The Hanover Arms, SE11

Dating from at least the mid-19th century, this pub has seemingly undergone something of a recent makeover since the previous reviews and CAMRA’s current description. The interior features an attractive cornice to the ceiling with fine ceiling roses from which descend Victorian/Edwardian-style brass ‘n’ glass chandeliers; the bar back is probably original, not so the turquoise colour scheme nor shamrock bunting. Thereafter it’s a split-level room with a modern pale boarded floor, modern pale wood field panelling, conventional pale wood furniture with black vinyl upholstered chairs and matching banquette, all looking a bit corporate. There’s virtually no décor apart from a couple of shelves displaying knickknacks and brassware, football showing on multiple TVs sound off, with at least a decent Fleetwood Mac and Simple Minds backing track. Customers were resolutely Irish and very mixed in age, though few for a Friday evening. Despite being an Irish pub there were a couple of cask beers on, in the form of Doom and its new sibling, Solar Wave and being one of the most disgusting beers I’ve ever tried, I opted for a half of Neck Oil at an obscene £4.00 a half, served by a nonchalant barman. A bit lacking in character, this isn’t a great pub and whilst no competition winner, the Derby next door is the preferred option.

The Hanover Arms is very handy for Oval tube station. Once inside there is a long oblong shaped room with the bar facing,the room is on two levels the right side is up 1 step,the room is bare boarded the seating was comfy bench type which faced the bar and normal tables and chairs,there were 3 TVs 2 showing rugby and 1 showing basketball from the commonwealth games. There were three pumps on the bar all had Doom Bar on so i had a drink of this,the beer was ok but slightly too warm for my liking. This is a decent enough pub that had a fair few customers in on my Saturday morning visit. Pub visited 2/8/2014

This pubs main attraction to me was its closeness to Oval tube station making it very convenient for a pint whilst waiting for a meet. A decent enough white and black exterior which now supports some metal tables and chairs on the pavement when the weather is fine ,and the interior is as well described below. In keeping with the recent experiences of others, three handpumps on the bar with two in operation and Youngs Bitter and Doombar available. And my pint of Youngs, still at £3.80 if I remember correctly, was perfectly fine. Perfectly comfortable for a pint whilst waiting for others before moving on, but certainly not one to make a special effort to search out.

One of those odd-looking pubs in certain parts of London where you have a single-storey parade in front of the main façade of the terraced buildings behind. Inside, there is one step difference between the upper and lower parts of the bar. Traditional, mostly basic, furniture (but slightly smarter towards the rear). Decor-wise, there is some nice interior detailing if you take the time to look. Large screen for sport (not in use when I visited). Pedigree and Youngs Ordinary (£3.80) available from two of the three handpumps.

Whilst making my way from Kennington to Lambeth, the heavens opened forcing me to take cover in this street corner pub, close to Oval tube station. The pub has a fairly simple single room layout which sees the servery on the back wall of a wide but shallow room. You enter through some nice etched glass doors that display the pub's name, into the middle of the pub with the bar opposite. To the left is a bare boarded seating area with a banquette running around the perimeter. A step up takes you to the bar which has a modern looking counter and a collection of odd items displayed on the canopy including a tiny pram and some old ceramic bottles. The front windows are made from a distorted type of glass that reminded me of dimpled pint glasses and underneath them an upholstered banquette provides seating to several tables down towards the right hand side of the room, where smarter seating options fill the remaining space. There are a few pleasant decorative touches including some elaborate cornicing, attractive pillars and fancy light fixtures. A couple of TV screens were showing the evening's Premier League fixture and a nature programme to varying levels of customer interest. Unfortunately, the same two beers encountered by Rex - Young's Ordinary and Marstons Pedigree - were the only options on my visit as well. I opted for a half of the Ordinary, which set me back £2.00, so either they've increased the price of a pint by 20p in the two weeks since Rex visited or they are overcharging for a half. A third hand pump was being pulled through just before I departed, with another beer apparently ready to come on. This was an unplanned visit, so my expectations were pretty low, but I thought this was quite a nice, comfortable place to enjoy a quick drink. The fact that the beer options were a little uninspiring was a shame, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying my brief visit, even if it is quite unlikely that I'll return.

The ales available here were Pedigree and Young’s Bitter (£3.80 a pint), with a third pump unclipped. This pub doesn’t look up to very much from the outside, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of ales on. There was no sign of food or menus on Friday afternoon, but there again Friday 27 December is obviously not a typical Friday. This pub’s interior is much nicer than suggested by its plain exterior. Furnishings are red upholsterd banquettes and some standard tables and chairs. The windows have some small pane latticed windows, glazed with distorted glass, presumably originally to prevent innocent passers-by from viewing the evils therein. The Victorians did have some funny ideas (by today’s standards) although pubs were very different places then. There are still a couple of the original vestibule entrances to this single-room pub, one with some cut/etched glass showing it to be originally the entrance to the Saloon Bar. The ceiling has some attractive and very ornate cornicing, but the bar counter and its gantry look to be modern pieces and a little out of place here. There’s not a great deal in the way of decor, but I did spot a couple of bookshelves near one of the entrances, as will as some assorted bric-a-brac on a shelf along the back and above the bar gantry. There are TVs around the place, incliding a large pull-down screen in one of the corners. This looks to be essentially a locals’ pub that hasn’t gone down the gastro road. But being only a stone’s throw from The Oval and adjacent to the underground station of the same name, it no gets more busy when matches are being played. Although the ale choice isn’t extensive, my pint of Young’s Bitter was in good shape. This place is fairly comfortable and definitely good enough for a swift one if you’re in the area.