It started out as a decent pub with good grub. I even took my folks there when they were visiting and a good time was has by all.

At some point it went downhill - service was terrible and the food was average but I still gave it another chance and had a ridiculous evening in there. No need to go into details now but I'm not surprised it closed.

I look forward to it opening up again and I would have thought with the amount of residential property round abouts it would be profitable..

good points about the Napier, which as a resident of Garthorne Road is what 200m from me. I actually went there a lot before I got kids, but if that turned into a gastro I would spend money there.

Have to say though that even if that and the HOP + Old Bank all turned into superdooper gastropubs I would probably still just go to the tapas on the HOP parade. I can't remember what the owner has called it now but it is fantastic, and AFAIK it is a pub, with great pints.

This post was last modified: 04-10-2013 02:09 PM by Southlonder.

Well said! The Beer selection in Donde is always interesting and in good condition. The wine selection has also greatly improved of late.

The Honor Oak was a great pub about three years ago and went down hill after that. On our last visit two waitresses were openly rowing in front of customers, 4 out of 5 draft beers were off and it had the atmosphere of a shrine. We gave it many chances and would do again under new management.

This post was last modified: 04-10-2013 02:32 PM by Bcm.

If the Nap and the Chandos are not profitable, why are they the only pubs in the area to survive?
On the question of which pub to save, the Honor Oak or the Old Bank, doesn't really arise. The 'Old Bank' has never been a pub, it was a bank which was converted into a restaurant. The Honor Oak has always been to my knowledge a pub. We are losing too many old pub buildings to mini supermarkets and flat conversions. With the massive increase in local property prices the present pubco owners are presumably just waiting to realise their asset.

Thursday steak nights at the Honor Oak were always a treat. It was just that the furniture often seemed a bit sticky. Good steaks, though. (Hungry, now...)

Like BarrieDaleNick, we used to enjoy going to the Honor Oak 2 or 3 years ago. It had a friendly family kind of feel and the range of beers and food on offer was varied and pretty good. We too had a couple of odd evenings in there after it 'reinvented' itself. The landlords appeared to want to attract a totally different market - more of a music/club/pub atmosphere. A brave try perhaps, but on the Honor Oak/Perry Vale borders? All sorts of people live around this area and somewhere among them a community heart still beats. So,a decent pub with some decent grub that is not too expensive and will suit a wide range of people gets a thumbs up from me. I'm on the mailing list.

I hadn't heard of The Ivy House nor of its co-op transition. Looks like a great success story so far. The menu looks perfect!

Haven't had a chance to read all of this yet but this link looks interesting and helpful with regard to any plans for The Honor Oak: http://www.ivyhousenunhead.com/about.php

We were at the Ivy House last night for a party - super place, great food. Not on the main drag in Nunhead by any means but definitely thriving. I'd argue that there is room for that round here!

I don't agree with other comments that the Honor Oak pub is not a good location. It is near to Honor Oak but also benefits from being near all the housing in the 'Perry Vale Triangle'. The only other decent pub near that area is the Blythe Hill Tavern which whilst great is very different and does not do food etc.

I have been going to the Honor Oak since it first opened when Jamie was manager so have seen all its various incarnations. I think the failure was not due to location or lack of clientele, but due to bad management, too many changes of hands, and a lack of understanding of the needs of local people. It started off as a gastropub with a community leaning -had a function room, was child friendly, held various classes, birthday parties, baby group, quiz nights, steak nights, cocktails etc etc. They seemed to understand that a pub needed to attract a wide variety of people.

Then the managers changed and they "got rid of all that awful kids stuff" to quote and stopped serving decent coffee, and the mums and families stopped going. Then they ran down the function room so no-one wanted to use it anymore. Then they ran down the food, so non-one wanted to eat there anymore. Then they ran down the beer and wine menus, so no-one wanted to drink there anymore. The young clubbers they seemed to want to attract didn't materialise (for obvious reasons), and the only people using it seemed to be rather shady characters. End of pub.

Like others I gave it many chances but gave up when it became farcical and took my custom elsewhere. I think the space would be perfect for a community pub.

This post was last modified: 07-10-2013 01:51 PM by Jane2.

I agree with all that about the Honor Oak.

I don't know the Ivy House at all but from what I can tell from their website, their success must be due to the fact that they've got someone who really knows what's needed - and how to do it: two very different things. (BTW, that much-needed person is NOT me, just in case you thought I was pitching for the job!!!) It's the only way you can get an actual business plan put together (as opposed to a 'wish list' for a nice pub).

Someone also really knew the whole grants and finance thing.

I'm curious: does anyone know how much money they raised from co-op members? The vast bulk of the money appears to have been borrowed or begged.

I dont know Mr Numbers, and im sure theyd be up for giving advice, but i would add that one thing that gets written in co-op books is the importance of encouraging co-op members to put money into the project .... it helps keep people committed. In these kind of situations there is a lot of enthusiasm at the start , but theres a danger that as time goes by it ends up on one or two peoples shoulders. Getting people to put money in helps maintain commitment, and focus realistically on the finances.

This post was last modified: 07-10-2013 10:33 PM by lillam.

I'd be interested to know where this pub is. I do recall interesting places like the Swiss Cottage on Stansted Road, and the St Germains.

If you go further down the road you will come to the Blythe, which is that rare thing, a trad pub still doing good business, and the recently saved Catford Tavern.

I do recall a fun/theme pub known as Ye Olde Honor Oake - is that still running? I think if you search for YOHO on this site you will find some jolly chats between me and the landlord a few years ago.

There is another wonderful pub, or ex pub, knows as the Moore Park Hotel (AKA MPT), a tremendous setting by Camberwell Old Cemetery, once featured in the film "Entertaining Mr Sloane". I'd be interested if there was a campaign to save this.

When did the Swiss Cottage get demolished? I have this strange feeling that I remember it - but maybe I'm just remembering seeing photographs of it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegrindl...8/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegrindl...1/sizes/l/

BTW, this is brilliant. http://fhhistory.blogspot.co.uk/ See slide 27 for the pubs. But don't click on this link until you have 20 minutes spare to look at all the old photos and maps!!!

off topic - but I lived across the road from the old swiss cottage pub until 2006, so would be sad to hear of its demise

re The Honor Oak - I agree with many of the posters, I frequented the pub until the drinks and food were in such a state that made it impossible to return. I also agree that it would make a great community hub.

I hate to be the one to break the news, but the one on Stanstead Rd was demolished in ~1978.

oh whoops- was referring to the one in Swiss Cottage (Finchley Road). Should have read the post correctly!

Welcome back, baggydave!

Alas, the poor MPT only serves spirits now.

This post was last modified: 08-10-2013 01:00 PM by Cellar Door.

The history BlogSpot is interesting but is wrong about the dates for Lings. It was still there in the 1990's so I might believe 1929 - 1997 (we used to live next to it until mid 1997 and it was still working then).
Also I seem to recall that the Swiss chalet look a like pub was still there into the mid 80's when we moved to FH but my memory could be at fault here......however the flats on the site do look more 1980's than 1970's.

I moved to Forest Hill at the end of 1988 and the Swiss Cottage was still standing then but I don't think it was open. I seem to recall it was demolished a couple of years later.

Thanks Chris its good to know the memory is not that bad......
Odd that the blog is wrong about the dates of two recent events don't you think?