Waterloo Pubs: Are there any good historic pubs near London's third busiest station? 

Thank you for those very kind words!

Thanks Stuart, and really glad to hear this brought back memories. Yes the Hole in the Wall does seem like the sort of place which would attract "rum characters" as you put it!

Thank you! The facts are easier to convey than the spirit! I try to visit pubs when they're quiet so I can get the interior shots without (hopefully) disturbing too many people, or invading their privacy... Of course the down side of that is there's a very different atmosphere to an empty pub compared to a full pub!

I always see classic cars parked in that area, so I’m assuming the residents appreciate reminders of our past.

Thank you Mr WC21! Yes I had to pass by some absolute monstrosities of glass and steel on my walk around the Waterloo area. It can feel like an aesthetic desert in places, making little oases like Roupell Street all the more appreciated. I actually quite liked the Sylvester McCoy era of Dr Who - probably as much to do with the timing as anything else - I was an open minded pre-teen when his tenure as the doctor first aired and happy to overlook its shortcomings. I have avoided the 21st Century revival altogether. I suppose my opinion of Bond movies is similarly at least a bit affected by the age at which I watched them.... but I can't stand any of the Daniel Craig era ones. I think the basic issue is that they tried to make them darker and more "gritty". If you go down that route then suddenly the audience will start to question all the stupidly unrealistic parts of the setup. One thing which always bothers me is the seemingly endless supply of henchmen who queue up to get dispatched by Bond. Why is there never a point at which they observe their colleagues not faring too well in their endeavours and perhaps have second thoughts about their chosen line of business? Earlier Bond movies were always a bit tongue-in-cheek so it was much easier to overlook some of these points... but if the producers are trying to give it a serious tone then it just highlights how utterly absurd most of the concept is. Yes that was a gratifying lightbulb moment when I looked at that old map and suddenly the likely derivation of Crown and Cushion leapt off the page at me! Similarly seeing that little bit of scribbled writing in the census record proving that there was a pub (or something like that) at roughly that location of that name back in the 19th Century was quite exciting... and given the name "Hole in the Wall" it surely must have at least partly occupied the arch in the railway viaduct at that time.

@@TweedyPubs both of my sons enjoyed the McCoy era of Doctor Who when I force fed them the show in their formative years. I was early 20s when it first aired and was obsessed with what went before! You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I have an awkward preference when it comes to James Bond. My favourite film is On Her Majesty’s Secret Service with George Lazenby. I’ll always watch it if I see it in the schedules. The only Daniel Craig one I’m certain I’ve watched is Skyfall. I thought it was awful. Be it Doctor Who or James Bond, they just don’t seem to know when to call it a day!

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Skyfall was the exemplar for me of all that was wrong with that era of Bond movies!

Great to hear! It is one of my favourites.

Thanks Rob! Really glad you enjoyed this and particularly that it had some personal relevance.

Thanks Chris! Yes I can imagine the Hole in the Wall might be a very different prospect when packed - it was actually quite nice when it was nearly empty.

Thanks Steve!

Yes I think the King's Arms is the best pub in the area - both for the well preserved interior and the interesting beer selection.

I remember those Citroens! V well looked after....

They were there 10 days ago. Rusting away but spectacular

Thanks Lee - and really good to hear you're enjoying the outdoors videos too! I was a huge whisky anorak about 20 years back! I think I had probably tried something from almost every distillery in Scotland at the time, and was also very interested in Japanese whisky which was just starting to receive some serious recognition back then. I don't drink whisky very often these days, and I'm probably a bit out of touch with all the developments in the industry, but Laphroaig remains a firm favourite - and having some of it actually in Scotland when I was making that video was fantastic.

Thanks David! I left that bit of footage out of the final video in the end (I always think people just want me to get on with it and get to the pub!) but I did actually have a hard time at the start figuring out how to get out of Waterloo station!

Thanks Sean! I'm still a bit surprised there aren't more pub (and pub history) focused channels on RU-vid - I'm a complete amateur and I'm sure someone else could do a much better job!

Thank you - I hope it doesn't disappoint

Never does. Really interesting about the hole in the wall!! ❤

😂 Perhaps I should have included it in the video!

Thanks Ed, yes I agree the King's Arms is the pick of the bunch and also happens to be the only one I had been to before! I would go back to the Crown and Cushion again, and to my surprise also developed a soft spot for the Hole in the Wall.

Good to hear! As others have commented if you were only going to pick one pub from this bunch it would almost certainly have to be the King's Arms.

Thanks Kevin! No I haven't been to that Royal Oak, but you're right, from the photos the exterior does look very similar to the White Hart. Interesting as the White Hart was a Wenlock Brewery pub, whereas the White Hart seems to have been a Truman's pub. A quick Google suggests the Royal Oak was likely designed by A. E. Sewell (in house architect for Trumans), which suggests to me that either he did a bit of moonlighting for the Wenlock brewery, or perhaps there was some copying of pub designs...?

Thanks for the suggestion - yes I really ought to find a better solution for audio recording as it can be a bit challenging sometimes! Interesting idea about a Q&A - never thought of that before - perhaps that would be a nice thing to do to mark the occasion if I make it to 5k subscribers?

Thanks Al! Yes the Duke of Sussex is very much a pub best enjoyed from the outside! The Hole in the Wall also a pleasant surprise for me - my first time there - it had a bit more to it than I expected.

Thanks for the suggestion - that does sound like an interesting idea for a series of videos!

Thank you! It's a good point about Timothy Taylor - they do describe it as "Citrus, Hoppy, Fruity". The hops they use are Styrian Goldings, Goldings and Fuggles. I suppose the hint of citrus comes from the Styrian Goldings, but it's relatively subtle, in my opinion. The other two hops there are very traditional English varieties and not citrusy at all. It's Cascade / Citra hops I really don't get on with - those really grapefruity citrus styles - and they seem to be taking over a bit!

@@TweedyPubs I hear you. In the States, I would love to see an English mild/bitter renaissance, but I won't hold my breath.

I think the King's Arms is probably the best of the bunch for beer selection (I only got a short of one set of hand pumps) but yes I liked the interior at the Crown and Cushion too.

You may be unsurprised to hear I have never been into any Brewdog outlets! I recall watching on with bemusement that time in 2015 on the day it was announced the Camden Town Brewery (which I always had a soft spot for, being a local) had been bought ought by AB InBev and BrewDog's bars immediately removed all their beers from sale because they refused to sell beer from big brewers. I believe BrewDog is now valued at somewhere in the region of £2 billion.

Thanks Paul, and glad you spotted the ABBA reference (maybe I laid it on a bit thick?) - somehow that song always pops into my head as soon as I hear Waterloo! I'm trying to do a video a week roughly but I'm not much good at sticking to schedules!

Thanks yes I did briefly consider it given the name (the same as my local!) - perhaps I should do another exploration just a bit west of here...?

@@TweedyPubs Definitely, I'd say include it as part of a Kennington tour. Start at The Pineapple, then head down towards The Windmill, then across to The Black Prince and the Prince of Wales on Cleaver Square, finishing off at the Old Red Lion near Kennington Station. All these pubs have stunning exteriors in my opinion and well worth a look. It'd make for a great video imo.

Thanks for the tip off! I Googled for it - Lydia Wood? That's an admirable project! A local artist to me called Andrew Pegram made some coloured drawings of many of the local pubs, I bought one of my local and it's on the wall of my lounge - I really like his style.

@@TweedyPubs yes, that’s her - quite a major undertaking. I’ll look up your artist!

Good to hear! Did you swear on the horns?

@@TweedyPubs yes mate 😎👍👍

It was my first time in the HITW and yes, I had got the impression from some of the reviews / photos that it might be a bit rough around the edges but I thought it was perfectly respectable! Perhaps it helped that I was there mid-afternoon when it was practically empty?

@@TweedyPubs The times I've been in there it was looking pretty tattered. It does look a lot nicer now.

I'm not sure whether you mean that because it's so close to the station or because it's not the sort of place which you'd want to linger too long at! I actually quite liked it, but I was seeing it mid-afternoon when it was quiet. Maybe a very different proposition at 5 or 6pm?

I love it. Both as an “off-peak” hangout (listening to the trains overhead), or as a crush bar at peak times. Do check out Ray Davies (Kinks) Return to Waterloo. Excellent little film.

I often wonder if I should throw in a bit more local history of the areas I'm covering but worry my videos are a bit long as it is and I assume most people are just here for the pubs! I don't actually know the history of that part of London that well and I'm guessing from your comment it might be a bit shady?

@@TweedyPubs around the "cutt" Waterloo...often I would have many small talk to a "certain" great guy selling flowers.... it used to be good... but.. sadly...as I have changed

​@@patrickpayne8330oh ok perhaps not shady then? I did walk along The Cut between pubs when filming this and it seems all a bit hip / trendy / foodie these days. I remember going there about 20 years ago and it seemed interesting but a bit more low key at that point... Maybe the main thing that happened in the interim is that I became a grumpy middle aged man!

I can..... I was born off the old Kent road.... many, many characters have gone and past... sigh!!!!... like buildings road's and past stories around the area.. what don't care...apart from the postal district.... let's life....where we are allowing the true heart die

Another excellent video Tweedy. I am not familiar with the pubs around Waterloo, but some food (and drink) for thought when I am next in that area. Good to see there is often Timothy Taylor Landlord available in different pubs 😀 Always a good choice. I have been watching a lot of your "outdoors" videos too - great walks and always enjoy seeing what you will cook and drink on each walk or wildcamp 😂 I watched a few days ago a video of you in Scotland - near Berwick-upon-Tweed(y) - to cook a haggis and wildcamp.I noted that you also enjoy a glass of Laphroaig too - good man 😃👍 - completely concur on that one. Looking forward to your next pub tour and will watch more of your outdoor videos in the meantime too 👍

It's a generally well regarded beer, and one I like, but there's no great revelation in the fact that beer in London pubs is expensive.

@@TweedyPubs Absolutely & I'm used to to you showing the price of your half pint in whatever boozer you visit, in bold brint across the screen & I might be right in saying that the vast majority of times that first figure is a 2 & so when I saw £3.25 on this occasion & in for me, what was certainly a dreary little nondescript Waterloo boozer & so in that context, the huge big whopping price hit me more than it ever should have done & probably nowhere near as much if the pub concerned had a bit more charm and/or character & you might have guessed too I'm no Timothy Taylor fan, but I do share your love of Harveys Sussex Best & so when are you visiting The Cat's Back in downtown Wandsworth for a half?

Used to go in the Crown and Cushion for lunch when I worked in Lower Marsh… Tony.