News
- Dulwich Beer of the Festival 2026 Presentation
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Visitors to our Dulwich Beer & Cider Festival in May this year voted Mount St Bernard Tynt Meadow as Beer of the Festival.
Only a limited amount of the cask version is produced each year, mainly for supply to beer festivals within a c40 mile radius of the Leicestershire-based brewery.
It was therefore a rare sight for it to be available at our Dulwich festival and involved us collecting the cask from the brewery.
In August one of our branch committee members, Mike Allen, visited the brewery at the beautiful Mount St Bernard Abbey and presented them with a beer of the festival award.
The brewery were delighted to receive the certificate as it was the first such award they had ever received from a London festival.
- SE London Pubs Under Threat - Status Update
Monday 31 August 2026
Princess Alice, Thamesmead
Acquired in 2026 by Lidl who then successfully applied to have the existing planning use category confirmed as restaurant rather than pub. As restaurant use falls within the same overall planning category (Class E) as supermarket, Lidl will now not need to apply for change of use to convert the property into a supermarket;
China Hall, RotherhitheUnauthorised residential conversion of ground floor. A retrospective planning application for the conversion was refused in May 2023 and upheld by an appeal inspector in July 2024. Southwark council initiated enforcement action and in April 2026, with works to reinstate the pub space not having been carried out, the enforcement officer issued their final report recommending the owner be prosecuted;
Anglesea Arms, WoolwichPlanning application for demolition of existing building and construction of a mixed use four-storey building containing ground floor community meeting space and residential units above was refused in Mar 2026;
White Swan, CharltonHas remained closed since 2020 with numerous change of use applications subsequently submitted and refused. In May 2026 a further application was submitted for conversion of the first floor into residential. Our branch has submitted an objection;
Kentish Drovers, PeckhamPub is being marketed for sale by JD Wetherspoon. Planning application was submitted in Aug 2026 seeking conversion to bingo hall.
Grove, East DulwichPub closed following a fire in August 2012 but remained leased to Stonegate until Sept 2025. The freeholder, Dulwich Estate, applied in April 2026 to demolish the building and create a temporary community garden whilst future redevelopment plans are finalised. Our branch has submitted an objection;
Who'd A Thought It, PlumsteadPlanning application submitted in July 2026 seeking to convert the pub into residential. Our branch has submitted an objection;
Pickwick, CharltonPub has been closed since 2017. Planning application was submitted in Feb 2026 seeking change of use to Class E commercial.
- Branch Pub of the Year 2026 Presentation
Wednesday 10 June 2026
After judging visits by volunteers the overall winner of the branch Pub of the Year 2026 is Hand & Marigold, Bermondsey Street.
Congratulations to the licensee and all staff at this most worthy winner for achieving their success in competition with other great venues.
Oli Carter-Esdale and Alice Hayward, took on an empty shell of a pub and have created a welcoming, traditionally-styled, wet-led freehouse, utilising a perfect blend of Oli's experience running the successful Trafalgar Freehouse in Merton SW19 with Alice's design flair and experience working for Cloudwater brewery. The pub sources their beers and ciders from independent and family-owned producers.
For Alice, Bermondsey was the ideal location to fulfil her dream of running a pub, having traced seven generations of her family who lived in the area.
The Hand & Marigold dates from the late 18th century and in the early 20th century was leased to Watneys. In the 1990s the pub was bought by Eileen Webb and has remained in the same family ever since. Sadly COVID took its toll and the pub closed in 2021 but the owners were always keen to see it reopen. The large, etched mirror on the wall of the bar is on loan from the Webb family.
The pub will now compete in the Greater London Regional stage of the national competition and we wish them well as they go forward.
The four area winners were as follows:
SE1 postal district area: Hand and Marigold, Bermondsey.
Greenwich: Green Goddess: Blackheath Standard.
Lambeth and Southwark outside SE1: Mayflower, Rotherhithe.
Lewisham: Shirkers Rest, New Cross.
Thanks to all those who took part in the voting and the judging to determine the overall winner.
You can view a list of previous branch pub of the year winners in our Branch Archive.