The Frog & Radiator/ Ship &Billet
Matt from Londonist asks:
"Is the Frog & Radiator still there? Not the best pub ever - but what a name."
As the splendid name, no, but that's not such a bad thing. It had been pretty grotty for some time. It went through a rather schizophrenic period a year or so ago where it couldn't decide who it was anymore. It suddenly closed down overnight - the circumstances looked a bit iffy if you ask me, but I don't know any details.
Next thing we knew it had re-opened, half done-up. That strange Frog and Radiator sign was still there, as was the name above the pub, but it had that frosted-glass effect on the windows which clearly called itself the Ship & Billet (does anyone know if this is the pub's original name?) It stayed like this for months before finally getting the rest of its revamp and finally got a 'proper' sign with a nice ship on it.
I have to say that it does look pretty smart now, though as all owners of pubs will know, they don't get to choose their clientele and smart though it may look, you see the same regulars as ever going in. On Saturday nights they have discos, with bouncers outside and I have seen posters for live music which is NEVER a bad thing, but I haven't actually been to any.
But I'll give them this. It looks great from the outside in a street that needs all the help it can get.
BTW the sister pub in Deptford, The Frog and Nightgown, also seems to have bitten the dust some time ago.
Labels: Ask The Phantom, Drinking, Going Out
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
09:02
5 Comments:
The Ship and Billet was the pub's name until about 1990.
Thank you. I always hoped that it was its original name. With a bit of luck a lot more of these 'hilarious' novelty pubs will start to realise the charm of their original names.
Since the Jubilee Line opened my visits to Greenwich are made via North Woolwich and I always cringed seeing this pub with such a stupid name. I had noticed that the name had reverted to the Ship & Billet and yesterday as there were no trains from Eltham because of the fire at Bermondsey I changed buses here on my way home. Being a warm afternoon I stopped in this pub for refreshment. Obviously a locals pub but I didn't feel uncomfortable here. Nice ship models above the bar. Found this blog doing a Google search for the pub. Fascinating site, Greenwich Phantom
Thankyou TMJ. Hope to see you here again...
The Frog and Nightgown has indeed gone. I remember being spooked by that name once on the way back from an all-nighter in Peckham. I wasn't entirely sure what was real and what was Memorex even before I saw it. After that my sense of reality started to bleed. Johnny I hardly knew ye.
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