The Worst & Best Pubs Thread

[Benfleet A1]

Thinking caps on chaps, where are the gems and dives of this fair isle?

The Brewery Tap in Plymouth was a no go unless you were in 42 Commando. I saw a bloke literally thrown through the window mid week when I lived down there, enter at your peril.

 

[Blueronron]

The Ship in Tilbury

God only the brave or stupid drank in there

 

[GBJ]

The Ship in Tilbury

God only the brave or stupid drank in there

The one opposite the station, that is now a Post Office? Classy place that.

You can add The Tute & Scruttons to that list aswell.

My two regular haunts in Grays, were The Oak, and The Sandmartin. Never had much grief in these places myself, but saw plenty of it, and they fully justified the reputations they had.

 

[ThurrockShrimper]

The one opposite the station, that is now a Post Office? Classy place that.

You can add The Tute & Scruttons to that list aswell.

My two regular haunts in Grays, were The Oak, and The Sandmartin. Never had much grief in these places myself, but saw plenty of it, and they fully justified the reputations they had.

Bricklayers was a good enough boozer, confined to the history books now though...
The Pullman outside Grays station was always a real dive! especially on Giro day.

I'd say the traitors / theobalds / white hart are the best in Grays these days

 

[blues exile]

The Ship in Tilbury

God only the brave or stupid drank in there

My regular lunchtime venue in the 80s. Never saw any trouble, maybe the evenings were different.

 

[Ricky Otto]

https://youtu.be/0P5YCZF1d_Q


Always makes me laugh

 

[GBJ]

Bricklayers was a good enough boozer, confined to the history books now though...
The Pullman outside Grays station was always a real dive! especially on Giro day.

I'd say the traitors / theobalds / white hart are the best in Grays these days

Haha The Pullman used to be filled with people who’d just come out of the probation office up the road.

Haven’t ventured into any of those pubs for years. I tend to stick clear of that general Seabrook area, as much as I can.

Do you remember The Greyhound in Chadwell (Orsett Heath)? That was a proper hovel that I used to frequent often. Lawless place, but not in a particular violent way. I remember near the end, before it was ripped down, the manager in charge had got the hump and walked out, leaving the keys with a couple of locals, as they were the only ones in the bar that night. Someone from the brewery came the next day to sort it out, and he walked in to nothing. No barrels, no bottles, no glasses. They even took the furniture that wasn’t fixed down.

The Greyhound:

 

[GBJ]

The Oak in Grays....

 

[GBJ]

My regular lunchtime venue in the 80s. Never saw any trouble, maybe the evenings were different.

You wouldn’t have seen anything at lunchtime.

Most people in Tilbury didn’t get up until 2:30pm

 

[Blueronron]

My regular lunchtime venue in the 80s. Never saw any trouble, maybe the evenings were different.

A great piece on The Ship

"For the merchant seamen who used the town’s docks it offered the chance to go ashore and spend some money on wine, women and song. Like all ports, Tilbury had its pubs that quenched the seamen’s thirst for all three, and one such establishment was the now abandoned Ship Hotel. The Sun actually voted it Britain’s worst pub thanks to its reputation for prostitution, violence and the fact that landlords lasted about as long as a packet of Durex did. A lot of the Ship’s reputation for the place to be on a Saturday night if you fancied a good kicking was down to the Tilbury Trojan Skins who made it a second home between 1977 and 1984. To them it was their territory, and anyone they didn’t want to drink there didn’t. Not for long anyway. And the seamen often got more than they bargained for too, returning to their ships after being beaten up and robbed of their hard earned cash, watches and anything else of value. "

 

[GBJ]

A great piece on The Ship

"For the merchant seamen who used the town’s docks it offered the chance to go ashore and spend some money on wine, women and song. Like all ports, Tilbury had its pubs that quenched the seamen’s thirst for all three, and one such establishment was the now abandoned Ship Hotel. The Sun actually voted it Britain’s worst pub thanks to its reputation for prostitution, violence and the fact that landlords lasted about as long as a packet of Durex did. A lot of the Ship’s reputation for the place to be on a Saturday night if you fancied a good kicking was down to the Tilbury Trojan Skins who made it a second home between 1977 and 1984. To them it was their territory, and anyone they didn’t want to drink there didn’t. Not for long anyway. And the seamen often got more than they bargained for too, returning to their ships after being beaten up and robbed of their hard earned cash, watches and anything else of value. "

Sometimes they wouldn’t even make it off the dock in one piece, nevermind returning to their ships.

 

[Blueronron]

Sometimes they wouldn’t even make it off the dock in one piece, nevermind returning to their ships.

I know, I worked in the docks and saw some wonderful sights on their return to the ships

Many went out with a full set off teeth and come back minus one or two, and that was just the Tilbury girls after staying the night on board!!

 

[Swiss Tony]

Thinking caps on chaps, where are the gems and dives of this fair isle?

The Brewery Tap in Plymouth was a no go unless you were in 42 Commando. I saw a bloke literally thrown through the window mid week when I lived down there, enter at your peril.

Drank in there in the late 70's with my Brother-in-law and cousin who were both Royals,got to say it wasn't the best of places

 

[blues exile]

I know, I worked in the docks and saw some wonderful sights on their return to the ships

Many went out with a full set off teeth and come back minus one or two, and that was just the Tilbury girls after staying the night on board!!

One thing I remember more than anything else about Tilbury was the day a prostitute came into my bank to change some foreign currency she had been given by a client. When she was told that it was in fact worthless- fake confederate dollar bills from chewing gum packets - her fury and language had to be heard to be believed. I took her in my office and gave her a brandy from my drinks cabinet after which she calmed down somewhat.

 

[Blueronron]

Was that the Midland bank on the corner by bookies Blues Exile

I was very friendly with the guy that handled the scrap metal and exported old fridges to Nigeria

 

[Swiss Tony]

How about the Railway in Pitsea fondly known as The Flying Bottle,the simple rules in there was not known not welcome,many a Beano down from London got bushwhacked,evil place.

 

[Blueronron]

How about the Railway in Pitsea fondly known as The Flying Bottle,the simple rules in there was not known not welcome,many a Beano down from London got bushwhacked,evil place.

I had a few beers in there and never saw trouble but knew of its reputation, so kept head down

 

[ThurrockShrimper]

Haha The Pullman used to be filled with people who’d just come out of the probation office up the road.

Haven’t ventured into any of those pubs for years. I tend to stick clear of that general Seabrook area, as much as I can.

Do you remember The Greyhound in Chadwell (Orsett Heath)? That was a proper hovel that I used to frequent often. Lawless place, but not in a particular violent way. I remember near the end, before it was ripped down, the manager in charge had got the hump and walked out, leaving the keys with a couple of locals, as they were the only ones in the bar that night. Someone from the brewery came the next day to sort it out, and he walked in to nothing. No barrels, no bottles, no glasses. They even took the furniture that wasn’t fixed down.

The Greyhound:

View attachment 8724

haha yeah, The Greyhound was a bit 'Mad Max'. I didn't go in there often, just briefly when I was dating some girl from Chadwell. I remember someone (post-smoking ban) smoking a spliff inside. Lady behind the bar didn't chuck them out, just told them to go out the front and come back in when they finished it. My kind of pub!

 

[Swiss Tony]

With no single pub to mention I must say the Borough of Ealing and surrounding areas really do have some top notch boozers,Brentford being a prime example,Fullers oh yes.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Best:

Nags Head - Great Malvern
Three Kings - Hanley Castle
Oliver Cromwell - St Ives (Cambridgeshire)