The Old Crown, Leytonstone, E11

Visited 15/04/26. Visited previously as the Birds on 22/09/25. Two hand pumps, one with the clip reversed, the other offering Wainwrights Gold. Keg offering of Fosters, Carling, Amstel, Inch's, John Smiths, Alpacalypse, Madri, Cruz, Moretti, Murphy's Irish Stout, three flavoured Old Mount ciders, Guinness and Carlsberg. This place has been taken over and refurbished since I was last here about 6 months ago. The bar counter is still the same and an L shape in the rear right-hand corner and there is some tall stool seating discretely on both sides. It is bare boarded with a carpeted section down the left-hand wall and a large square in the centre of the floor space. Several large TVs were tuned into the sporting action absent sound that provided instead by a medium volume but most excellent pop soundtrack. Regular tables down the left-hand wall and then some tall tables at the rear of that side by the retained fire grate. There is a long leather bench down the middle serving regular tables with some tall tables in the front and a drinking ledge served by tall stools in the front window. The other side of the long bench is a sporting area with a pool table and a couple of dart boards in the front right-hand corner. The venue has been spruced up for sure, and I thought it was a decent venue and would be even better with the other hand pump dispensing something decent!

Visited 22/09/25 as The Birds Only Rosie's Pig Rhubarb cider on hand pump with two other pumps not dispensing. Keg range was Laine Sonar and their Zest Citrus lager, Brixton Defiance GF Pale Ale, Stone Wood Pacific Ale, Amstel, Moretti, Orchard Thieves cider, Guinness, dark fruits SB, Brixton Reliance Pale Ale, Signature Brew Haze Machine IPA and their own (Birds) branded pale ale. This is another (relatively) high ceiling traditional venue, bare boarded with the L shaped bar counter against the rear wall. There is an attractive tiled fire grate with presumably original extractor hood, but the ambiance of that part reduced somewhat by plonking a pool table in front of it! There are a couple of facing leather sofas on the left-hand side mid venue, with seating in the middle via a mixture of styles of large wooden tables, with a large, long table along the right-hand wall (which is a mixture of presumably original tile and mural on some very reclaimed original brick wall) also mid venue. Some ceiling fans whirred round, rather unneeded, and games action provided via an illuminated darts area in the front right-hand corner and some original arcade machines plus a pinball machine. There appears to be some upstairs seating, but I didn't venture up.

Official site of The Old Crown - www.theoldcrownleytonstone.co.uk

Official site of The Old Crown - www.theoldcrownleytonstone.co.uk

This pub is of course perfectly described by Rex below and unchanged a year on. It tries to do "quirky" but doesn't quite manage to pull it off.Just the two cask beers on, Five Points XPA and Railway Porter,despite the former being in good form the pub itself doesn't do it for me.