BITE user comments - edna
Comments by edna
The Eagle and Child, Forest Gate
Update - the upper 3/4s of the Eagle and Child have been restored, and what a grand job they have done. It actually looks more like the frontage of a Victorian music hall now. Hopefully they will soon get down the the nitty gritty of restoring the "business end", which clearly needs some thought and some hard work. I'm sure the residents of Forest Gate would be happy if this ended up as a gastropub or decent restaurant. FG current has neither.
24 Jun 2008 12:07
I think this pub has closed and is in the process of being demolished.
8 Feb 2008 15:01
The Princess Alice, Forest Gate
The Alice is named after a passenge steamship which collided with coal ship on the Thames at North Woolich, 640 passengers died. It was the worst ever shipping disaster on the Thames.
The pub was bombed out during WW2 and rebuilt in the 50s, in a 50s style. It would actually be a huge benefit to Forest Gate if someone with vision were to approach this building sympathetically.
The Alice has closed, Bar Monastery has also closed and looks like it is set to become some sort of uber Asian dining experience. We'll see, Forest Gate proper could use some more places to eat that aren't fried chicken shops.
8 Feb 2008 14:57
The Eagle and Child, Forest Gate
There's a sign up outside the Eagle & Child saying that it will not be demolished because it is a listed building. I think one of the reasons is because they built the vast Victorian pub as a shell over the top of the existing tavern so they didn't have to close the pub while the building was going on. I guess there may still be parts of the original pub preserved inside the Victorian edifice.
Anyway the ground floor is going to be a commercial premises and the upper floors will become apartments.
The facade of the E&C defintely needs some restoration, it's in terrible nick.
8 Dec 2006 11:35
The Kings Arms, Bethnal Green
I used to visit this pub to watch the footie, usually England games. It does or did rather nasty from the outside, inside it's basic, clean and very very friendly. Myself and my friends were made to feel very welcome when we visited, and many great nights have been had ever since. Particularly Germany 1 - England 5. During the match one of bar staff went out and got a whole bunch of food for the customers to tuck into.
7 Jul 2008 13:48