Dial Arch, Woolwich, SE18

This is a large Youngs pub with a most impressive setting inside one of the marvellous old Royal Arsenal buildings. You enter the pub through an impressive porch, past an upright piano and straight into the main bar area with the servery opposite along the rear wall. The room has a quarry stone floor and the servery boasts a chunky counter with a high mirrored bar back, a large black and white image of the building back in the day on the end wall and a rather disappointing mess of exposed pipes, ducts and wires above. A few high tables and stools can be found here but the space has mostly been set aside for vertical drinking, with a series of seating areas available in most other directions. To the right there is a sizeable formal dining area which was out of bounds for drinkers, so I was unable to get a good look around. The left hand side sees a passageway with button backed sofas and padded bench booths under bare brick walls adorned with more photos of local interest including some large images depicting local industry. To the front left there is a smart bare boarded lounge accessed through a decorative wrought iron doorway offering a mix of comfy sofas and standard tables and chairs. Mirrors seem to be the decorative item of choice for much of this room and there are some display cages along the wall separating the space from the aforementioned passageway, full of all sorts of random bits and bobs. A fireplace stands in the middle of the room under an extractor hood and this was lit on a chilly winter's evening. Music played quietly throughout my stay but I didn't spot any TV screens in any of the rooms. There is a large seating area out the front of the pub on the old cobblestones with a mixture of plush seats and hard benches, which would be a great spot on a warm summer's day. I was expecting the usual Youngs dross and little else of interest at the bar, but was surprised to find the ubiquitous Ordinary and Special supplemented by Southwark Ruckin Red, By the Horns Hopslinger and Hop Stuff Fusilier with Adnams Broadside and Truman's Blindside due to come on soon. The bar staff were very friendly and chatty and explained to me that the Hopslinger was by far the most popular beer they had on at present, so I gave that a try and enjoyed a very tasty pint. This is a great old building being put to good use by a pubco that doesn't always get these things right. The guest ales are a definite bonus and there is plenty here to explore, making return visits an appealing prospect. With so many Youngs pubs being given character-killing corporate makeovers, this place stands out as a rare example of them getting it right. A very enjoyable visit and, whilst it certainly isn't cheap in here, I would happily return nevertheless.

The Dial Arch is a newish Youngs pub that is housed in part of the old Woolwich Arsenal buildings. Once inside this is a very large pub with lots of different areas,the right side seem to be set aside for diners,this area was quite busy with them,the left side has two large oblong shaped drinking areas which have mix of seating type including normal tables and chairs some american diner type seats. There was a decent choice of real ales on the bar and i was offered a taster by the friendly barman,i had a drink of Hop Stuff Pale Ale which was a very nice drink but pricey at over £4.00 a pint,the other beers i noted were Youngs Bitter /Special /London Gold. This is a very smart and comfortable pub to have a drink in. I quite liked this pub. Pub visited 2/5/2015

The real ales on here were Young's Bitter, Special, London Gold, Bombardier, Adnam's Ghost Ship, and Sambrook Wandle (£2 a half), plus Aspall's cider on handpump. The bar menu has main courses from £11 (London bangers, creamy mashed potatoes, caramelised onion gravy) to £21.50 (21-day aged rib-eye, etc, etc). Pizze are from £9 to £11. This new-ish Young's pub is housed in a large old brick built building that was once part of the historic Woolwich Arsenal complex, but is now within the riverside development. There's a dining area on the right as you enter that's comprised of several nooks and crannies (although you can of course eat in other pub areas if you want); on the left are a couple more rooms, one with some booths and sofas/armchairs, and the other with a pretty equal mix of normal tables and chairs and more armchairs/sofas. This is a large place, but with the discreet drinking and dining areas Young's have not converted it into a drinking barn. The walls are mainly exposed brickwork, and there are a few barrels around the place adding atmosphere, and a grand piano sits grandly in the entrance. But perhaps the nicest area of this place is the outside, with loads of tables and chairs on the extensive terrace at the front. When I was there it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and many were sitting on the grassed area in front of the pub, surrounded by the ancient artillery pieces presumably left over from its Arsenal days. The ale selection is pretty good by Young's standards. This is a nice enough place even if it's new enough not to have any traditional pub character, although it's in a historical setting which is a big plus. I reckon it's best visited on a warm day when the outside area can be enjoyed. I would visit again.