The View, South Croydon

Visited in May 2010 The View is a two bar traditional pub, situated not too far away from South Croydon station. Although it's still basically the same pub as it was on my last visit several years ago, it's clearly had quite a major change in emphasis since then, which has resulted in a name change from The Railway View to the rather pretentious sounding The View. Sadly, the splendid railway pictures in the comfortably furnished saloon bar have been replaced with a series of art prints of pop stars including The Beatles and that splendid role model, Amy Winehouse. This has created a pub with a bit of a student feel to it and, perhaps in recognition of this, the food menu is pizza orientated. Notably, both bars have a dartboard. Sporting related prints ( eg - World Cup 1966, George Best ) remain in the smaller adjoining public bar, which has a tiled floor There's a fine outside decking area and garden, which, despite the pub name, does not have much of a view worth talking about. On my Bank Holiday Monday visit, the pub was rather deserted and I was able to watch in splendid isolation on the TV screen the conclusion of the Test Match against Bangladesh at Lords. The barman seemed more interested in working on his laptop than in engaging in meaningful conversation with yours truly. Beers on were London Pride, Adnams and Harveys Best, the latter being on good form and at a keenly priced £ 2.85p. A Fathers Day Beer Festival is being held over the weekend of 19/20 June. The pub was in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide a few years ago when it was The Railway View, but it's not in the 2010 Edition. This was not a particularly memorable visit in all honesty and the jury's out on this one as far as I'm concerned, but a return visit is not ruled out at some time in the future.

This appeared to be a pub in transition when I visited this afternoon. Split into two distinct rooms - public and lounge bars - the place has something of a student vibe with its art prints of the Beatles and Phil Taylor on the walls. However, it is clearly a local's pub that's had a bit of a makeover, possibly in anticipation of new tenants (a Punch Tavern sign outside advertises the vacancy). There were signs of ongoing improvement work, such as the out of action gent’s toilets. There were three hand pumps, but just one in action, serving up a below par pint of Pride (£2.85). A Harvey’s Best clip had been turned around, whilst the third pump appeared to be out of use altogether. Food was being promoted, with special deals for Mother's Day and a cheap pizza menu. There are dartboards in both bars and a sign in the connecting passageway pointed down some stairs to a pool room. Not an impressive first visit - maybe worth a look in a few months time when things have settled down.