Worst Pub

[mccraque]

I seem to recall this thread from a couple of years back. But what is the worst pub you've ever set foot in and why!?

I'll start with the George IV in Brixton. I staggered in there at 8am after a night in the Fridge nightclub....half the windows boarded, a dererelictness about it - and a hardhouse party full of massive pupilled pill heads and their muscle bound eastern european dealers out back. There were also old alcoholic men sitting at the bar drinking as if it were sunday lunch.

Terrible place...I shudder to think back....

 

[Kumquat]

A pub in Acocks Green in Birmingham. This wasn't me but my brother and a friend. They went in to watch Arsenal Aston Villa and Eastenders was on. They ordered a pint and asked if they wre gonna put the football on when it started. The barman said "I'll ask the landlord." He gave them their pints and went to speak to the landlord who was standing watching Eastenders.

The landlord came over said "Lads, we're watching Eastenders. If you don't like it you can f*** off!" They stayed to finish their pints before making a swift exit but before they finished the football was put on. Ten minutes in an argument started between a black guy supporting arsenal and an old white guy supporting villa. A vicious racist torrent of abuse from the white guy resulted in said arsenal fan emptying his pint over the guy then slamming the glass into his face. The landlord just stood and laughed and when it was over handed the villa fan a bar towel off the bar and wet with beer to wipe the blood off and told them both to f*** off.

By the way mcraque, you wanna try the Beehive in Brixton. Once described on beerintheevening as a "time bomb just waiting to go off".

 

[Easy 10]

I dunno what it was called, but we went to some deserted grim east-end hovel one afternoon prior to that cup tie at West Ham a few years back. Your feet stuck to what passed as a carpet on the way to the bar, and the bar itself seemed to have several bulletholes in it. Most of the beer was off, they'd resorted to selling cans of Stella from the fridge. The whole place smelled of old mothballs and was the very definition of dingy.

The only reason we stayed was because it was absolutely honking down outside.

 

[Poyetry In Motion]

A pub in Haywards Heath (on the road to Wivelsfield ) I think it was called The Duck, but I might be making that up. Anyway, it was the sort of place where you walked in and all the regulars turned to stare at you, in a " don't get many of you out of towners in these 'ere parts " sort of way.
Someone did the decent thing and knocked it down last year and built a Sainsburys local on the site

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Who was it who once said "never go in a pub which has a flat roof"? Always found that to be marvellous advice.

I'd suggest the Tower Lounge in Blackpool or one called The Pub in Gillingham.

Whoever was asking: that one in Haywards Heath was called the Ugly Duckling, I think?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Who was it who once said "never go in a pub which has a flat roof"? Always found that to be marvellous advice.

Me.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

A pub in Haywards Heath (on the road to Wivelsfield ) I think it was called The Duck, but I might be making that up. Anyway, it was the sort of place where you walked in and all the regulars turned to stare at you, in a " don't get many of you out of towners in these 'ere parts " sort of way.
Someone did the decent thing and knocked it down last year and built a Sainsburys local on the site

It was The Duck, about ten years ago Gorden (a manc) and Dawn (Scouser) took over and tried to make it a good pub it worked it was freindly and a good laugh for a bit but think they left as people still werent packing the place, I left HH for Worthing just before they went,Nice people though

 

[KZNSeagull]

Who was it who once said "never go in a pub which has a flat roof"? Always found that to be marvellous advice.

I'd suggest the Tower Lounge in Blackpool or one called The Pub in Gillingham.

Whoever was asking: that one in Haywards Heath was called the Ugly Duckling, I think?

The Ugly Duckling in Haywards Heath was a positive haven of loveliness compared to the Heath and the Golden Eagle.

Worst pub for me was some place in London Colney, cannot remember the name but it had a flat roof!

 

[brunswick]

the merry monk, lancing.

the women are nearly as scary as the men.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Recall going in a proper dive (with flat roof) en route to West Ham one year, that brought things into perspective.

I went in the old Toby Inn (?) in Woodingdean one evening and it looked like a bomb had gone off. People sat there bleeding, staring into space and bits of broken furniture and shattered glasses everywhere.

That said, I was there in a work capacity and that was the night it got trashed by guys with baseball bats, resulting in its permanent closure

 

[maltaseagull]

A pub in Haywards Heath (on the road to Wivelsfield ) I think it was called The Duck, but I might be making that up. Anyway, it was the sort of place where you walked in and all the regulars turned to stare at you, in a " don't get many of you out of towners in these 'ere parts " sort of way.
Someone did the decent thing and knocked it down last year and built a Sainsburys local on the site

Toby (closed down) in Woodingdean. Was just like that in the 80s. Surprised it's closed though cos that only leaves the Downs Hotel (or it did when I lived there)

 

[maltaseagull]

Recall going in a proper dive (with flat roof) en route to West Ham one year, that brought things into perspective.

I went in the old Toby Inn (?) in Woodingdean one evening and it looked like a bomb had gone off. People sat there bleeding, staring into space and bits of broken furniture and shattered glasses everywhere.

That said, I was there in a work capacity and that was the night it got trashed by guys with baseball bats, resulting in its permanent closure

So that explains why it closed. Thanks

 

[Surrey_Albion]

I remeber sitting in the garden of The Sussex in Haywards Heath on a sunny afternoon and I thought the landlord had Yorskshire Terriers running around untill me keen eyed wife pointed out they were rats

 

[mccraque]

as grotty or as non descript as the Sussex (and it's rats) and the Duck in HH - you're never going to get a pub THAT bad mid sussex....

Perhaps apart from the Railway in Burgess hill on the odd friday night. I had to give evidence at Hove Crown Court once after walking in and having a recently bitten off ear land at my feet. I popped it into a glass and handed it back to the victim.

Flat roofs, people getting shanked etc is more what I had in mind that "locals looking at you a bit funny"...

 

[kevo]

It is this place:

The Swanswell Tavern, Coventry.

Terrible, run-down dive of a pub by the city ring road, with peeling paint and ripped up seats. Went in there before a gig at a nearby venue once, on a Saturday night. Some friends had visited before and told me how awful it was, so had to try it out myself.

There were about six of us in our group. As we walked in the barmaid glared at us in a way that can only be described as openly hostile. There was ONE other customer (bear in mind this was 8pm on a Saturday!), an old man in a cap, sat in the corner dribbling into his pint.

I asked for a Guiness. Barmaid: "There's only one pint left and he's having it" (points at old man). Then she yells across the pub: "We're getting some more in on Tuesday, luv, alright?"

I asked for something else and she said, "We've only got Carling". (Seriously, the only beer on tap in the place - Carling piss!).

The one female member of our group asked for an orange juice. Our friendly host stared at her as if she'd just ordered a daiquiri. "We've only got orange squash".

So we sat down on one of the torn-up sofas and drank our pints of piss and orange squash. In our 15 minutes in the place, no-one else came in so we left the old fella to his lonely Saturday night in the worst pub in the world*...



*I've returned since to find it had been bought out and refurbished. It's still not exactly a pleasant place to drink but has improved markedly since that first occasion!

 

[empire]

the merry monk, lancing.




good shout but the farmers in lancing aint far behind

 

[colinpants]

Crown and anchor, Eastbourne.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

The Kelsey Arms in Tonbridge, I looked after it for a week while it was being sold, first night couple of girl pikies came in, I was going to get them out but was pulled to one side by the guy I was taking over from "you see that burnt out pub over the road, they refused this lot aswell" I then quickly made freinds with them and to be fair them on their money brothers turned out okay ,I remember one of the girls was sitting with a few of them then out of the blue got up opened the window and screammed a tirade of death threats and insults to a passing girl whom she obviously knew thing like "your dead slag walking Im gonna f***ing kill you you..." that kind of thing then calmly closed the window and went and sat back with everyone no one batted an eye lid. I that week I was constantly going to the gents to kick out junkies and on one occassion nice looking girl came in with bloke he had a few but not to bad then all of a sudden he was fked and could hardly move (drugs) i askedvery nicely to leave and he wouldnt go and not sure if he could move but eventualy got him to his feet as we got to door he got his knob out and started to piss I booted the door wide and through him like a cartoon, all the time his bird just sat there, if I remember right she even stayed and finished her drink, there was also some nasty Chelski fellas in their all of mid 30/40s the size ofbuses shaved heads,tattoos and scared faces

 

[mikeyjh]

There used to be a place on the corner of Cherry Orchard Road and Addiscombe Road in Croydon, doubt it's there any more, the Leslie Arms or something silly - Anyway, terrible place, always stunk of puke - I had a soft spot for it, I kind of like sh*t pubs, give me spit and sawdust in front of (and Brighton has plenty of them) a poncey pub any day.

 

[middletoenail]

The Junction pub in Burgess Hill, that place had some dodgy characters (bouncer is inside for Murder.) I wasn't surpised when it burnt down!