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Submitted on Sunday, 10th March 2019
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Detail Pages
The Leyton Engineer, Leyton, E10
E10
E10 5QN
Served areas
Reviews of The Leyton Engineer (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Leyton Engineer
Impressive conversion of the old town hall (later the technical college) to become Antic's Leyton Technical previous to its latest Remarkable Pubs incarnation. Lots of interest behind the interesting façade detailing in the multi-room interior, including a impressive entrance lobby, a display of 'local hero' William Morris designs, a tiny snug. I found all four handpumps in use, dispensing Adnams Lighthouse, Shepherd Neame's One Hop Wonder and the XPA from Five Points (£4.95, disappointing)
On 6th April 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Tris C left this review about The Leyton Engineer
The former name arises not out of a homage to the vehicles used in Somalia’s Civil War in the early ‘90s, but because as Leyton Town Hall (1895 by John Johnson and grade II-listed), it was home to the Leyton Technical College, later a pub conversion courtesy of Antic.
With a CAMRA citation for having an interior of Outstanding Conversions and Restorations, the current incarnation dates from September 2024, courtesy of the Remarkable Pubs Co (RPC). It’s a warren of rooms and micro snug, featuring an embarrassment of riches. The interior can be seen on their gallery but includes trademark touches such as a Victorian colour scheme featuring gloss black Anaglypta to the dado then ochre walls, ornate bar back with obligatory clock, Grecian statues (see photo), foreign beverage memorabilia, taxidermy and map of the world and grand, spindly brass chandeliers; in addition, there are framed William Morris (born in neighbouring Walthamstow) Arts & Crafts-style motifs. Furniture is new and conventional, along with some black leather booth seating to the windows. The bare floor is either pale boarded with some exotic kilims or fantastic polychromatic terrazzo and mosaic to the bar area; there’s also some very fine ornate plasterwork to the partially coffered ceiling, then a ‘Club Room’ where you’ll find pool and darts with décor in the form of a multitude of spirit miniatures and taxidermy in a glass fronted cabinet, also an ornate pink marble fireplace; there’s the ‘Harry Beck Booth’, with a paean to the local boy’s work, showing the evolution of his iconic tube map. Packed out, customers were the area’s young professional contingency, in high spirits, contributing to deafening ambient noise at the time of my Saturday 9.30pm visit; the absent RPC’s trademark velvet swag curtains would at least go some way to absorbing the sound.
A disappointing cask selection amounted to just Shepherd Neame’s Whitstable Bay and Late Red, then Ghost Ship at £2.80 a half and not bad.
This is a very lovely place and good conversion which should bed in well over time, but the acoustics are terrible and I just wish that the RPC would ditch its obsession with Shepherd Neame beers; the grade is a reflection of the interior and not the overall experience.
On 6th October 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2207 recommendations about 2164 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Leyton Technical
There were only two ales on in here during my Saturday afternoon visit - Adnam's Southwold Bitter, and the house beer Volden Session ale (£3.30 a pint). I didn't think that this was particularly good as there were eight handpumps, with four of them having reversed clips, and another two being unclipped. But my Volden session was in good nick, and £3.30 is a very reasonable price to pay in London these days. The menu had a surprising and welcome range of pub grub, with the beefburger etc at £10, haddock & chips at £11, and the Cumberland sausage, mash, greens and gravy (obviously) the cheapest option at £7.
This is probably the most magnificent Antic pub I've been in with its marvelous red brick and plaster "streaky bacon" exterior, and inside the most striking feature, for me anyway, is the decorative terrazzo floor in the main bar area. There are several smaller rooms leading off from the main area as you enter, including one having all tables laid for diners.
You have the usual mix of Antic furnishings in here - some tall tables/tall stools in front of the bar counter, plus enough sofas and armchairs, and some old normal tables and chairs of course. Decor is a bit of a mixed bag. On one wall is a quartet of ornate clocks, some gilded mirrors are to be seen, but the predominant feature seemed to be stuffed animal heads and antlers. There were also some presentation plaques on one wall, and on another I even saw a bear's hide and a pair of mounted Gurha kukri. Not really what I want to look at in a pub, but I guess it all came as a cheap job lot.
Overall I quite liked it in here, but there again I quite like quirky pubs, in which Antic specialise of course. But only two real ales on out of a total of eight handpumps isn't good by Antic standards; maybe I was just unlucky as previous reviewers have seen more.
On 26th October 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
View more reviews of The Leyton Engineer (7)
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- Official site of The Leyton Engineer - theleytonengineer.co.uk
- Camra OCR pubs website - ocrpubs.camra.org.uk
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Leyton Engineer - whatpub.com
Leytonstone High Road, 0.94 miles, 18 min walk (show)
Stratford International, 1.12 miles, 21 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - Discount amount not stated by East London CAMRA - last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Child Friendly : Yes - Children out by 17.00 unless dining. - last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Darts : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Jukebox : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Karaoke : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Live Music : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Quiz Night : Yes - Baby quiz, third Monday, 12.00. - last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Real Cider : No last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- Wheelchair Access : Yes - Disabled WC. - last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 06 October 2024 by Tris C
