The Vale, Streatham Vale, SW16

Official site of The Vale - thevaleatstreatham.com

Official site of The Vale - thevaleatstreatham.com

I guess I was lucky to find this pub open, although I'm not sure "lucky" is really the right word. There were two handpumps on the bar, one with a Directors clip on it, but they didn't have any and in fact a mechanical failure in the cellar (cooling unit?) meant that there was no beer on tap of any kind to be had. But the barman rooted around in the fridge and offered me a can of Fosters for £2, however I spotted a bottle of Spitfire in there which was a much better option for £3.25. The manager told me that a variety of misfortunes had prevented him from making this pub a going concern, and that it had recently been closed for some months. The room itself was in a parlous state. The banquettes are grime encrusted, and some of the stools were split open. Anything that had been on the walls has been removed - you can see the outline of where clocks and mirrors had been, leaving only the grimy wallpaper and bare wires hanging down that would once have been attached to TVs, music systems and the like. The high spot of the visit was the two dogs having an extended play fight in the middle of the floor. This pub faces two choices as far as I can see - either it is completely refurbished, or it is closed down. I hope it's the former of course. I don't think it has any chance of surviving in its present condition.