Does anyone know what's happening at Bird in Hand? is it reopening?

I hope not !!

New owners, doing it up before reopening

Its going to be called The Faulkner.. and is going to be serving food and bottled beers. The toilets are now downstairs and the bar has been shortened to make way for more seats .. Pool table has gone.

I saw a note in the window the other day saying that it's opening today - 29th - so I just wondered if anyone's sampled it yet?

Popped in here with a fellow pub enthusiast yesterday evening.

We were impressed with what we found: enough character of the old place remaining, but with what I would call a bit of a ‘vibes’ update - think dimmer lighting, groovier tunes, and rustic seating.

A very solid choice of beer, including Guinness (£5.90), Timothy Taylors Landlord (£5.20), Vodel (£3.50), and of course, Madri. As it was a schoolnight, we opted for the Timmy Taylors and the Vodel.

They had a sample food menu and will be serving food once the kitchen is completed August 1st. It still seems a work in progress with the smell of fresh paint and I look forward to seeing how it progresses from here.

Unfortunately the pool table is now gone, and one can’t help but wonder if it is positioning itself (both geographically and spiritually) as too direct a competitor to the Sylvan Post. I believe the owner is the same proprietor as the East Dulwich Tavern (Antic Pubs), and also the former proprietor of the Sylvan itself.

A shame to for Forest Hill to lose the former Bird in Hand, which was a real asset to the area.

Me and my compadre are already looking forward to returning on a weekend!

I have got to say this is a shame if true, especially given the BiH’s historic ties to the area.

In fact, myself and my consigliere were ruminating yesterday about whether the pub, or the street name (Bird in Hand Passage) came first - I don’t suppose anyone would know?

Apologies for the triple post, but this was in response to @NannaBloom wrt to the rumours of a new name!

Thanks for the insightful update