BITE user comments - prettymolly
Comments by prettymolly
The Blythe Hill Tavern, Forest Hill
Oh look two people have commented within a hour , two barflies from this pub perhaps?
11 Jul 2013 22:07
Hearing positive things from a couple of transgender mates about this pub since the name change i decided to head there after work one Friday evening. The old pub surfaced bad memories for me as i saw my ex wife Helen getting off with two likely lads from the Pepys estate and because of the violent undertones that the pub promoted back then i had to leave without her and to this day i only have her "word " as to what happened that night even though coming back 27 hours later validated my initial fears. So off i went looking to erase the past, and ordering my first Guinness and packet of nuts and sitting down around complete new surroundings i had the belief that what Helen got up to that night and following day was all a distant nightmare. There was a point that night when Helen straddled one of the estate lads as he sat hunched upon one of the bar stools , from what i can see the stools have been upholstered to a more brighter design which is a example of how much this pub has changed . The old pub was awash with feral featured Dickensian characters who thought nothing about taking away a good mans wife ,using their inherent criminal ways to impress and manipulate women of previous good standing. . As well as nicer stools in the Royal Albert the clientele is remarkably changed a typical regular is hard working with values i myself share and i was lucky enough to spend my second and third pint talking over constructive stuff varying from Karl Marx to the current issues facing the middle east and my sense of belonging and self worth flowered through the night. To be honest i bear no malice to Helen whatsoever if the life she wants to lead is being passed about the local drug fiends bedsits then more fool her, you go to work and support these characters you will soon see the buzz is replaced by fear and sadness. So all in all cracking little pub and i thank it for finally putting memories in the bin where they will stay .
28 Jun 2013 18:49
The Blythe Hill Tavern, Forest Hill
Most Sundays i would walk my dog Monty along the streets of Catford sometimes veering upwards to Forest Hill and this public house would catch my visual space . I had early indications of it being a predominantly Irish pub through the music played and some of the advertising adorning its exterior for some sort of hurling game between the Irish. For some unearthed reason i decided to drop Monty home leaving him treats and head back up and have my first pint of the black stuff in the Blythe Tavern. On entering the pub i had the option of three bars and also a beer garden after hearing a fiddle being played in the main bar and some kind of Clannad type singing i was drawn away from the main bar to what i believed would be the solace of the smaller bar where a dart board was situated, how wrong was i as for the next five mins i had to listen to a Wolfetone ditty that lets just say Brendan Behan penned coming out of the clearly soused Irish couple behind me. Having already bedded in i decided not to chance the third the bar and ordered my pint hoping to be cheered by a smile on making the transaction instead i struggled to comprehend the Irish barman in the broken English he presented to me on giving back my change . Sitting back down i was given the third verse of this odious song by the couple who were now joined by "friends" and the near tone deaf squealing of this historically wrong song was at all time high annoyance level. Deciding upon getting a breather i veered through the throng of the main bar who were fixed on the laughable sized TV screens watching a hurling game between two Counties from Eire i had never heard of, thinking i might have a relaxed fag and a sup of my pint that thought was taken away within minutes as i was subjected to coarse haired children in velvet dresses fresh back from a dance comp doing a little show for the beer garden, the tapping and jerky head movements from the children made me walk further up the path where i could hear the family members whinging in what appeared broad northern Irish accents about their Gaelic named children only coming and third and the outrage that non Irish dancers had stole the crown. After finishing of my pint the choice of staying or going home was made easier when on going to the toilet i was subjected to someone in the toilet cubicle weeping to themselves and only stopping as a coughing fit took over, leaving the toilet i said my goodbyes to the near mute bar staff and made for the door where outside i felt sense of relief and British identity .
26 Jun 2013 21:34
Having seen this pub from cab windows or my father driving me home after Sunday dinner a part of me really felt i needed to feed my need to see what this pub has to offer. So one Thursday evening myself and my good friend Damon entered the Hansburys , upon finding seating we were welcomed by what appeared a hobbit with what appeared the biggest set of teeth i have seen so pronounced that they became offensive as he munched upon a cheap not pub bought packed of crisps . The hobbit must have been a local face or something as he gestured and mouthed off on the mobile still sadly in our vicinity. Next table along was a deaf couple who through simple hand techniques made it clear to us that this hobbit was one to stay away from and a bit of a fool. The drink selection in the pub is second to none and the toilets are clean and welcoming, i had to partake in a small sized number two and at no time felt inhibited even though i could hear the hobbit waffling on outside . The decoration of the pub gives a real feel of a old school pub and reminding me of better times in my life when i was a happy go lucky party person. later that evening after supping some bang on ales in this pub we boarded the bus home and i think on reflection quite enjoyed the Hansburys even though it was marred by certain characters i believe the pubs heart is in the right place and i need to remind myself its a estate pub in a hardened area where money is scarce and maybe drinking is the solace for some in the bleak times. Take the pub as you find it a bit rough round the edges but with the charm of a real south London boozer. Enjoy it as pubs like this are dying sadly so embrace the moments you have in them as one day they maybe gone and what will have then? .
24 Jun 2013 21:20
Quite amazed about the comments about this community pub, having moved into the town for work reasons in 2011 i was looking for a local, Catford has a varied choice and we decided to have a little pub crawl one hazy summer evening to see what one would become our regular watering hole. Hunger got the best of us and we were drawn to the Rye as entering the door [which was being held open by a old Scottish fella for us]we could smell some tasty food being cooked from the kitchen quarters, Upon sitting down i really got a feel for Catford life and if i had a camera i would have took a picture of the moment, young men in jovial banter with their elders talking over subjects as diverse as work, soccer ,modern art and even a deeper conversation between a wily old Irishman and a rather over zealous but friendly young buck about the pitfalls of alcohol . After ordering a korma curry for us both we both went went for choice of a nice cold beer deciding for a Czech lager and it tasted like heaven in a jar along with the warm smile from the barman it made us feel a sense of belonging and the belief that we had found our local in Catford town. The food arrived served to us by the actual cook who looked dapper and kindly in body language as he carefully put down our two piping hot plates, i could see why he took such care as the food was a work of art and i commented to the regulars that the food was tasty and really hearty. After a good few hours we left for Soho to complete our night but most of the conversation that night was highlighting our earlier enjoyment in the Rye a pub we now call OUR LOCAL.
20 Jun 2013 19:46
The Blythe Hill Tavern, Forest Hill
Maths not my strong point either but come on whats the chances of two people in such a short space of time commenting? the Irish mafia...
11 Jul 2013 22:11