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The Eleanor Arms, E3

460 Old Ford Road
E3
E3 5JP

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Quinno _ left this review about The Eleanor Arms

A Sheps pub with a longstanding positive rep, so I thought I’d best have a nose. Semi-trad interior with inter-war era wood panelling and pub carpet, though the weird lime green paint on the upper part of the wall put me off. To the rear is a sports room with a pool table. Three cask all told, 2x Sheps and Southwark Kveik (NBSS 3). It’s nice enough and I’m sure in the locale it might well be the only gig in town, but once was enough for this interloper. GBG'24 listed and a 6.5

On 27th October 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


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Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Eleanor Arms

Having visited last over 10 years ago now, I'd still rate this as one of the better pubs in Bow. Although the Palm Tree takes a bit of beating. It has a very tradition down-to-earth feel with a smallish public bar area at the front, and a narrow space leading to another section complete with a pool table at the rear.

Despite being a Shepherd Neame pub, the Eleanor does stock a couple of guest ales. These were from Iron Pier on my visit. Master Brew & Whitstable Bay Pale Ale are the regular ales. Winter Ale & 90 Shilling were the guest ales. I had half of each of the Iron Pier beers, which were enjoyed whilst chatting to one of the locals. On this Saturday afternoon visit, the clientele was more of an aging bunch. I don't remember spotting anything but blokes, except for the friendly barmaid.

I have to admit to being a little befuddled by the entrance doors too! I don't recall them from the last time I came and hadn't read any further reviews in advance. So, they caught me off guard.

On 24th January 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


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Steve of N21 left this review about The Eleanor Arms

This pub is a slight walk from the beating heart of Bow but for those that appreciate an old school boozer, it is well worth the effort.
Firstly it retains its original opposing door entrance where you push the first one and then pull the second one, something that isn’t immediately intuitive if you haven’t, like me, come across one of these in many years.
Secondly you enter into a comfortable carpeted main bar room with the dark wood panelled traditional decor well described below with no tv or juke box or fruit machines to get in the way of lively conversation. Then the room behind is more a games room housing a pool table and a big pull down screen for the sport which was showing one of the group stage football World Cup games. Then beyond this is a smallish courtyard garden out back. The pub also becomes a live music venue for the local Old Ford Jazz club on a Sunday evening.
Thirdly it’s a Shep Neame house which usually has a couple of guest ales alongside a couple from the brewery and for my visit, alongside Masterbrew, Late Red and the limited edition cask ale “It’s Coming Home”, there was a very passable Porter from the Gravesend based Iron Pier Brewery.
Not many were in when I rolled up not long after the usual 4.00pm weekday opening time and those that were, were definitely fellow members of the retired club and by some distance, making me feel reassuring young. This is in the heart of student accommodation land for Queen Mary University, so I can well believe it attracts a younger crowd later on in the evening when they get fed up with the Lord Morpeth up the road. And why not, this is a very likeable traditional pub.

On 9th December 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


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Tris C left this review about The Eleanor Arms

This pub dates from the mid-19th century, though was apparently rebuilt in the early 1940s which I think is highly unlikely; a 1950s’ rebuild is more likely. Either way, the name comes not from one of the impecunious East Enders assisted by the Mothers’ Arms clinic as mentioned, but that of Eleanor of Castille, wife of Edward I who died in 1290, when Ed was doing a national tour. At each stop on returning to London, a cross was erected in her memory, the two most famous being Waltham and especially the final one, Charing.
The interior is simple and traditional, with threequarters height brown lacquered wood panelling and lime green paint up to the white ceiling. There’s at least one rough brick unused fireplace, above which is a fine Watney’s mirror; décor revolves around eclectic framed prints. Customers seemed to be more traditional younger locals (fans of West Ham) and some young professional incomers.
Ales amounted to two unused pumps, Whitstable Bay and Ramsgate Brewery’s Gadds’ Nº 5, which tasted quite nice, coming in at £2.00 a half, served by an indifferent landlord.
This is a decent mixed locals’ boozer, a far cry from the neighbouring Lord Morpeth and certainly the Albert; worth including on a crawl.

On 14th April 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


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hondo . left this review about The Eleanor Arms

Shepherd Neame pub located close to Victoria Park. Nice old style interior that wraps round the bar.

On 26th November 2016 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


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Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Eleanor Arms

This Shepherd Neame pub looks quite basic from the street, but the interior is very attractive and well maintained. Square bar at the front with pleasingly traditional furniture and decor. Another bar to the rear with a pool table, and a patio beer garden beyond. Three real ales from a total of six handpumps on the two counters, with Whitstable Bay and Kent's Best supplemented by St Austell Spring Brew (£3.95) as a guest. Old Ford Jazz Club to the rear.

On 7th June 2015 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


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Moby Duck left this review about The Eleanor Arms

Arrived 20 minutes early yesterday opens at 12.00 (4.00 on a Monday)so handily there is a cafe a door away,time for a cup of tea before the days activity's.The exterior of the pub was getting a lick of paint so not as dull and foreboding as experienced by John Bonser in the previous post,he is of course completely correct in his description of the interior,a very nice traditional pub.Rather quiet at the early hour which given the location is probably,I would imagine,the daytime normal state of affairs.Low level country/blues music was playing, but no sign of flashing lights on the ceiling thankfully.Three Shep's beers on ,Kent's Best,Bishops Finger and Canterbury Jack,the Kent's Best was in Excellent condition,a sign of a good pub as it was the first pint poured of the day.A very good pub a must visit when in this neck of the woods.

On 27th June 2012 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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John Bonser left this review about The Eleanor Arms

Relatively difficult to find, The Eleanor Arms is situated in a quiet street quite close to Victoria Park.

It dates back to 1879. The pub sign features a rather sad looking woman, presumably one of the impecunious East Enders who was assisted by the Mothers Arms clinic and crèche, which the pub was for a while during World War 1.

A rather dull and foreboding exterior hides an attractive traditional, carpeted wood panelled interior. Of particular note is a fine fireplace over which is a large Watney Combe Reid Stag Brewery mirror. Seating consists of traditional tables and chairs with bar stools running along the length of the bar counter. The walls are decorated with some old film posters and adverts. Just inside the front door is a small disc jockey style booth where, on my visit, the landlord was playing music from an extensive looking disc collection. This was, unfortunately, accompanied by flashing coloured lights projected on to the ceiling, all of which appeared to be for the benefit of a small birthday party group, for whom an appetising looking cold buffet had been prepared.

A narrow passageway runs alongside the bar counter and leads to a smaller plainer, rear room where there’s a snooker table. Here a door leads out to a small garden at the back.

The landlord is evidently a beer enthusiast and, although it’s a Shepherd Neame house, there’s usually a couple of interesting guests on. On my recent visit, there was only one Sheps beer on – Bishops Finger – but compensation existed in the form of Brains SA and Thwaites Wainwright. The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular and advertises regularly in London Drinker.

This is a friendly and welcoming community orientated pub – worth looking out

On 22nd March 2012 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about The Eleanor Arms

This is a lovely old traditional Shepherd Neame pub, close to Victoria Park, but still requiring a bit of effort to locate in what appears to be a fairly quiet part of Bow. The pub is split into two areas by the attractive central bar, with dark wood walls, tables and chairs throughout. The front room is carpeted with a lovely fireplace on the right hand wall, over which hangs an impressive Watney's mirror. The walls are decorated with an eclectic mix of art prints, some old LP covers and plenty of brewerania. A narrow strip runs past the bar and takes you to the rear room, which has plenty more seating and gives access to the beer garden. A jazz soundtrack was playing in the background on my Saturday, early-afternoon visit and there was a selection of papers available at the bar.
Being a Shepherd Neame house, I was expecting to find only their beers available, so it was quite a surprise to see Hyde's Original (£3.20) on alongside Kent's Best and Canterbury Jack. There was only one other customer in on my visit and I was pleased to see the barmaid pulled beer through the lines before serving me what was presumably the first Hyde's of the day. I'm glad to report that the beer was in great shape as well.
I walked past plenty of unappealing looking pubs on my way to and from this place. It seems that the Eleanor Arms is a bit of an oasis in an otherwise unpromising area and it is nice to find a pub that has been so well cared for in amongst a lot of pubs that have been neglected. I'd say this is worth making a bit of an effort to find and only regret not being able to get there when it was a bit busier.

On 22nd July 2011 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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Rex Rattus left this review about The Eleanor Arms

This is a Shepherd Neame pub; they had on Whitstable Bay, Canterbury Jack and a seasonal special called July 4th. They don’t do Master Brew, but they usually have on Kent’s Best which happened to be off during my visit. I had the July 4th which was, predictably, a well-hopped US style IPA. I really enjoyed it – at £3.20 a pint not cheap, but you expect to pay a bit more for a specialist beer. I had a chat with the landlord, who was about to head off with a bunch of chums to the Greenwich Jazz & Beer Festival. He told me that Shepherd Neame had inherited a micro brewery that they had moved to their main brewery and is used for producing smaller volume specialist brews – hence the July 4th.
Anyway, this is a comfortably furnished (i.e. normal tables and chairs) pub with friendly and welcoming service. The only negative side is that they don’t do food (at least not on the weekday lunchtime I was in there). Notwithstanding that, it gets my recommendation as a pub worth seeking out if you’re in the area.

On 8th July 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]

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