Next EDF Drinks - Tonight at The Uplands

[Michael Palaeologus]

It certainly has more votes from those of us who are posting regularly at the moment. I seem to remember a previous discussion during which a number of people expressed concerns about the Castle, including people who live near to it.

The fact that some people dont fancy the Castle isnt crap, its demonstrably true - based on the utterly unscientific evidence of current and previous posts; but what else have we got to go on?

I havent seen any of the same negative comments about the CPT and I dont think anybody has suggested going to a Gastropub.

[Annasfield]

I for one don't mind where it is as long as I can walk home (and feel safe).

Not quite sure that the Montpellier is even ED? Correct me if I am wrong.

[Michael Palaeologus]

You are not wrong Annasfield.

How about the CPT?

[Annasfield]

I'd be up for the CPT :)-D

[annaj]

I'm one of the people who's expressed reservations about The Castle before and if the drinks are there I'll give it a miss. It's not a question of being scared or intimidated by its reputation though, it's because we live nearby and that pub, or more specifically it's patrons, have a significant impact on our quality of life and so we really don't want to spend our money there.

As I've said before, we are kept awake or woken pretty much every weekend by people out drinking on the pavement until the early hours. In the summer it's even worse with noise on weekday nights and during the day as well. We also regularly see fights and other antisocial behaviour (last weekend for example, a group coming in and out of the pub to their car that was parked up on the pavement with the stereo on full blast). So far we have tried speaking to the people who run the place and the punters themselves (both very pleasant but no improvement). When that got us nowhere we made repeated calls to the Southwark noise line and have spoken to the licencing team. None of this has made any difference and we've been told they're not breaching their licence by having people drinking on the pavement until 1am.

It's worth noting that every house directly opposite or adjacent to The Castle currently has a For Sale board up, possibly coincidence, but I don't think so. We would move if we could afford to, but we can't, so we're stuck.

Anyway, I know not everyone shares my opinion and if that's the majority vote that's fine, we just won't be there. No hard feelings though and we'll see you next time.

Edited for a typo!

[bignumber5]

The wife (annaj) speaks for us both.

It's not a question of being intimidated or any of those similar suggested reasons, I just refuse to put money behind the bar of a place that is a complete nuisance from bollocks to sundown and beyond, with no redeeming features. I don't offer to buy beer and fags for hoodies at the bus-stop either.

[SeanMacGabhann]

annaj's post probably sums up why so many back-street pubs are closing (partly explains anyway). I don't disagree with anything written but it's not the whole story

We all moaned and complained when the Upland's chucked us out at 11 the other night. I dare say they have had problems in the past and have decided to keep a lid on things. Sensible. Good news for the local residents. Makes for a dull world tho

I have lived next to several pubs with worse reps than the Castle and have been kept awake by drinking into small hours. But then again sometimes I'm in the group drinking. Mea Culpa

I'm not trying to dismiss the distress cause to people who live nearby - and if you are stuck in a place you don't like then that is a bad situation. But cars pulling up with the speakers pumping? Drinking until 1am? Fights outside a pub? If the pub moved in to the area I could maybe see more of an issue - but if I was buying a place along there and saw a great big Irish pub? I'd have a fair idea of what was likely to happen

that sounds really unsympathetic, for which I'm sorry. annaj speaks much sense on most issues on here. And Mr annaj could have me in a fight before the fight started.

But basically I'm with Keef - it's a good solid old-school boozer. I'll miss very much the people who have said they won't attend if it's held there but I am going to argue STRONGLY that if you bite the bullet and come along you'll be surprised at how good a pub it can be. I'll go further and say that if one's natural inclination is to not want to go somewhere (and it goes every-way - if Louisa came to the drinks but said she would never go to say, Bar Story then it's just snobbishness with a different hue) then it's GOOD for you to make the extra effort (as I will when the Vale is next up)

Edited to include bignumber5's post as well: my same sympathies apply but to say it's a pub with no redeeming features is plain wrong. Even if it drives local residents nearby bat-shit crazy it just does have redeeming features. Some pretty friendly regulars (honest guv) , cheap prices and very good beer, a good screen for sport, some crazy irish bands to name a few. Yes it has bad features as well.... as you've outlined but I have provide balance...

[annaj]

Edited because I posted the whole thing twice - sleeve-mousepad interface!

[annaj]

Fair enough Sean, I said that not everyone would share my opinion and I certainly don't expect the drinks to be moved on my account.

Also, you're right the pub was there first and we knew about it's reputation when we moved in, but we didn't have a big budget and it was this place or somewhere seriously pokey not near The Castle. It never seemed that bad when we viewed the flat and we didn't want to judge the place purely on rumour, so optimistically (or perhaps naively) we decided to go for it. It's also worth mentioning that things got considerably worse after the smoking ban.

I also appreciate that it's popular and I certainly wouldn't want every old-school pub to close down. I'm not even asking this one to close down, just to have some conseration for it's neighbours, it is after all in a residential area. I also don't consider it snobbery, I would be just as upset by middle class bores shouting about the stock market or hooray Henrys screaming about Henley if it was 1am outside my flat.

As for whether we should frequent it or not, the only control we have in this situation is to express our preference with our custom, so that's what we're doing. Each to their own and as I said, no hard feelings. :)

[SeanMacGabhann]

and none taken annaj (a post so you good you sent it twice!)

And I detect no snobbery in your post either (my comments on that score were aimed at anyone who was thing of giving the Castle a miss because of it's appearance/rep) - it's purely a noise/nuisance issue for you guys. I hear you and as I say I have been in your situation

Most of the bars down on LL have similar problems with neighbours as well (hence the inability to sit outside the back of any of them after 9:30)

Maybe we should all go more often and as we sip our beverages we could raise an eyebrow and anyone being a nuisance after 10? ;-)

[Michael Palaeologus]

So, where are we going?

[bignumber5]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> And Mr annaj could have me in a fight before

> the fight started.

Not so, Sean: big- but weak as a kitten and bruise like a peach -number5... such a stupid middle name ;-)

[Michael Palaeologus]

You are quite .... big ..... though.

[Horsebox]

annaj Wrote:

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> It's worth noting that every house directly

> opposite or adjacent to The Castle currently has a

> For Sale board up, possibly coincidence, but I

> don't think so.

Anna, Yes there are a few for sale boards up but to say that they are on every property is a real exageration.

(I believe that many of the signs have been up for over a year and are the result of estate agents taking the piss and not removing them when the properties are off the market. We had a Ludlows sign on our building for months before they removed it, despite numerous calls it remained. Only threats of vandalism and a personal delivery service of the end result convinced them to take it down.)

I actually live directly opposite The Castle - one of those Sale boards is legitimate and is actually for our flat. Not our choice but that of the landlord (poor tenants that we are).

Anyway, I can't say that the patrons aren't occasionally noisy but they don't have any direct impact on my quality of life nor that of our building neighbours and I do enjoy football and Guinness in there on a weekly basis.

Keef is spot on - the people that run it are very nice. I'm truly surprised to hear some body say the place is a complete nuisance.

It gets my vote and would be my first EDforum drinks (by coincidence, not through laziness).

Oh yeah, I walked past the aftermath of Fridays drinks I believe I passed a bunch of you on Northcross Road at about 1.30am (recognised some of you from previous forum drink photos).

I was wearing a shirt with a Tiger on it. Somebody shouted out "that guy has a whole Tiger on his shirt" as i walked off into the distance. Which one of you was it? Do you remember?

[Moos]

It wasn't me, but if you were burning bright in the forest of the night - specifically at 1.30am - you must expect to attract some attention, even if only from mortals hands and eyes (and voices).

[Keef]

Firstly, apologies for the tone of my last post, it wasn't meant so, but having just read it back it's rather arsey. I'm not a regular visitor to The Castle, and won't lose any sleep if it's not there, just would like to give it a crack sometime... Obviously CPT is a fab idea, but it has been done.

[SteveT]

The reason I like the Castle I feel sooooo middle class when I'm in there.

It's the Castle then, and pop into Annaj's and Bignumber5's with a few tinny's for afters when we get turfed out:)).

[KalamityKel]

Any closer to a decision? A girl has to start planning her life ya know ;-)

[Michael Palaeologus]

Shall we give the Castle a go?

I think that in the not too distant we will have to start revisiting local pubs.

Perhaps we need to identify a rota in advance to give some fairness - shouldnt be hard

[annaj]

Horsebox, it wasn't an exaggeration, it was my observation when I walked home on Sunday night. I'll have another look tonight and see if I'm wrong.

Nothing I said on my post was unture or an exaggeration and I slightly resent the implication that it was. I'm really glad the noise doesn't impact on your quality of life, perhaps you're a better sleeper than us or have a back bedroom or a better quality conversion job, I don't know. What I do know is that all I posted was my honest experience. As I've said several times, I know it's a popular pub and I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I'm tired of sitting up at night waiting for the noise to stop and wondering how I'll get up for work and I don't see why I shouldn't say so.

[Mark]

How about the Vale?

[georgia]

Personally I would prefer the Vale to the Castle. I do think it's a shame to have the drinks at a venue which will put certain people off coming along. But I also think it is good to try new places.

Can we make a decision here??

[KalamityKel]

I'm for the Vale, even with my post on the other thread... haven't been there for many a year :)

[Michael Palaeologus]

I dont want to get into an arguement over a pub, but would like to go somewhere were we can all feel comfortable - that may cut out "gastropubs" and some of the "old-fashioned pubs" - but surely we have enough middle of the range pubs to keep everybody happy?

The Vale is OK with me - but potentially contentious with others ...

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

Can someone define what they mean by an "old skool boozer"? To me it conjures a picture of drinking crap beer in a poorly decorated bar, in an atmosphere of potential violence. Was forced to drink in too many of them before I moved to London.