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Beer of the Week (w/e 3rd August 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon), Elephant & Castle, SE1
SE1
SE1 6BN
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon)
Given that the Elephant and Castle roundabout and tube station are completely rubbish (the tube has totally inadequate lifts while the roundabout and buildings are straight out of Clockwork Orange), it's hardly surprising that this place is what it is.
It takes up the Ground Floor of a hideous block of offices or flats from the sixties or seventies and bears no resemblance to a pub at all. However if you look on it as a Continental style Bar and Cafe (which is essentially what many Spoons are), then it doesn't seem so bad. I was here around midday and there were the usual older retired daytime Spoons types and some younger people here for lunch or a late breakfast. The decor is modern with windows letting in plenty of light at the front. Over to the right away from the bar there is a more secluded slightly raised area. The toilets are downstairs in a dungeon.
I didn't find the atmosphere threatening at all.
On the bar there are 10 pumps, the left five had festival beers on and the right five had two ciders, Abbot and London Pride (Available soon) plus Ruddles.
I went for the Bateman's Hazelnut Brownie (£2.29) which was in very good nick. While I can't see an immediate return here this place was not as bad as I expected it to be and I have been to worse Spoons than this, although not very many.
On 23rd October 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon)
Similar to the pub named after the area round the other corner of this block The Rockingham Arms is another new build glass fronted pub built into the ground floor of an ugly building block.
Now Wetherspoons new builds are characterless places at the best of times, but this one seems to have had every drop of soul drained out of it (mainly by the clientele at the time of my visit), so that its air of despair and depravity fitted in well with the feeling of the surrounding area.
As Roger mentions below, the difference with the Rockingham over other local establishments is that it does serve real ale and the bar supports the usual JDW house ales and a couple of guests. But if your overriding feeling whilst standing by the bar supping a pint is “I really need to get out of this place, and quick”, then it’s not conducive to a good drinking experience.
For the Residents of the E&C area for whom The Rockingham Arms, The Charlie Chaplin and The Elephant and Castle are the pubs of use due to locality, you have my utmost sympathy. For the rest of us, head north up to Borough as quickly as possible.
On 3rd April 2010
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2279 recommendations about 2135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Rockingham Arms
Large open plan Wetherspoon's selling the usual range of real ales.2 mins from Elephant & Castle station.
On 14th April 2007
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon)
Named after the 2nd Marquis of Rockingham, an 18th century Prime Minister and landowner, the Rockingham is one of the modern style Wetherspoons with so little character it almost defies description. It has all the reminders of a sterile and faceless environment that you would really struggle to spend much more than an hour in whilst waiting for someone. The glass frontage, plain walls and ceilings do not really conjure up any great inspirational or imaginative feats of interior design and the usual policy of no music makes the lack of atmosphere even more apparent. There are a couple of decent sized screens for when the occasion arises although it is hard to picture this place being a hotbed of passionate sport fans. On the plus side, the beer selection was a bit more adventurous than the average E&C pub with around 3 or 4 guest ales alongside the more regular offerings. It does attract its fair share of well oiled regulars but there is sufficient space in here to steer clear of them. This is certainly not a great pub but probably the best of a bad triumvirate around the shopping centre.
On 8th March 2007
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]