Lord Brooke, Walthamstow, E17

This pub had the licence revoked today after police raids had discovered it being used as a drug den and an upstairs area being used as a hostel for illegal immigrants. The owning company are the Desilu Group and have 21 days to appeal against the decision during which time it can remain open.

Official site of Lord Brooke - www.lordbrookepub.com

There’s no real ale here despite two brass-based handpumps on the counter – “we used to do it but there was no call for it”. Apparently regulars here are lager drinkers. There was no food available on Wednesday lunchtime, but maybe they do it at other times as I spotted an A-board inside the pub by the door advertising “Carribean (sic) bar snacks”. There was a bit of a Caribbean them in here though, as some reggae music was being played. They’ve tried to make this place a bit plush, with sofas, armchairs, low tables, vases of twigs and stones, and at least one aspidistra. But I’m not sure that it really works with the pool tabled dominating the front of the room. The exterior has a bit of original signage indicating the Saloon Bar, but the best original feature for me was the green-banded glazing in all the windows, signifying its Charrington Brewery heritage. There was also a nice Fuller’s Brewery mirror, but a shame they didn’t have a Fuller’s beer on. The bar back looks quite old as well. Another feature was the large pull down screen, indicating that sports events are shown here. The welcome I got was friendly enough, but it was very quiet with me being the only customer when I arrived. Maybe it’s a more vibrant place in the evenings when the lager drinkers emerge, but without a real ale I don’t see me making a return visit.

Official site of Lord Brooke - www.lordbrookepub.com