Who laments the passing of the Castle, the Welcome Inn and many more Eltham pubs?

The Rising Sun

If there was one certainty after death and taxes it was that almost everywhere would have a pub.

They might be those old comfortable and picturesque places hard by the village green steeped in history and beer where countless generations of farm labourers had sat and drank or those tall brick built Victorian public houses, all gleaming with brass and frosted glass.

In between there were the small beer houses made possible by the 1830 Beer Act which for the cost a small license allowed the publican to brew and sell his or her own beer often from the back room of the family home.

And finally there were the gin palaces, some trading elaborate settings along with the gin others no better than a dive where in Hogarth’s words you could get drunk for a penny, blind drunk for tupence and  the straw on the floor was free for those who fell down and slept the sleep of the drunk.

When I was growing up and the slum clearances were wiping away a century of poor housing it always seemed that the pub on the corner was the last building to go.  Even now long after most of the warehouses and factories along with the dwelling houses have vanished the pub still clings on.

But even these are vanishing like snow in the full glare of the winter snow.  The Pomona Palace on Runcorn Street facing Chester Road was one of the last on this stretch into town and now it has shut up shop.

I always had a fond spot for this pub whose name echoed the big Pomona Gardens which along with Bell Vue were for a big chunk of the 19th century where you went to enjoy the scenery but above all the variety acts, the fireworks and the special exhibitions.

The King's Arms

And just as the Gardens have gone more and more of the pubs be they on village greens with centuries of history or their Victorian city equivalents are losing the battle to survive.

In Eltham I remember the King’s Arms, the Castle, and out on the edges of Well Hall the Welcome Inn and even further away the Yorkshire Grey and the Dover Patrol.  All now gone and with them I bet many powerful memories from those who frequented them.

I suppose the Castle and the King’s Arms hadn’t that much going for them.  They were new build replacing much older venues with long histories but I did enjoy going to them.

The other three I thought would fare better, after all each was a lonely out post surrounded by residential properties with little else on offer.

But I guess the economics comes into play.  The bigger pubs especially those built to cater for coaching parties or people with cars are just not viable any more.  The coach parties have slowly dwindled and no one quite rightly will consider drinking and driving.

The Castle

Some lingered on as venues for variety acts offering big names at reasonable prices.  But that too has all but come to an end and with it the regular live acts which gave young comedians and musicians a place to play.

Here in Chorlton for the price a cheap bus ticket or even just a 15 minute walk it was possible to be entertained by some of the greats of show biz.

And I rather think the Welcome Inn and the Yorkshire Grey may have hosted more moderate entertainment.

Sitting at home with the chilled dry white, that cheeky but fruity red or the selection of fine organic beers and ciders is all very well but even on a wet February evening I still sometimes miss the call of last orders, and the happy walk home reflecting on the conversation of friends.

Which I suspect is fast turning into sentimental tosh so better just leave it with the thought that at least at home I am not told to drink up.

Pictures; from the collection of Jean Gammons