TV to the left which was showing the Leicester v Newcastle game. There were two pumps on the bar with one with a clip turned round,i had a drink of Whistable Bay Pale Ale which was on top form and really cheap at £2.60 a pint. This is a very well kept and comfortable pub to have a drink in. I quite took to this pub. Pub visited 2/5/2015