Face Of Cheam

Went out for a beers & Curry evening on Friday although the curry didn’t happen, so it was just beer! We stayed in (actually outside in the alleyway of) the Nell Gwynne, a small pub just off the Strand. It is actually threatened with closure and being turned into offices, although I don’t really see how many offices they can put in there. This is a travesty really as there has been a pub here since the 15th century. Historic pubs don’t seemed to be considered in the way other historic buildings seem to be and the breweries / publicans who own them should hang their heads in shame for making ££££ out of selling them. Why don’t the local councils do something? The reason I rant is that it is not just this pub but other gems like Soho’s Intrepid Fox, Covent Garden’s The Globe, and more locally the Angel in Sutton and even the Queen Victoria at North Cheam.
Anyway back to the Nell Gwynne. The toilets like many old London pubs were in the basement, where you have to go down a very steep set of stairs. You manage to mind your head on the low bar across the ceiling on the way down but inevitably bump it on the way up! The male toilets were tiny with one urinal and a cubicle. Certainly unique.
The (irish?) barmaid was relatively fit, wearing a skimpy top that she just wasn’t curvy enough to pull off. However, I was reliably informed she is courting a bloke who’s making it big on the Jongleurs circuit. Hence the reason at the end of the evening I asked her ‘are you going out with a comedian?’. A very stern ‘yes’ came the reply, making me think it was time to leave.