Borough / Bermondsey – New (Old) Pubs Crawl

Please note that the location for the start of the MeetUp is still using the pub's former name of The Blue Eyed Maid rather than the new, more succinct The Blue Maid.

Now I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve certainly reached that point in life where I value the warmth and comforts of a proper pub, rather than the latest tap-room inside yet another railway arch, or on some nondescript industrial estate in the far-flung reaches of capital.

I yearn for a seat with back support, at a proper table, not one of those silly communal trestle tables. I’d like to sit inside a real old building with history and character, not on a wooden bench crammed in next to a row of fermentation vessels. Oh, and don’t get me started on the delights of using a proper toilet!

With this in mind, we will be visiting two grand old pubs that have reopened recently and have been returned to their former glories, both with a fine selection of craft beer. These will bookend the crawl, with another wonderful pub that has recently come under new management in the middle.

We will aim to spend around 90 minutes at each boozer, the whole route is about a fifteen minute walk, however stops #2 and #3 are conveniently very close to one another. As some of the pubs aren’t huge inside we will cap the capacity of the MeetUp. There are large outdoor seating areas at The Blue Maid and The Hand & Marigold, so hopefully the weather will be kind to us.

The Blue Maid (173 Borough High St, London SE1 1HR) (2pm – 3:30pm)

Having closed in 2020, this pub was rescued and re-opened (sadly minus the famous jukebox) in April 2025. There is a wide range of keg beers along with cask available. Expect to see beers from Kernel, DEYA, Five Points, Unbarred and many more.

Simon The Tanner (231 Long Ln, London SE1 4PR) (3:45pm – 5:15pm)

This was formerly part of the Mother Kelly’s group but is now under new management. The dry run of the crawl revealed the pub to be cosy, inviting and with excellent service from very welcoming bar staff. A good range of beers available across keg and cask, we had beers from Polly’s and Siren on our last visit. The back room of the pub now seems to have been styled as a sort of vintage listening bar, with DJ’s and music on Sundays.

Hand & Marigold Free House (244 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UH) (5:20pm-7:00pm)

Another victim of the Covid pandemic, this pub first opened in 1793 but has been restored and fabulously refurbished for the reopening in early 2025. There is an excellent snacks menu and also a brilliantly curated tap list, which includes classic lagers, IPA’s and O’Haras Irish stout, as well as beers from local breweries (such as Villages) and from further afield, such as New York’s Finback and Other Half.

There are options for an after-party should anyone be interested / inebriated enough - we will be a 10 minute walk back to the Beer Mile, for instance.