Notice of branch Annual General Meeting

The branch AGM will be held on Wednesday 15 May at 8:30pm at Cryer Arts (Watercress Suite), 39 High Street, Carshalton, SM5 3BB. Membership cards required for voting.

Pub of the Year 2024

Congratulations to our 2024 Pubs of the Year:

Croydon borough - Claret & Ale, Addiscombe;

Sutton borough - The Hope, Carshalton.

Presentations will be scheduled in due course.

Following the decision made at our 2023 AGM, the pub that went forward to the London regional round last year cannot go forward this year. Therefore in 2024 the Claret & Ale will go into the London regional round.

Celebrating 50 years

 

Fifty years ago this month (25th April 1974) the Croydon branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) held its initial meeting at the Horse & Groom in Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon (The pub was renamed the Glamorgan following a spell known as the Grouse & Claret). Unfortunately, the building is now forlorn and empty.

In the first year of the branch, meetings were also held at the Newton Arms in Croydon, the Two Brewers in Selhurst, the New Town in Sutton, the Greyhound in Carshalton, the Stag & Hounds in Croydon and the Shirley Poppy in Shirley.

Out of area visits to the Derby Arms in Epsom Downs and the Nutley Hall in Reigate also took place.

Only three of these pubs remain open.

The ‘and Sutton’ part was added to the branch title in 1975.

The first edition of Real Beer in London was published in May 1974. A copy of this is available on the CAMRA London website.

Of the local pubs included in that guide, 16 remain open with cask beer still available; a further five are open but without cask. We intend to visit all 16 of these pubs over the course of the year; dates will be fixed later.

In 1974 beer was predominately supplied by two breweries – Charrington and Young's. One pub supplied beer from Fuller Smith & Turner (Royal Standard) and one pub from Shepherd Neame (Two Brewers). Both of these pubs are still open with beer from the same breweries. The only other brewer represented was Whitbread at the long closed New Inn Sutton.

There were no free houses, the vast majority of the pubs were owned and supplied by one brewer.

Fifty years later we have more pubs that remain open and have cask beer but many have only the product of a few multi-national brewers. Let us celebrate the pubs which sell beer from smaller producers both near and far, as well as the long established pubs.

The 16 pubs are: (those in bold were also in the 1974 Good Beer Guide).

Plough Beddington

Coach & Horses Carshalton

Greyhound Carshalton

Builders Arms Croydon

Cricketers Arms Croydon

Dog & Bull Croydon

Royal Standard Croydon

Two Brewers Selhurst

Surprise Shirley

Little Windsor [was Windsor Castle] Sutton

Lord Nelson Sutton

Robin Hood Sutton

Railway Telegraph Thornton Heath

Royal Albert Upper Norwood

White Hart Upper Norwood

Dukes Head Wallington

London Drinker

Click the image below for the April-May 2024 edition of London Drinker. Printed copies have been distributed to pubs and we will aim to keep them topped up subject to stock being available.

Click London Drinker outlet list for a list of Croydon & Sutton pubs where you should be able to find London Drinker magazines. Please note the disclaimer at the top of the list.

Watch out for fake handpumps

How good was that beer?

We can all usually tell a good beer from a bad one, but only a few members tell CAMRA what they think. That's a shame, because we need to know, and use the information to help choose which pubs go into the Good Beer Guide each year. It's a lot easier than you think to 'score' a beer and we'd love it if you would help by recording your scores. You don't need any particular expertise, so why not give it a go, next time you have some cask ale? More information is available on this page: Beer Scoring

Help keep WhatPub? up to date

When visiting pubs, please continue to let us know any relevant updates, changes and information by using the feedback form on the pub's page on https://whatpub.com/

Membership Discounts

Go to the Members' Area page (CAMRA login required) for a list of pubs which offer a CAMRA discount.

Website Contributions

Contributions to the website (articles, photos) always welcome - please send to ku.gro.armac.nodyorc@retsambew

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