The Maxwell Hotel, Orpington

I rather foolishly gave the Maxwell another go last week.........

Wish I had not. There are now bare walls where pictures used to be, an even more basic choice of drinks and a pub full of kids thinking they are local faces on one side and miserable old fellas on the other. The barmaids preferring to chat instead of serve.

A sign the pub has changed for the worse? Lots of lovely notices about the pub not tolerating drugs. Mind you I reckon ever the most discerning druggie would balk and the poor standard of the bogs.

14 Jan 2012 21:57

Boadicea, Charing Cross Station

This refurbished bar has become very much an example of form over substance.

It is branded as a craft beer bar but has no real ale and no real examples of the beers that demonstrate the vibrancy that is the UK craft beer scene.

Instead you get a selection of yes a few of the more unusual keg beers and lager and a few very expensive bottled world beers.

If you want to see what the UK brewing scene is at take a 5min stroll to the Harp, you won't be disappointed as I was here.

18 Dec 2011 23:49

The Maxwell Hotel, Orpington

Another crushing low in a series of crushing lows that is the Maxwell...........

Walked past yesterday and there was a sign in the window saying thatthey had NO draft beer! They did have bottles but even they looked like they were not many in number.

So is the number up for the Maxwell. I gather thatthe Landlady Anne has moved on so does the pub have a future.

It seemed that a while ago all of the bits of the jigsaw were falling into place, the pub was packed out (particularly when sports were on, it started to serve decent ale (and the local CAMRA crew were even starting to sniff around and support this,) and it was good value. Then something seemed to go very very wrong and we now have an empty pub with no beer.
If it is true and Anne has left the pub, I wish her and her family all of the best. I hope the Maxwell does not close for good, but fera that this might be the case and whoever takes it over has more luck, it is the only pub in the area and has a fairly large catchment area as it is near transport and houses.

I had many happy days there but those days were a while back, I and a few other would go back but may not get the chance to it seems.

29 May 2011 17:50