The British Oak, Blackheath, SE3

Pub SignMan left this review about The British Oak

This is a traditional, two bar local's pub that feels a bit off the beaten track but is clearly an important amenity to the local community. You enter into the small front bar - an L-shaped, bare boarded Public Bar space with limited chair and high stool seating options around the perimeter and a very large servery with a nice panelled counter and attractive etched glass bar back, sadly diminished by some unsightly Pieminister branding. The walls are a bit plain, despite efforts to decorate them with brewery mirrors, old enamel adverts, a clock and more pie related branding. In places, the plaster has been stripped away to reveal patches of bare brick in a seemingly deliberate attempt to stylise the room. In true Public Bar fashion, there's a juke box and slot machine to the left and a dartboard to the right. There's no connecting door to the larger rear bar, which was hosting live music in the form of an open mic night when I arrived, so a quick trip outside was required to check out this packed room - a sharp contrast to the one bloke sat in the front bar. The rear room is a much nicer space with some lovely two-thirds height panelling and lincrusta covered uppers. There's some great breweriana on display plus paintings, gig posters and a distressing amount of signs making clear the pub's policy on drug use. The Pieminister branding suddenly made sense when I spotted a pie counter to the right of the servery, which has the same counter as the front bar, but a more modern and dull bar back. Seating is plentiful and a makeshift performance area had been created for the plucky musicians, along the right-hand wall.
This place made it into a recent edition of the Good Beer Guide and still offers two cask options across four handpulls, with the choice on this visit being between Harvey's Sussex Best and Sharps Twin Coast. The Sussex Best was in good nick and definitely still GBG worthy, although I believe they have since dropped out of the Guide. The staff were all very nice and there was a great atmosphere in the back room thanks to the music and a busy, appreciative crowd.
This is a nice example of a traditional, two bar, suburban boozer that feels like it's trapped in a bit of a time warp. The beer was well-kept, if nothing out of the ordinary and there were enough traditional features to make the place worth a quick look, despite the modern intrusions. Glad I made it out to this one and undoubtedly a good pub to have on your doorstep if you live in these parts.

Date of visit - 22nd October 2024

On 6^th January 2025 - rating: 6
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