Island Gardens and Mudchute

Island Gardens and Mudchute (20/03/12)

Less than a week after wrapping up two more stations, we set out to complete both Island Gardens and Mudchute in one evening.  However, due to sheer incompetence and laziness on my part I’ve neglected to update the blog for over a month - it being late April as I write this - resulting in me forgetting many of the details about the night.  Fortunately though we did record the ratings of each pub we visited and it did result in the conclusion of two more stations. 

Four places were visited that evening, three of which belonged to Island Gardens, and the other being the one solitary pub that would have the weight of a whole DLR station resting upon its shoulders.

The four pubs were as follows

Great Eastern – A pub/hotel with an open planned bar and a relaxed atmosphere

Ratings

Facilities – 3 – looked as though it had recently been refurbished, but the budget seemingly didn’t stretch to include improving the toilets.  Strangely, seemed to have opted to install many wobbly tables as well.

Atmosphere – 3 – Friendly barstaff who whistle as they pour you a pint (although admittedly this may have been a one off), mixture of guests and regular drinkers

Cost – 4 – Cannot argue with £6 for two pints!

Entertainment – 3.5 – Came with a TV for viewing football, a jukebox and a weekly quiz night. 

Selection – 2.5 – Disappointing.  ‘Pre-wrapped wraps’ is all that was on offer from a counter at the bar

OVERALL AVERAGE – 3.2/5

The Ferry House – A splendid little pub; warm, cosy and with a local feel to it

Ratings

Facilities – 3.5 – Completely wooden interior, definitely the pub with the most nooks and crannies on show so far

Atmosphere – 3.5 – Friendly quiet chatter from the locals, friendly barstaff

Cost – 4.5 – Just £5 for 2 pints!

Entertainment – 4 – Came with a separate games room with old fashioned pub games and a Bar Billiards Table that we pretended to know how to use but instead made up our own rules

Selection – 1.5

OVERALL AVERAGE – 3.4/5

Lord Nelson – A sign outside offers the punter a ‘Warm Welcome’, but turns out you have to pay for it.  Cold inside, and an outdoor heater that charges you 20p for every 5 minutes of use

Ratings

Facilities – 3

Atmosphere – 1.5 – The barmaid pulled off the incredible feat of being able to serve me without actually 

communicating with any words.  Some furniture seemed out of place and had seemingly been borrowed from an American Diner.

Cost – 3.5

Entertainment – 3 – Came with a pool table with not enough room to play around it, but there was an organised weekly pool tournament on offer, of which the Eggles are the current champions.  Many minutes were pondered over whether they were a married couple or siblings.  One of our better conversations that one.

Selection – 3.5

OVERALL AVERAGE – 2.9/5

The Ship – Mudchute’s only pub.  Situated on the periphery of our radius, it actually makes sense to visit it from Island Gardens.  Just so you know.

Ratings

Facilities – 3 – All pretty standard save for a cubicle in the mens that was so cramped you almost had to stand on the toilet itself in order to close the door behind you.  Would probably win the ‘Toilet you are most likely to get trapped in on the DLR’ award if there ever was such a prize.

Atmosphere – 3.5 – Friendly barman although he did seem to be trying a little too hard.  Asked if we wanted food and continued trying to sell it to us even after we’d politely declined.  He did however take the time to recommend other pubs in the area.

Cost – 3.5

Entertainment – 2.5 – Just one TV – and West Ham were on it.  Live music on weekends

Selection – 3.5 – A fairly decent ‘less is more’ menu and a range of beers on offer.

OVERALL AVERAGE – 3.4/5

Island Gardens is a quiet area, aside from the 3 pubs there are a couple of restaurants, one of which that had been converted from an old fire station.  On the downside, there is no longer a fire station!  There is very little else in close proximity to the DLR although there is easy access to Cutty Sark and Greenwich via the Greenwich Foot Tunnel that runs beneath the Thames.

Area – 2.5/5

ISLAND GARDENS OVERALL RATING – 5.7/10

Mudchute is extremely quiet, primarily residential with only one pub, but here is a picture of a nice sunset to prove how picturesque the area can be.

Area – 1/5

LEWISHAM OVERALL RATING – 4.1/10