The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon), Elephant & Castle, SE1

Opened on 1st November 2000, this is another pub with a Wetherspoon’s upcycled name, the original incarnation dating from the late 18th century, demolished in the 1950s to make way for what was originally built as the Ministry of Health’s grade II-listed (and Civic Trust Award-winning) Alexander Fleming House, making this the only pub in a building designed by an architect whose name was appropriated by Ian Fleming for a Bond villain: the name’s Goldfinger. Ernő Goldfinger. Aside from the all-pervasive smell of vomit, the unusually plain interior is probably unchanged since previous reviews, with the floor tiling exhibiting dried sticky spills, contrasting with a mass of soggy tissue paper and crisps strewn about the place; the partially finished drinks and empty glasses came as no surprise, likewise the urinals which were all out of order. What would however appear to have changed come my Saturday night visit, was the rough types who have largely decamped, to be replaced by endless tattooed students, alumni of the various surrounding educational institutions, many being ID’d at the door, one nipper looking like she was no more than 12 years old and, no doubt attracted by the scantily clad female talent on offer (can I say this?), a band of cackling old local geezers eyeing up the ladies. Aside from the usual suspects, there were three from Sambrook’s: Tomahawk, Lavender Hill and Junction at just £1.15 a half, the latter two sampled and on good form, served by confused staff. This is a very poor ‘spoons and if I were unlucky enough to find myself in this godforsaken area and utterly desperate for a drink, the E & C is a better option.

Official site of The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Rockingham Arms (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Old school Spoons not helped by the scaffolding all around it when I called. I managed to fight my way through the smokers standing in front of the "No smoking outside this doorway" sign! Usual layout and 4 guest ales including Upham's Autumn Leaves, Purple Moose dark side of the moose and Brains Gold. The beer was just OK. I wouldn't rush back to be honest!

This is a large, bland Wetherspoons pub with a pretty grim interior that mirrors the very worst of the local area. The pub has a wide but relatively shallow room with the servery along the left half of the rear wall. A row of enormous pillars run in pairs through the centre of the room with some tatty mosaic tiling around their lower halves, helping to break up the sightlines across the room pretty well but adding absolutely nothing from an aesthetic viewpoint. There is a mix of carpet, floorboards and tiling throughout the room with high tables and stools under the front windows and around the pillars, banquettes in a raised space to the far right and standard tables and chairs elsewhere. The bar has a very long counter with a curved right hand end, broken twice along its length by pillars. The bar back employs some nice old wood panels, plain mirrors and an integral clock, making it arguably the pub's top feature. The usual TV screens showing muted news coverage and the discreetly positioned slot machines were all present and correct. The walls have been whitewashed for the most part, which gives the place quite a bright feel, which doesn't really suit the clientele who would be better served hidden away in a dingy corner somewhere. Some random modern art prints here and there added an incongruous touch and my general impression was that interior design must be the lowest priority for the people running this place. There are a few seats out in a roped off pavement space, should sitting next to a busy road seem preferable to another minute staring at a whitewashed wall. Perhaps the beer could rescue the day? Well, yes, it could (to a point). There were four 'Spoons regulars available alongside a highly unexpected five guest ales and one real cider. I tried a pint of the Yeovil Ruby and it was in pretty good nick too, so hopefully a change in the fortunes of the ale range and quality might translate into improved refurbishment at some stage. I don't think this is anyone's favourite 'Spoons, with the possible exception of a few hardy locals, and it certainly leaves a lot to be desired when compared to other South London 'Spoons or indeed pubs in the immediate vicinity. I left feeling vaguely hopeful thanks to the decent pint and reasonable selection of ales, but things would have to improve a fair bit to get me back in here again any time soon.

As the previous reviewers point out this is a poor spoons with a very poor selection of cask beer with only 5 pumps to choose from.

You get good Spoons and you get bad Spoons. This is the later.I did note the rather rough crowd as mentioned by a previous poster but just thought it was me being a rather sensitive person.They do seem to have a dress code for this pub-no smart clothes but anything else goes. Adnams -sloe storm and Wibblers -genesis seemed new to me but the taste of both did not endear me to this pub.

This is as standard a ‘spoons as you can imagine. I would assess that it has even less character than most. The all day drinkers were present in brigade strength; the tables and chairs were crammed in as much as usual – but on the plus side the food and drink were cheap. It epitomises the planner’s dream (or anus mundi I would say) that is the Elephant and Castle area – or Newington Butts to give it its proper name - being housed in a charmless post-war development. Although the pub was quite busy at 5.30 PM, it was a haven of peace and solitude in comparison with the Elephant & Castle next a few doors down the road.

Large, noisy Wetherspoons housed in an unappealing building and quite a rough crowd inside and out on my latest visit. On the plus side, there is usually a good selection of real ales from ten handpumps at bargain prices (e.g. Conwy Rampart at £2.35).

Randomness Guide to London - Rockingham Arms entry