The Orchard, Addiscombe, Croydon

Randomness Guide to London - Orchard entry

Randomness Guide to London - Orchard entry

This large two room traditional pub in Addiscombe looks quite imposing from the outside, but a peak through the door reveals a lovely, relatively unspoiled interior. A grand fire place catches the eye upon entering, but it is the mirrors behind the bar that steal the show. The place is fairly clean, although one room is now dominated by a pool table which diminishes its appeal. Blackboards outside (there are blackboards everywhere in this place) proclaim a 'fine selection of real ales', but the reality was six hand pumps, only two of which were on, both serving an admittedly nice pint of Wells Bombardier at an excessive £3.10. The pub seems to rely heavily on its small band of locals and the atmosphere was pretty glum, with a few propping up the bar whilst others remained glued to the racing on the TV. A beer garden can be found out the back and food is heavily promoted, with a decent looking pub menu including Sunday Roasts for £6.50. Worth a look for the interior alone, but it would benefit from making better use of its redundant hand pumps and maybe trying to encourage a wider customer base to cheer the place up a bit.