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VERSION:2.1
N:The Dog and Bull
FN:The Dog and Bull
TEL;WORK;VOICE:020 8667 9718
ADR;WORK:;;24 Surrey Street, Croydon;CR0 1RG
URL:
NOTE:Being only familiar with Croydon's brutalist 60's towerblocks, flyovers and 8 lane highways, I was surprised to discover the remnants of the Old Town beyond, with its tramlines and old churches feeling very middle European, and the ramshackle lines of Georgian and Victorian buildings, the occasional carpet shop presiding in something much older, succeeding in conveying a charm that is, well, very un-Croydon. Surrey Street itself has existed since at least the thirteenth century, and there has been a pub on the site for at least seven hundred years. The Dog and Bull shares much in common with Hampstead's Holly Bush, most notably a rather endearingly dilapidated entrance, an interior that hasn't seen much updating in the last three hundred years, and a singleminded devotion to the fine art of beer. Three generously-sized rooms, all unfeigned spit'n'sawdust appeal, with barrels for tables and the occasional knackered leather sofa, are arranged around a central bar area, and there is an attractive outside patio that was almost worth trying out in February's summer-like conditions. One area is set aside for viewing Sky Sports etc, while the other two rooms drift along in a cheerful, pleasingly hazy way, with no music or radio or any other distractions. Full range of Young's beers, plus the usual other nonsense on tap. Calling it the best pub in Croydon barely does it justice; it might well be the best pub south of the river.
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