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Submitted on Friday, 5^th July 2024
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Lord Nelson, E14

1 Manchester Road
E14
E14 3BD

Phone: 02079871970

Correct details

Served areas

Island Gardens, Isle Of Dogs

Reviews of Lord Nelson (Average Rating: 5½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Tris C left this review about Lord Nelson

Dating not from the mid-1800s, but the mid-19th century, 1855 to be specific. Around the turn of the 20th century, a fine statue of Nelson topped the corner parapet, but this had disappeared by at least the 1930s when this was a Charrington’s pub.
I did a sweep of the area about 19 months ago to find a pub which couldn’t decide if it was open and in any event, one which looked like a somewhat intimidating handlers’ lair. As mentioned in the previous review – which requires little embellishment – the place has had a fairly recent makeover, but quite what profit the owner hopes to make from their £200k outlay isn’t obvious. With downmarket plastic drinks’ deal menus on the tables and planking on the walls, you can see photos on their gallery, but it’s basically a sports’ bar, with multiple TVs showing silent, unwatched sport, games machines – one propping up a scruffy bike – then pool and darts in the rear room; an annoying Taylor Swift – or similar – soundtrack played. Customers amounted to only around eight at the time of my Wednesday 9.40pm visit, very much on the older side; two were Hell’s Angels, leaving shortly after my arrival.
With two unused pumps, there’s no cask, a half of Neck Oil coming in at £3.55, charged to Delaware North Emirate, a US hospitality conglomerate and offshoot of the stadium that would probably have riled the previous reviewer somewhat if he’d known where his money was going.
I thought the place was actually marginally better – or less bad – than a Craft Union joint, but that’s not saying much. Still, it’s miles better than the Tooke Arms and the Ferry House is visible across the road.

On 29^th June 2025 - rating: 3
[User has posted 2266 recommendations about 2218 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Steve of N21 left this review about Lord Nelson

Originally built in the mid 1800’s this Victorian former Charrington’s Isle of Dogs boozer underwent a £200K refit in January this year and after reading about it on a London centric social media site I thought I would go to the ‘ Dogs to take a look.
I cannot comment on what it was like before but photos on Google maps from a couple of years ago show the same internal layout, just a lot more shabby. What we have now is a large one roomed pub with a modern clean pub decor that wraps around the L shaped bar on the right hand side as you enter, with very much a sports bar vibe going on. Comfortable padded booth seating lines the two walls opposite the bar and high tables and chairs fill the middle section around the pillars and the further round to the back is an area dominated by an electronic dart board set up and a pool table before you come to a smallish outside courtyard area. The walls are largely dominated by four sizeable flat screen teles which are presumably mainly for the sport but for my visit were strangely showing BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee to an assembled clientele that I would put money on being the least likely to have any interest in that program. Finally a few large electronic fruit machines, the type that are all noise and flashing lights, were dotted about.
If the experience of my evening visit is anything to go by then a banging sound track, the four large flat screen teles for the sport when it is shown and the pool table are the main draws here.
Sadly it’s certainly not the ale as although there are two ale hand pumps on the bar the solitary operating Doombar pump was off and there is nothing modern crafty on the keg pumps that I could see , not even something from Camden or Beavertown leaving the standard draft line up and I wasn’t going to stomach a pint of John Smiths Smooth Crap which appeared to be the only non lager and Guinness option so I went with a soft drink.
I think this pub is independently owned although the available drinks options did seem to be straight out of the boring side of the Heineken stable, and I left this one feeling a bit confused. Why spend £200K on a major make over only to be left with what is basically a smart Craft Union look alike pub? Perhaps that’s what the natives of the Isle still want from their community pubs.

On 5^th July 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2279 recommendations about 2135 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Rex Rattus left this review about The Lord Nelson

Young's Bitter and Bombardier were the only real ales on. The Young's Bitter (at £2.70 a pint) was just about OK. This pub looks very unprepossessing from the outside, but is better when you step inside. The emphasis seems to be on food, but there's no problem if you just want to have a drink. I didn't eat there, but the food being devoured by other punters looked to be very good. There is a pool table at the back; a few sofas, but the majority of the seating consists of normal tables and chairs. It's a largish corner site pub, that unfortunately has not apparently retained any evidence of its mid-Victorian heritage. But it's a reasonably good pub – not worth going out of your way to find, though OK if you're in the area and fancy a pint. I would sum it up as being clean and functional, and quite welcoming.

On 25^th March 2009 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2607 recommendations about 2521 pubs]

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