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Picture of Roses Free House
Image posted by Alan Winfield
Submitted on Sunday, 17th May 2015
With picture contributions to 6053 other pubs
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Roses Free House, Woolwich, SE18

47-49 Hare Street
SE18
SE18 6NE
Correct details

Served areas

Reviews of Roses Free House (Average Rating: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about Roses Free House

This is a much celebrated Woolwich venue with a reputation for a solid selection of ales, my visit on Saturday afternoon found Caledonian Kick-Off (what's it got to do with them I wondered), Young's Blonde, Westerham British Bulldog, Hog's Back Three Hops and two pumps unclipped. My Bulldog was a bit tired and became flat by the time I was half way down it. A single room which narrows towards the rear, the bar is on a side wall towards the front. Carpeted, wood panelling and some retained lower etched glazing, mainly with rose motifs but also "Private Bar" and "Fine Old Bottled Port" as well as the pub name. The ceiling is panelled in white with black surrounds, there is a working dartboard to the front adjoining the bar and towards the rear a board lists the most recent cribbage league results. The vivarium remains with the two lizards Ronnie and Reggie on display.
Behind the bar a glass case contains a football boot signed by Steven Gerrard.
Seating is traditional at blue banquettes while decor includes a Fullers brewery mirror and some Guinness ads. A TV showed the cricket while some rather depressing crooning style music played.
I confess to being mildly disappointed by this pub which is much vaunted, it is slightly shabby, my pint was very lacklustre and a couple of blokes at the bar were rather boorish and irritating and in need of being told to behave by the barman. I may have hit on a less than good day but I found the pub to be average at best.

On 3rd July 2016 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about Roses Free House

Just off the main retail strip, this is a warm, traditional local's pub with a reputation for serving well kept interesting ales. The pub has a single room layout, albeit with two distinct areas within. The front part of the pub is predominantly an open space with the servery down the left hand side and some wide U-shaped banquettes along the opposite wall. The room is part carpeted and part vinyl floored and has obscured front windows bearing the pub's name and a repeating rose motif. The servery has a pleasant enough counter and a decidedly shaky looking, boxy canopy replete with lots of decorative ironwork. A dartboard can be found next to a disused doorway with a pane inscribed 'Public Bar' and I noticed a lot of CAMRA magazines from around the country in the window sills behind the banquettes, with a collection of books on a shelf further along, next to the juke box. Beyond the bar is a notably different area with dark wood panelling on the walls and a great mural above depicting the Thames and nearby docks. Tub chairs and long benches serve a number of small round tables and a good collection of vintage breweriana covers much of the remaining wall space. A tank in the rear left corner apparently contains (or once contained) two lizards named after the Kray twins, but I had a peek and couldn't spot them. A TV on the bar canopy remained off in favour of tunes from the juke box played at a sensible volume. The pub was notably much quieter than any other visited on my Friday evening crawl around Woolwich, which struck me as rather ominous for the pub's future.
There were three ales available on this visit - Caledonian Over the Bar, Westerham Single Hop Archer and Hop Stuff Fusilier from the local Woolwich based brewery. I tried a pint of the latter which I thought was in good shape. The landlady seemed a bit distant at first, offering a rather muted welcome, but overall I found the place friendly enough and was happy settled down on one of the comfy banquettes.
This is a very pleasant old-school freehouse which makes a pleasing contrast from the areas other decent pubs which are mostly modern chain affairs from the likes of Wetherspoons, Antic and Youngs. I hope a pub like this can continue to flourish in an area that seems to be gentrifying rapidly and would recommend it to anyone who values a good old-fashioned community local.

On 5th April 2016 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3093 recommendations about 3093 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about Roses Free House

There were four ales on here - Cambrinus Deliverance, Sambrook Wandle, Doom Bar, and Westerham Grasshopper (£1.65 a half). Another handpump had a clip reversed, and a sixth was unclipped. There were no menus so I guess food is not generally available, but I did see some rolls on a tray behind the counter, and a sign that they were £1.30 a pop. Looked a good bet to me.

This struck me as a traditional old pub. It's carpeted, and furnished with normal tables and chairs; the fielded paneling on the walls looks typically inter war, and the ceiling was panelled with what looked like traditional Truman's vitrolite, but not shiny enough. Other features include the wrought iron bar gantry that looks as if it's been lifted straight out of the 70s; a dartboard; a small Fuller's Smith and Turner brewery mirror; a large mural at the back featuring a river scene; and the tank at the back which I hope still houses those famous lizards Ronnie and Reggie. Sky Sports are advertised.

This is a locals' drinking pub I would say, judging by the handful of punters in when I visited on Wednesday afternoon. But of course it could be a different place in the evening. This is a comfortable old traditional pub that does a decent ale selection. I would say that it's one of the better Woolwich pubs.

On 15th May 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


View more reviews of Roses Free House (7)
External web links for Roses Free House

No known official website for this pub.

Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by S Armstrong
Woolwich Arsenal, 0.43 miles, 8 min walk (show)
Woolwich Dockyard, 0.52 miles, 10 min walk (show)
Plumstead, 1.13 miles, 21 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for Roses Free House, SE18
30th Aug 2017, 20:12
Picture submitted by Graham Mason approved
 
30th Aug 2017, 20:12
Picture submitted by Graham Mason approved

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Accommodation : No last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Beer Festivals : Yes - September - last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
  • Beer Garden : No last updated 15 May 2015 by Rex Rattus
  • Car Park : No last updated 15 May 2015 by Rex Rattus
  • Darts : Yes last updated 15 May 2015 by Rex Rattus
  • Function Room : No last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Jukebox : Yes last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Live Music : Yes last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 15 May 2015 by Rex Rattus
  • Micropub : No last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Pinball : No last updated 17 May 2011 by David McNally
  • Pool Table : No last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 15 May 2015 by Rex Rattus
  • Real Cider : Yes last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
  • WiFi : Yes last updated 05 April 2016 by Pub SignMan
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