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Detail Pages
The Birds, Leytonstone, E11
E11
E11 3AA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Birds
Dating from at least the start of the 19th century as the Crown Inn, the Barclay Perkins house was replaced by the current incarnation for Charrington’s around the 1930s. Today, the place takes its name from some film, the product of an obscure director who apparently lived round here.
The interior wouldn’t look out of place if operated by Antic, but it’s been in the hands of Laine’s since 2017. A mash-up interior features a bare boarded floor, distressed woodwork, some exposed brick, a splash of smoky blue paint but an interesting possibly Lincrusta cornice painted gold, but then some very fine polychromatic tiling to a wall, hinting at past glory; there’s a grand marble fireplace, above which is an LGBTQ+ flag, whilst a solitary TV showed dross with the sound off, to not interfere with a good soundtrack. The bar back is bare brick with tubular steel shelving and furniture is quite modern; there’s table football for the young crowd or bored games should they wish. There are comedy nights and ‘life drawing’ classes every Wednesday.
There’s no cask here with just two unused pumps then a reversed Old Rosie clip, a quartet of Laine’s keg beers, including their egregious Del Monte-inspired Mangolicious, a half of Guinness coming in at £3.20, served by a friendly barmaid.
As Moby mentions, this place is trying to be funky (and failing), so I funked off to the North Star, a minute’s walk from here.
On 19th January 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Birds
I think its safe to say I don’t think I am the target demographic for this one. I popped in for a quick one on a Wednesday evening when their pub quiz was in full flow and the guy running it behind the DJ deck had a brightly coloured hair extension that would not have been out of place in Sigue Sigue Sputnik and I would have probably raised the average age of any of the teams attending by at least 10, and how they were writing the answers down was a bit of a mystery as I had trouble seeing my way to the bar.
But when you get there the beer choice is not too bad. The same two Five Points Cask Ales as mentioned below and the Railway porter was rather good. And then as well as standard draft tap units on the bar there is a tiled craft tap wall with eight taps at the back of the bar. These were dominated by Laines brews but I also saw ones from Signature Brew, Fourpure, Hackney Brewery and Five Points.
Very well described by previous reviewers I didn’t see any table tennis table but then it could have been taken out for the quiz or covered over for use as a table. And I don’t think the wall art is meant to be David Beckham.
If I ever experience a “Self/Less” moment and transfer myself into the body of a 30 year old vegan I could find myself back here. Otherwise you’ll find me in the North Star when I am back in the area.
On 16th April 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Birds
This pub is of course perfectly described by Rex below and unchanged a year on. It tries to do "quirky" but doesn't quite manage to pull it off.Just the two cask beers on, Five Points XPA and Railway Porter,despite the former being in good form the pub itself doesn't do it for me.
On 23rd March 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Birds
There were two ales from the Five Points Brewery on - the massive hopbomb that is XPA, and in contrast the Railway Porter. Both were in excellent condition. A third pump had a reversed clip, and I saw no sign of food (other than condiment rays on a central table) when we visited at around 12.30 on a Wednesday. I didn't buy the round so don't know the prices of the beers.
I've seen a photograph of the interior of this pub from about 50 years ago when it was The Crown. It couldn't be more different now. Then it still had the Victorian mahogany stillion in the middle of the central servery, as well the screening separating the bars, including etched and cut glazing. It's very different now, having been completely opened up, and the bar counter moved to the back wall. It does still have a bit of tiling near the side window where there would once have been a entrance, but it's been badly knocked about over the years. Also, the side entrance in Aylmer Rd still has most of the vestibule intact, including a bit of the original Charrington's green banded glazing.
Aqualung's comparison with an Antic pub is still valid. But as it was around midday when we visited it was very bright as the largish windows let in a lot of natural light. This allowed us to see what a bizarre place it had become; appropriate I guess as it's named after the bizarre film produced by local celebrity Sir Alfred Hitchcock. The table tennis table still dominates the centre of the room; birdcages (sans birds) hang from the ceiling; a rack on the wall has twenty or so stuffed black birds perched on it; a bank of sweet dispensers near the end of the bar counter dispense seeds instead of sweets (with a sign underneath that helpfully informs us that birdseed is for birds); a pommel horse is doing service as a three-seater tall stool; and there were other things I didn't recognise and whose purpose or use I couldn't fathom. Furnishings are cheap second hand tables and chairs, but with a few sofas around. All very Antic!
I would put this above the Khazi grading of a previous reviewer, mainly because the two ales were in such good condition.
On 7th April 2018
- 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 Birds
This is the third incarnation this place has had since being the Bass Charrington Crown. As the Sheepwalk it was mostly noted for knuckle dragging lager swilling morons then Tommy Flynn gave up on it and it became the Laine's owned Birds in the Spring.
It's a rather bare open plan square room with furnishings that look like they've been stolen from a local school. The decor is of the drab unfinished Antic style and the whole place seemed quite dark. For some reason a central area of the room has a table tennis table in it. There also seems to be a picture of David Beckham projected on one wall. I wonder what the helium voiced one would make of that.
There are just three hand pumps that I couldn't read as it was so dark. One had 1 Mile End Hospital Porter on which had gone off so I went for the Electric Bear Livewire. This was slightly on the warm side but OK apart from that. The trouble is it cost an extortionate £5.00.
I thought this place was an overpriced khazi.
On 24th December 2017
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Crown
Quite a dark interior with fake books on one wall. 3 real ale taps 2 on. Food served.
On 22nd March 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Owen Guerin left this review about The Sheepwalk
From looking at the last review, nothing has changed that much certainly not as far as the decor has changed. I got the impression that those that frequent this pub do so on a regular basis and you might get the impression that they were not too happy to have 'strangers' in it. If you are a young larger drinker you'll be o.k. for somewhere to drink before going clubing.
On 24th October 2010
- rating: 3
[User has posted 7 recommendations about 7 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Sheepwalk
This place was dead when I visited on a hot Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. The other two customers seemed to be enjoying the Magners and my Guinness was ok, but there was no real ale.
There is a dartboard, pool table and table football along with 3 large plasma screens for sports on Sky and GAA. The pub is a little sparse and I would imagine that most of its revenue is brought in during the live music nights which are advertised in a shabby fashion on the windows outside the pub.
I don't think that I'll be going in here again, unless I'm in the area and need to pop in to check the distance from Leytonstone to Donegal from one of their handy mileage signs.
On 13th July 2009
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5249 recommendations about 5217 pubs]