please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I can't compete with Alex wards epic review of 2013 below (a must read!) but just to confirm everything he said is still true in 2015. I thought places like this only existed in ken loach films. Unremitting horror.
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Indescribable. Just Indescribable.
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A dump, don't waste your time.
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A dump, don't waste your time.
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It's a yes from me.
You know when you just walk in to a gaff and it stops you in your tracks?! Well The Chaplin does just that.
I'm sat typing this review from my desk at work, which overlooks The Rockingham Arms, another high end London watering hole. The underpass is currently cordoned off and there's a riot van, 4 police cars and an ambulance outside. They've just carried a man in to the back with what appears to be either a gun shot wound or he's been done over the head with a tin of beans, he's still clutching his Iceland shopping bag.
Anyway, i've been wanting to go in to The Chaplin for a year or so now. I would walk past it a few times a week and stare envious at the exterior but didn't dare go in. A bit like when as a kid i'd ogle the bristols of the most popular girl in my year but knew deep down I didn't stand a chance, i’ve got gromits you see. I felt the same gig with The Chaplin, it looked too trendy for me. I'm not a yuppie, I like to think I could be but i'm not. I drink Skol and Blue Nun, not Babycham and Remy Martin.
However last friday i'd been given the nod for an early finish at work, my boss Ricky had got the two bob bits and we had to clear out sharpish as he'd done himself a mischief. BONUS. A high flying mate of mine had put the feelers out for some early beers, he'd closed some big deals in the city and was in the mood to celebrate. I immediately turned the opportunity yes and was waiting for the details of where to meet.
" The Charlie Chaplin, bruv "
My heart missed a beat, I thought he was pulling my johnson. He knew the regard I held this place in, it was the holy grail. I text him back that he could kiss my 'arris and where were we really swigging and the exact same text came back but with increased re-iteration.
I couldn't handle it, I didn't know what to do. So I went for a potter about the shopping centre to clear my head and pick up a few bits. He then called me, he'd got the first round in and was on the veranda. I couldn't help myself, I legged it out the 99p store without paying for my frankfurters. Luckily the pace i'd set meant I couldn't change my mind as I approached the door of the pub and before I knew it I was right in the mixer.
As soon as I got in there, all of life's problems just shaked off. It was everything i'd fantasised about and more, the interior was out of this world. The attention to detail was mind blowing, the furniture art nouveau to the core, Del Boy would have a field day in here. My mate had since moved inside and was in the roped off VIP area with a few honeyz. I felt well out of place but dropped the shoulder and waddled over, i'd hit the big time. There were drinks everywhere, Asti champagne, Glen's vodka, some fancy looking gin fizz but sadly not any bailey's and cherryade.
Muchos drinks later, I excitedly said out loud that I was off to " drop the kids off " as I had one between my cheeks. I'd often wondered what the bogs were like, so off I went and it was magic in there. There was just a couple of tin metal boxes to widdle in to and then one pan that didn't have a door on. In I went, couldn't believe my luck.
As I was sat mucking out the barn, I was reading the hall of fame on the walls. My favourite being " Wanna come back to mine for pizza and sex?..... what's up don't you like pizza? "
I finished up, walked out in to the foyer and carried on walking back in to the bar. There was no sink, which was a good job as washing your hands is for wimps.
I took the time to have a poke about and see what else the boozer had to offer, there was a pool table that looked like it's cloth had been worn by mother teresa. A dining room that consisted of a few tables, no chairs and a buffet cart that had loads of different cobs and nothing else. I asked for a chicken kiev, quiche and salad cream cob but they'd just ran out. So I went back in to the bar and got leathered instead.
I've rated this pub 10 out 10, I might be a bit biased because of the reputation the place has got and jumping on the bandwagon and all that but I genuinely believe this place has it all. I even managed to get my jimmy waxed at the end of the night with some boiler from Penge who was in there on a hen doo.
If you're still reading this and you're not currently on the 172 bus direct to The Chaplin then you're a prat!
Choose life, choose The Chaplin.
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Dark, unremittingly grim pub where the usually drunk locals exude the threat of violence. The Charlie Chaplain manages the extraordinary feat of making the nearby Rockingham Arms look less crap.
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Set within a concrete jungle, it's definately not the sort of place to go for a romantic/civilised drink! Looks dodgy from the outside but I've been in more threatening pubs than this though the UV lights in the toilets give an idea as to what sort of clientel this pub attracts. Plus points are the staff seem friendly and they have various theme nights though disappointingly just had Websters on tap so I don't think they'll be making The Good Beer Guide anytime soon. This place is just about OK and fairly cheap too but I think only skint students and the great unwashed will ever want to return.
5/10.
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A shocking hovel that was curiously well frequented when I popped in over the weekend. I don't know the area particularly well, but there must be something better nearby.
Have to agree with the locals on one point though. Man Bags are right out. So last season.
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What a pub. Clean, tidy, friendly and all welcoming of men with 'man bags'. Seriously, this place is a dump. Dirty, dark, crap seats. Always good to hear a septuagenarian start mouthing off as you are carry a bag with stuff in it. It was 45 minutes of my life I have lost, and thankfully will never experience again!
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This is a dodgy pub. Perhaps the fact that the whole area is being redeveloped has a lot to do with it. I have said before (under other Elephant & Castle area pubs) that there are too many pubs in this area and some should close: this is one of them. That would give the decent pubs (there are some!) a cjhance to survive.
Don't come here unless you like the Wild West saloon ambiance.
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No teeth you say? have you got her phone number? And the answer to your question Burnrate is Feltham
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This is the best pub in South London. Where else could you see a man asleep on the bar, a scottish vagrant, some bird with no teeth who walks round asking people for sex, a massive hairy biker named Animal with a small cowboy hat on his back, and an Ellsmore?
First class boozer!!
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It's many years since I was in - and then it was a pretty run down boozer (that was before they painted the shopping centre pink). With the likeliehood that the re-development of the whole area will at some stage include the shopping centre the future of the Charlie Chaplin is limited. I noticed, from the inside of the centre, that the signage was very '60s and Watneys Red Barrel. I didn't have time to try the beer though!
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I suggest the best approach to this is to call the Safer Neighbourhood Team if it happens again. This pub has always had such a reputation in the past but I realise now that it has not changed much.
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I have been drinking in this pub for months and have always enjoyed the beer and have never had problems with the bar staff as most of them are great.
However, earlier this evening (Mon 7th Jun), I went there for a drink. The bar staff on duty appeared drunk and unruly. He made some really rude and offensive remarks when pouring the pints I ordered (I prefer not to go into details here). In addition, the publican was not around at this time.
If anyone has any ideas, please confirm what I should do about this. I am trying very hard to refrain from making a formal complain. To my understanding as should be common knowledge, bar staff are not allowed to drink (alcohol) whilst on duty.
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Not as bad as it looks but the best thing about the pub is the name... rought and ready to say the least.
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Mmmmmm... Difficult one this. Charlie chaplin has a bad reputation "apparently", On my visit I found the locals very friendly the beer not too bad although I do prefer a good ale. The local lad i spoke to was into football in a big way which i had to decline as I did not take to him very much but his friend thought I was a policeman.If you wanted a good local bar with "the lads" its there if you want a good quiet chat with your friends in suits it,s not so good.By and by however a good place if you live in the area!
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When I don't like someone and they've suggested a drink after work to catch up about 'the meeting' or 'the forecast for 2008'), I'd ask them to meet me here first and we'll find somewhere else nearer the centre.
When I really don't like someone I fail to respond to their voice mails left on my phone asking me why I've sent them to this sh1t-tip.
NOw....before the local Peckham brigade come and find me and sort me out, I would add that I have no real issues with the place. It serves beer. The clientelle are local but not intimidating unless - like so many things - you choose to be intimidated. Obviously asking for the wine list wouldn't be a great idea in here, but it's not really the point.
Spit and sawdust says it all....a good old fashioned boozer which serves nice beer, a rough decor, but hey at least it's honest and reasonably cheap. It's not going to score highly with me on the grounds that it's beer selection is still poor and that occasionally I do like to go to a pub where my friends can go too and not feel I've either been possessed by the pikey monster, or have been sectioned, by sending them there.
BTW - It's unlikely you'll see many suits in there, which suits me down to the ground.
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been in here a few times....never found it imtimidating...websters is cheap though...pub is spit and sawdust, just like a pub should be
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I went here years ago and have never been as scared in my life. I don't think the juke box stopped as we walked in but it might as well as done. The worse thing was that one of our group was completely oblivious to the growing threat of violence building around us and we had some trouble in getting him to leave while we could still walk...
Maybe I'll give it another go...... NOT..
anonymous - 29 Mar 2007 18:09 |
A proper local for locals who are down to earth and sociable.
This bar took over from the Elephant & Castle when they got rid of their pool table. Winner stays on!
A mostly international make-up of pool players who pop in for a sociable drink and chat.
Chat to the bar staff and locals RogerB
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To the initiated, Elephant & Castle is one of the Capitals biggest monstrosities, a prime example of the ugliest architecture that is fit for little more than a demolition ball. Needless to say the pubs around here are some of the worst imaginable and the Charlie Chaplin is probably the grottiest of them all. What one of Britain�s finest export comedians and satirists would make of having such a place named in his honour I don�t know but even he would struggle to find anything amusing here. This depressing place inhabits a dank corner of a shopping centre block and looks as welcoming as a noose to a condemned prisoner. Chaplin�s association with the area is written on the entrance door and a more comprehensive biography is attached to a pillar inside. The general interior is dull and gloomy with questionable taste in d�cor and lighting. Only the brick fireplace and the jelly bean machines are worthy of any attention. The beers are awful � no Real Ales so it was draught Websters Green Label, probably the worst pub pint I have ever tasted, even at �1.50. John Smiths smooth was a luxury afterwards although the extra quid still didn�t buy a smile from the barmaid. The pool table at the rear was occupied by people whose collective IQ�s would struggle to match the number of balls on the table and for good measure there were several depressive looking Placebo fans in here ahead of a gig at the Coronet next door. 2/10 �cos I am in a generous mood.
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not a bad pub really, very down to earth crowd....watch your bags in there though.
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Alas, this notorious pub has a chequered history. In the early days it was frequented by gangsters and pushers. Nowadays, by dossers spending their dole cheques and housing estate overflow. It's location is perhaps unfortunate in being inbedded within a corner of the ugly shopping centre and next to a dingy cinema. The decor is mock Western saloon bar and reeks of stale ale. The only redeeming quality being that it's cheap: and I've got this one on my list when I retire and can't afford the other pubs down the road.
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A bit dingy, a bit dodgy---one can not say faded past glory, since glory has so far eveded the Charlie Chaplin. But it does have one big thing in its favour--last time I was there you could get a pint of fairly good "real ale" for only one pound!
anonymous - 21 Nov 2003 11:49 |
