Two pubs in Catford

I had to see a cat about a cat

It will not have escaped your notice that this post has started with a photo of an enormous fibreglass cat. This is intentional. Nothing brings in the clicks like outsized plastic felines, and far be it from me to mess with a winning formula.

Oh, it’s one of the main draws of Catford, sure. You’d be a fool to come here and not pay a pilgrimage to the Catford Centre and its greatest attraction. I’d also suggest popping into a few pubs while you’re here. I certainly did.

It’s a tale as old as time, or at least this blog - go somewhere I need to tick off a Good Beer Guide pub, and then go to another pub while I’m at it. If you’re so inclined there’s two stations in Catford right next to each other, the titular one and also Catford Bridge, so access is not an issue.

The Catford Bridge Tavern (207/293) is indeed right next to that station, though “bridge” seems to have been censored on the outside of the pub’s sign. No matter. I know what bridge I’m standing on at any given time. Catford Road is a busy old thoroughfare, difficult to cross and noisy as you like with buses coming along like buses.

Kerb appeal is lacking, mock Tudor meeting concrete blocks not being that easy on the eye, and frankly this is a pub that’s been through plenty of ups and downs. Saved from closure in 2012 and being voted CAMRA South East London branch Pub of the Year in 2013 are both things to be proud of, but after that came closure and a fire in 2015. More recently it re-opened, with ownership taken over by Portobello who added real ale back to the place. Frankly a scrubbed out name on the front is the least of its worries.

Inside it’s cavernous, loads of places to sit, booths, armchairs and the rest. It feels lived in, pockmarks all over the walls and ceiling where you can feels the imprint of Christmas decorations, halloween spider webs, international flags for football touraments. You get the sense it rides the occasions as they come and go, the pub becoming whatever it has to be for that particular moment.

Also coming and going when I was there was a bloke who reeked of weed, popping off a bus to come in and use the toilet before scurrying out again. It’s in a location where that’s more likely than not, but for all the regular use I’m sure the toilets get they were in a decent state.

Regular readers of this periodical will know my love of wood panelling in a pub - the stuff here was painted maroon, which is less to my taste. Make Panelling Varnished Again.

It’s been looked after, recently given a lick of paint by my estimation, and you can tell food is an important part of their offering. There was a short and reasonably priced lunch menu, but despite the light and airy room clearly intended for dining it still felt like a pub more than a restaurant. I think it would be a fine place to while a way a Sunday or a few pints if your train from Catford Bridge (or Catford) was delayed by a few hours.

No train for me, as it was time to head down the road to the Bythe Hill Tavern.

Here’s a longstanding Good Beer Guide pub that I ticked off a good few years ago, but it’s difficult to resist popping in if you’re in the area. It’s quite the pub - it’s got a three room interior based round the bar, each with a different feel and vibe.

Good news if you like panelling from a hundred years ago, because the gear in here is from the 1920s. Plenty of fittings from the always interesting inter-war pub period, and all of that adds up to an interior of outstanding national historic importance. There’s a lot to enjoy here, or alternatively “a whole lot of crazy crap on the walls”.

I think I like the back room the best - you’ve got the Guinness mirror, framed photos and prints you’d expect, and a fruit machine that doesn’t feel out of place. I was particularly taken with the number of coats hung up in the corner which far exceeded however many people were in the pub. Not sure whether they belonged to the staff, or perhaps more romantically were left by regulars in case they ever came in sunshine and left in rain. It made it feel very welcoming in any case.

One of south east London’s best pubs in my book - and I suggest you take a chance on the other one as well.