Clock House pub closed down? (Update: 19/08/24: reopening next month)

[joeha]

Does anyone know what has happened to the Clock House pub? It was visibly closed when I went passed it today and covered in scaffolding. Their website is gone too. 

One more pub casualty in East Dulwich? 

[Sue]

😮😮😮

Temporarily closed apparently?

[I hammer]

A small ish pub co is taking over.... Beer gossip, I'm looking forward to reopening.. I bet they show sky sports etc. 

[malumbu]

Thought it closed down years ago when Young's ceased brewing.  Or perhaps just became a shadow of its former self.  It was a proper local and certainly not a sports bar.  Sister pub, the Dulwich Woodhouse, ditto

[Sue]

1 hour ago, malumbu said:

Thought it closed down years ago when Young's ceased brewing.  Or perhaps just became a shadow of its former self.  It was a proper local and certainly not a sports bar.  Sister pub, the Dulwich Woodhouse, ditto

Have Youngs ceased brewing? 

I still see their beer on pumps here and there?

Not a great loss if they have 😂

I didn't know the Clock House and the Wood House were connected? I've never been fond of either of them. They've always felt rather bland and characterless, whatever was done to them to "improve" them.

[malumbu]

They stopped brewing in 2006 and their pubs became a pub chain.  Some like the DW and Clock were sold on.  The wonderful Youngs' estate of 2006 bears no semblance to the pubs of today.  The beers is brewed under license by a multinational brewery.  So pretty awful in all directions.  

[Sue]

Just now, malumbu said:

They stopped brewing in 2006 and their pubs became a pub chain.  Some like the DW and Clock were sold on.  The wonderful Youngs' estate of 2006 bears no semblance to the pubs of today.  The beers is brewed under license by a multinational brewery.  So pretty awful in all directions.  

It always was awful, apart from some which only seemed to be available at certain times of year.

Can't remember what that was. Porter?

[OutOfFocus]

2 hours ago, Sue said:

Can't remember what that was. Porter?

Winter warmer.

Youngs beers are brewed by Wells in Bedford.  More details of the history here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_%26_Young's_Brewery

[Sue]

45 minutes ago, OutOfFocus said:

Winter warmer.

Youngs beers are brewed by Wells in Bedford.  More details of the history here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_%26_Young's_Brewery

Ah yes, Winter Warmer.

I think they also did a chocolate stout or something similar which was nice.

[mrwb]

Not an easy time for pubs and any business that needs discretionary spending in an ever more competitive environment amongst squeezed disposable incomes. Also see:

 

[malumbu]

Wells sold off the brewery to what is now Carlberg.  'Youngs' is still brewed there, I had assumed that the brewery had closed and moved to where they brew Courage, Brakespears and other brews from long closed breweries.  But irrespective of this only Youngs in name.

All this goes back to unintended consequences of the break up of big national brewery power in the late 80s.  All major brewing interests in the UK no longer British 

[Sue]

Off topic sorry, but I was in a pub last week which had Youngs - four pumps, all with exactly  the same beer.

Thinking it would be crap, I had a pint of Estrella, but I tasted my partner's pint of Youngs and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.

Back on topic, let's hope both the Clock House and the EDT can stay open (and that the Clock House continues to open in the afternoon on Christmas Day 🤣 , fortunately or unfortunately being on the way home from The Ivy House 🤣)

[Joe]

Good news - its currently being refurbished and due to reopen on 20th September 2024 under new ownership. The same owners as The White Horse and The Montpelier in Peckham. 

 

 

[malumbu]

'Good news' is a subjective comment and depends on whether it improved.  A lovely building but thought it had become a lousy pub.  We shall see!

[OutOfFocus]

It's better news than becoming the new harvester - permanently closed.

[malumbu]

Depends.  If it is awful I'd probably be better off getting a tin of Special Brew, jumping the fence at the Grove Tavern and sitting in the overgrown garden.  Anyway we shall see......

[DuncanW]

This is good news... that's my local but generally don't go there for reasons already stated by others above. 

The Montpelier and White Horse are both really decent pubs so hoping this will be in the same vein.

@Malumbu - why so negative about this?

[Earl Aelfheah]

The Montpelier and White Horse are great establishments imo. I thought the Clockhouse was pretty rubbish in it's previous incarnation, but hopeful that the new pub will be an improvement.

[malumbu]

I loved this pub but the move from brewery owned premises to pub chains can be a good thing and bad.  One thing is the quality and price of ale which is important to me but perhaps not others.  Both the Clockhouse and Dulwich Woodhouse suffered here.  As has most of the former Youngs estate of pubs.  It's not a case of out with the old and in with the new, but getting a balance as things change.  Culturally I think we have lost a lot in recent years and the forementioned pubs are prime examples.

If you want pretty pubs in pretty locations with outdoor seating and aren't bothered by anything else both pubs will be perfect.

Every so often I give these places a second chance and doing my best to have an open mind, I still come back with the same opinion.  But neither are as dreadful as the General Watson Telegraph silly name place.  I can hear many disagreeing!

So I will give the Clock another go and hopefully be pleasantly pleased.  Otherwise Special Brew at the Grove 😀

[Insuflo]

This has to be an improvement. The Parched group pubs seem pretty decent overall, each maintaining its own character. Whereas Young’s has become a ghastly chain , one rung up on ‘spoons but with higher prices and worse toilets.