The Chesham Arms, Homerton, E9

My favorite pub of the day's pub crawl,a classic no frills backstreet boozer,a good selection of beer was available as described by Malden Man below, The Oakham Oblivion was in exceptional form as was the Five Points XPA.A cracking pub.

A classy looking back street pub in the middle of a regency style terrace and deliberately built wider and taller. A prime example of a people powered saved pub, the place was seriously threatened some years back but was rescued and is seemingly now thriving. A U-shaped room, angled central bar, loads of exposed brickwork and a boarded floor. There is a gilded patterned ceiling with more modern looking cornices, a log burning stove, some hanging tapestries and a collection of framed drawings of vintage cars. A few board games were stacked on a sideboard next to a potted fern. This is the first pub I have ever been in with a Branston Pickle mirror, how odd. Beers were Five Points XPA, Oakham Oblivion, Saltaire Triple Chocoholic, someone's 360 Best and a cider, Turner's Dry. A lovely back street pub, saved from extinction by a defiant local group, well done to them, what a great pub you have saved.

Good looking mid terrace pub saved by the local community and now thriving.The bar is to the front,with wings either side .To the left are two fireplaces and a good amount of seating,while to the right there is a wood burner,upright piano and board games .This side of the bar has a drinking shelf and bar stools.The beer garden can be reached from either side,with a wooden terrace to one side giving an ariel view of the grassed area. At the bar there were handpumps for a real cider,Saltaire Triple Chocoholic,360 Degree Best,Oakham Oblivion and a very decent Five Points XPA.I thought that was a very good range over styles and strengths ,and I enjoyed the relaxed vibe inside,it's a proper boozer.Dont miss this one if in the area,I plan to spend a lot longer in here the next time.

Smashing little back street pub that was buzzing on my visit.lovely rear beer garden with trains running on top of the viaduct.Four cask beers on and my Hophead mosaic was perfect.

There were four ales on in here - Darkstar Victorian Ruby Mild; Salopian Darwin's Original; Salopian Oracle; and Oakham Bishop's Farewell (£3.80 a pint). At the moment food seems to be limited to those pub staples of pork pies and sausage rolls (£3 a pop), but with the kitchen planned to be up and running in September. The barman did tell me however that while one can expect to see four ales on during a Friday (when I visited), there might be less on during the middle of the following week. It's wonderful to see a pub like this rising from the ashes of the rapacious clutches of an avaricious developer. This has followed a gargantuan struggle by locals, including CAMRA members and supported by Hackney Council, where we saw the first legal challenge (by said developer) of Hackney council's award of Asset of Community Value status. Thankfully the courts upheld the Council's right to do so in this case. Unfortunately the pub didn't escape completely unscathed from the battle, with little of the original fittings remaining, having been largely gutted. Inside it's a bit Spartan and uncomplicated now, but may still be a bit of a work in progress. Flooring is varnished original bare boards, and furnishings are mainly normal tables and chairs, with a few small round stools. There are brick built fireplaces at each end of the room, but little in the way of decor. One noteworth feature is the sunken garden at the back, sheltering in the lee of the railway arches. A pub like this needs support if it's not to fall prey to the circling vultures once again. But that's not a massive chore with four decent ales to choose from. On the basis of one visit (so far) I would give it a thumbs up on ale quality - my pint of Bishop's Farewell hardly touched the sides on a hot July day.

Official site of The Chesham Arms - cheshamarms.com

Official site of The Chesham Arms - cheshamarms.com