Abans Off Licence at 8 Woolwich Road. Also, a “convenient store” – which I guess is similar to a convenience store.
Pub Review: The Ship and Billet
The Ship & Billet
1, Woolwich Road, SE10 0RA
I actually meant to go to the Ship and Billet on last week’s pub review outing, but when circumstances compelled me to go solo I was far too scared to go into this pub on my own. Its run-down exterior with heavily tinted windows and general demeanour of a ‘local pub for local people who aren’t me’ were just too, well, scary. This week, feeling braver (and having a male companion) I ventured in and, as is the case with most scary things, was left wondering what all my fuss was about.
Let’s be clear, the Ship and Billet is about as far from the usual Greenwich Gastropub as you can get. It looks a bit like the Queen Vic would look if left unattended for a few years, with a faded red and gold pub issue carpet and sparsely furnished. The ‘no smoking’ sign was written on a post it note and whilst waiting for our drinks someone actually came up to us and asked us if we wanted to buy a ‘second hand’ TV from a carrier bag. All the other clientele, about 7 of them, seemed to know each other and spoke in a language that, though English, was completely incomprehensible.
Despite all this, I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable there. The locals were smiling enough and the barmaid was the most friendly I’ve yet to encounter in a Greenwich pub. She was chatty, made a few jokes and when the first pint of Guinness was not a success, she gave it to us for free. That level of service would be classed as exceptional anywhere.
The extras are also fuss-free: Sky TV for the sport, a cockney pianah in the corner and karaoke on the weekends with ‘Dave the Rave’. The staple of the bar is lager and cider so there’s no ale, few wines and spirits, and food is scant unless you count 17 bags of scampi fries as sustenance.
All in all the Ship and Billet is not the place to go if you are after a posh pub experience – it’s grubby, shabby, still a bit scary and definitely a local’s pub – but there’s a warm welcome here and absolutely zero pretension, which in this neck of the woods is a rare find. As Delboy said to Rodney, probably in this pub in fact, “he who dares, wins”.
What do you think of the Ship & Billet? Post your comments below…
Cyclist Dies After Lorry Collision
A female cyclist has sadly died after a collision with a lorry on Friday in Greenwich.
The incident happened at about 5.30pm at the Kent bound junction of the A102(M) and Woolwich Road. The lorry did not stop following the collision. Police have not yet released the name of the victim.
(via News Shopper)
Updated: A “ghost bike” has been chained to the railings near the spot at which the cyclist was killed on Friday. A ghost bike is a bicycle painted white and put in place as a sign of respect for a cyclist killed on the road. Darryl at 853 has the pictures.
Do you know anything about this incident?
Daily Photo 09/01/09: East Greenwich District Hospital Mosaic
According to the information panel, this mosaic was created by Phillippa Threlfall in 1974, after being commissioned by the Department of Health for East Greenwich District Hospital. It was moved to its current local in Glenister Green, in Woolwich Road, in 2007, at which time Phillippa Threlfall was invited back to undertake restoration and minor repairs. If you look in at the panel 2nd from top right in the picture above, you can see Threlfall’s “signature”. Click on the pictures to see in larger sizes.
Daily Photo 27/12/08: Ship and Billet
The Ship and Billet pub in Woolwich Road.