Victoria, Bermondsey

A little gem hidden away in the back streets between the western end of the Old Kent Road and southern Bermondsey. Standing alone in an area that today is largely made up of industrial buildings, it is a survivor from another age. Built 1886 of brick with, on the frontage, a green glazed brick dado with cream glazed brick above and a rendered first floor.

The exterior of this small two-storey building is still adorned with old Truman signage. ‘Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co Ltd’ is painted on tiles around the top. Frosted windows still contain the Truman name. Above them is the legend ‘Truman Burton The Victoria Brewed Bitter’ in dark writing against pale tiles on the front and ‘No.70’ above the corner doors.

Inside it retains an island-style interior from inter-war times with the only significant change being the removal of partition walls that created an off-sales. The corner twin doors led to the public bar, the far left door to the smoke room and the centre one was the off sales. You can clearly see where it was as there is no black and white chequerboard tiling trough around the base of the counter in this area and markings on the bare wood floor indicating where the wooden partitions existed.

The inter-war bar counter remains with a number of doors for servicing beer engines and a black and white chequerboard tiling trough around the base so distinctive of Truman pubs. The mirrored island gantry style bar back remains and is noteworthy with its chamfered ends and till alcoves; remarkably all the lower shelving is intact. The pot shelf is modern.

All around the walls is a dado of inter-war fielded panelling and at the rear left is a dark red-brown glazed brick fireplace from the early 20th century. The lack of modern change is no doubt due to the present licensees having run the pub for 34 years (2017).