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Close to Plumstead Common in the area known locally as "Birds Nest Hollow", this friendly pub is an uphill climb from the town centre. It remains one of London's Real Heritage Pubs, however, during the refurbishment of 2019 a rare screen, barely over head height that split the two bars fronting Jago Close, was sadly removed. The saloon bar on the left is contemporary with its inter-war rebuilding and remains largely as it was. In bygone days, when Woolwich Arsenal played its football matches on the common, the team used the Star as its changing room. Pizza based food menu has been introduced. One of the 5 Plumstead Common Idlers being the Star that never shone. 4 handpumps, sometimes a cider like Westons Old Rosie is sold.
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed status: Not listed
There are still two separate rooms here as well as numerous inter-war fittings, and even a bar-back that could be Victorian.
This has the appearance of an inter-war pub, but the bar-back on the far right looks typically Victorian. What is not in doubt is that it was substantially refitted in the inter-war years. There are three separate doors with vestibules containing terrazzo flooring and leaded and glazed panels leading into what was almost certainly four rooms.
On the left is a single-storey ‘saloon lounge’, as indicated by the glazed panel in a door panel, with inter-war features including a parquet floor, three-quarter-height fielded panelling all around the room, a plain skylight, a couple of brick fire surrounds, a panelled bar counter with a checkerboard apron around the base, and a simple mirrored bar-back but, like all the bar-backs here, unfortunately painted dark blue in 2018.
On the right there is now a L-shaped room following the sad removal in 2018 of the screen that created two separate areas. The bar counter in the front area looks inter-war and the bar back is in the same style as that in the saloon.
The former room on the far right has two doors in the vestibule indicating there was another division sometime in the past. This is confirmed by the bar counter in two different styles – the left-hand part is inter-war but the right hand panelled one looks Victorian. There is another similar mirrored inter-war bar back on the left, but at the rear is what appears to be a Victorian bar-back, complete with four pretty, flowery narrow mirror strips (note the unusual shallow high-level cupboard in it), and four carved brackets.
When Arsenal FC (originally Woolwich Arsenal) were playing on Plumstead Common the team used the upstairs room at the Star as changing rooms
A two-storey building of brick and rendered first floor that has recently been painted purple. It was a Charles Beasley of Plumstead pub in c.1910 (taken over by Courage, Barclay & Simmonds in 1963). It is probably Victorian but seems to have been substantially remodelled and refitted in the inter-war years but with one interesting nineteenth century survival, a bar back. Three exterior doors indicate there were at least three (possibly four) original bars. In changes in 2018 a rare screen – barely over head height – that split the two bars fronting Jago Close was sadly removed.
The left-hand side is a single-storey ‘saloon lounge’ (wording in gold on a frosted panel in the left of the two inner doors) and has a vestibule entrance with a terrazzo floor and leaded panels, a parquet floor, three-quarter-height fielded panelling all around the room, a plain skylight and a couple of inter-war brick fire surrounds – all from the inter-war period. The bar counter is an inter-war panelled one with a checkerboard apron around the base and Art Deco-style bar back has some attractive striped glazing but modern mirrors. The bar back was painted a dark blue colour in 2018. Both the gents’ and ladies’ toilets are unchanged with a dado of inter-war tiling, terrazzo floors and part glazed screens.
On the right there is now a L-shaped room following the removal of the screen. The former front right ‘public bar’ (wording in gold on a frosted panel in the two inner doors) has a vestibule entrance with a terrazzo floor and leaded panels at the top. The bar counter is old and was painted a grey-blue colour in recent times but the paint was removed in 2018. The bar back is the same style as the left-hand inter-war one and painted a dark blue colour in 2018. A fireplace was lost in 2018.
The former room on the right hand side has a vestibule entrance from Jago Close with a terrazzo floor, leaded panels and two doors indicating there was another division sometime in the past. This is confirmed by the bar counter in two different styles – the left-hand part is from the inter-war period but the right hand panelled one dates back to Victorian times. It originally reached the rear wall until it was cut back in recent years. There is another similar mirrored inter-war bar back on the left that was painted a dark blue colour in 2018. At the rear is what appears to be a Victorian bar-back, complete with four pretty, flowery narrow mirror strips (note the unusual shallow high-level cupboard in it), and four carved brackets. There was a door where the glazed panel had a star burst and the word ‘Inn” but this was removed in 2017. The plaster has been taken off the wall at the rear of this room.
Note the gas-light fittings – four on the right-hand side and two (with shades) in the saloon lounge. When Arsenal FC (originally Woolwich Arsenal) were playing on Plumstead Common the team used the upstairs room at the Star as changing rooms. There are two rooms upstairs with no old fittings.
This Pub serves 1 changing beer and 1 regular beer.
Star, Plumstead
Changing beers typically include: Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter , Hogs Back - TEA , Timothy Taylor - Landlord
Source: National
Lunchtime Meals
Evening Meals
Garden
Family Friendly
Dog Friendly
Events
Function Room
Games
Separate Bar
Smoking
Real Ale
Real Heritage Pub
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