The Green Man, Welling

This is a fairly large inter-war pub still with separate drinking and dining areas. But a pub of the same name stood on the site from Victorian times, as evidenced by old photographs of the pub on a wall in the back room. What might be regarded as the main bar at the front has three doors to the street and would most probably have originally comprised two rooms plus a jug and bottle bar in the centre. This room is carpeted on the left, is bare-boarded on the right where the pool table is located, has just a single tall table with tall stools with the majority of the furnishings being standard tables and chairs. There's cheap looking and apparently fairly modern panelling on the counter front and wall up to dado level, with light coloured fielded panelling above that. It's a reasonably comfortable room nonetheless. To reach the other room you exit the building via the door on the left, which takes you into an outside seating area, and then into the room at the back with "Saloon Bar" on the door, In my opinion this is a much nicer room, with what is clearly the original fielded panelling on the walls, a superior design to the bar counter than that in the "front" room, and an attractive brick built fireplace on the left. Rather inevitably there's a tall table with tall stools in the centre of the room, but upholstered settles are around the sides, along with normal tables and chairs. At the top of the chimney breast is an illuminated sign with rolling adverts for the pub's facilities, which just about fails to destroy the traditional character of the room. Behind the saloon bar an extension has been added called the Sunset Restaurant, which is obviously the dining room. Beyond this there's a large garden at the back, which provides more outside drinking space in addition to the separate outside drinking space at the side of the pub. The beer choice was fairly unexciting though with Doom Bar and London Pride on. But the Pride was in good condition. I didn't venture out into the the Sunset Restaurant (which was deserted during my midweek afternoon visit) but there was a menu on one of the tables in the saloon bar advertising sandwiches at £4+; cod & chips at £9, and steak & ale pie at £8.50. I found this to be a welcoming and comfortable pub; the limited real ale selection means that it isn't a destination pub for the beer, and I didn't eat here so can't comment on the food, but looks a reasonable enough place to stop for a pint and a bite to eat.

Official site of The Green Man - thegreenmanpub.co.uk

Official site of The Green Man - thegreenmanpub.co.uk

A nice pub with friendly staff had a drink and meal there several times.