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The Bankers Draft, Eltham, SE9
SE9
SE9 1BW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
You can well believe this is the smallest surviving Spoons and actually need to take a second look to confirm you are in one. Very much a conversation-led pub though. The interior is rather cluttered with furniture in an attempt to pack as much in as possible, which heightens the cosy feel. An interesting side feature is the fire door, which is widely used in both directions by locals accessing the unofficial smoking area on the pavement. Why this is not made a formal door is beyond me. The beers included a couple from Windsor & Eton alongside the usual suspects and condition was fair enough.
On 5th October 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
Wetherspoons regularly refer to this as the smallest pub by floor area in their entire estate, yet even forewarned with this information, I was amazed at exactly how small this bank conversion actually is. Located on a busy crossroads in the centre of Eltham, this place has been a Wetherspoons for over 20 years now and perhaps reflects the company’s more modest ambitions back in the early 90’s. The single room interior is carpeted throughout and has a servery down the left hand side and two rows of standard tables and chairs to the right. A group of tables to the front left, prior to the emergence of the bar, were positioned under a TV screen showing live horse racing and the local betting community seemed to have converged here, with runners nipping out to a nearby bookies between each race. A couple of padded bench booths stand on the rear wall and the room extends marginally to the left rear where there is a particularly gloomy corner that is large enough to accommodate one standard and one high table. A TV to the rear was showing the Cup Final with the sound muted. The room has a lot of dark wood panelling throughout, which gives the place more of a pub feel than you get from other bank conversions. The usual Spoons information boards were present along with a charity board and some old black and white portraits along the bar canopy.
The limited capacity of the pub was reflected in the limited ale range, with three guest ales, two Spoons regulars and one real cider still providing more choice than some of the chain’s far bigger venues. I opted for a pint of something called The Herbalist – a collaborative brew between Adnams and Magic Rock – which was in excellent condition but not really my cup of tea. The barmaid was seemingly running the place on her own and was very friendly, stopping to chat to all customers and enjoying some good banter with a group of elderly regulars.
This place is a bit of a curio for Wetherspoons fans as it is the sort of pub the chain would almost certainly never consider opening nowadays. I quite liked the fact that it was a bit more intimate than their other venues and I found the beer and service to be spot on, but I imagine it can easily become busy and uncomfortable in here.
On 29th July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a conversion 'spoons, presumably once a member of the pub's fellow endangered species, the high street bank. It's one of the smaller 'spoons that I've been in. There isn't room for the full row of tall tables/tall stools that you usually see down the centre of a 'spoons, although there are a couple of them on the left as you enter. The remainder of the room is occupied by normal tables and chairs jammed in cheek to jowl, with a couple of booths down at the end of the room. But in general everything is typical of the 'spoons model - cheap drink and cheap food, with the usual sort of prints on the walls, presumably of local scenes. The clientele's fairly typical as well.
For me a 'spoons is very welcome if you are after a late breakfast/early lunch. A traditional breakfast and a decent pint makes a great start to the day.
On 14th December 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
This is said to be the smallest Spoons of all and I certainly can't dispute that claim. It's a long narrow room with windows down the side and the bar on the left as you enter. Other than ths size it is a fairly typical Spoons. Despite the lack of space they still managed to slot four fruit machines into the bar,
There are only five pumps which had Ruddles, the boring Hobgoblin and three festival beers.
I went for the Hook Norton Flagship (£2.15) which was in superb condition.
On 1st November 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
As the name suggests, this Wetherspoons was originally a bank, firstly Martins which was then taken over by Barclays.
Whilst it has all the characteristics you would expect from ‘Spoons, the Bankers Draft is more pocket sized and could well be the smallest branch of the chain in the country, certainly from my experiences.
The interior is a slightly wedged shape that curves round the bar to the back of the pub. There are a couple of small snags at one end and the pub in general feels quite intimate by ‘Spoons normal standards. The usual snippets on local history and celebrities include articles on local legend Bob Hope and Frankie Howard who grew up in the area.
The small bar manages to pack in 5 hand pumps and on my visits I have always found a decent selection of guest ales.
It is fair to say Eltham has its fair share of undesirable drinkers and you would expect ‘Spoons to be at the forefront of the scene but I have so far on many visits never encountered any unsavoury behaviour.
It may only be a bite-size compared to ‘Spoons normal outlets but it has its own little bit of character and given the lack of beer choices to be found in town, the Bankers Draft certainly plays its part.
On 20th August 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
This high street pub is fairly small by any standards, and tiny for a 'spoons. Only 5 handpumps, but mostly devoted to festival ales rather than usual suspects. Decent pint of Springhead Spring Chicken at a very reasonable £1.79. Efficient barmaid and a fairly friendly atmosphere too.
On 24th April 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
This is small for a Spoons and the short bar also leads to a smaller range of drinks than one would expect in a Spoons, but there are still five ales available. I did hear the very efficient barmaid mention to one of the many aged locals that were soaking up the cheap booze that there was talk of only having one hand pump in the future. (Yes this is a Wetherspoons and I referred to a member of the staff as being efficient – whatever next!)
This is the only pub in Eltham that I have visited to date so I cannot compare it to any of its peers, but I'm sure that there must be better pubs in the area.
On 27th October 2009
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about Bankers Draft
Small and very cramped Wetherspoon's pub on the very busy Eltham High Road. Not much in the way of guest beers and not much in the way of space as it gets packed.
On 25th February 2009
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]