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london calling
23-05-2013, 20:10
Looking at some pubs where i have not reviewed and as it is closed i cant anyway.I noticed the Wenlock Arms gets ave 9/10.This to me was a dirty ,manky down at the heel back street boozer and one of the worst pubs visually i have used in London.Now they had lots of beers so thats a plus but to me the quality could be variable.And those gents toilets well what can i say.New beers is the reason i used to visit. Over 40 times i have been there but 9/10 should be for a great pub or can manky boozers be great.I would appreciate your views on this puzzle. cheers john

ROBCamra
23-05-2013, 20:17
Looking at some pubs where i have not reviewed and as it is closed i cant anyway.I noticed the Wenlock Arms gets ave 9/10.This to me was a dirty ,manky down at the heel back street boozer and one of the worst pubs visually i have used in London.Now they had lots of beers so thats a plus but to me the quality could be variable.And those gents toilets well what can i say.New beers is the reason i used to visit. Over 40 times i have been there but 9/10 should be for a great pub or can manky boozers be great.I would appreciate your views on this puzzle. cheers john

I used to love it when I worked in London AND I was a suit amongst many high vis jackets and nobody seemed bothered. :cheers:

Aqualung
23-05-2013, 21:36
I haven't been there this Millenium but remember going here when it opened as I worked nearby (in an office opposite the Fountain as it happens, and it was a boring pub in those days). It was always basic (euphemism for a dive) and wasn't that busy when it first opened. The beer was always spot on and the last times I went there were for darts when it was pretty well rammed.

I wouldn't object to a score of 9 on my experience of it, but to me the idea of Hell in a pub is one with rubbish beer and a load of shaven headed morons screaming at a TV screen showing Footbore.

PaulOfHorsham
23-05-2013, 22:12
I noticed the Wenlock Arms gets ave 9/10.This to me was a dirty ,manky down at the heel back street boozer and one of the worst pubs visually i have used in London.

Well, lc, that's because it's an average of the views of all those who've reviewed the pub, not just your viewpoint. It's kind of in the nature of a 'social' website - a composite of views.

Conrad & Dave were anxious to downplay the significance of the score as, in another place, a lot of commotion was generated from pubs which rose quickly up the rankings. It's useful to read a review or two to form your own opinion as to whether that's the sort of place you may want to visit. Some reviewers even refuse to publish a mark out of 10 and that's fair enough. We each review and score from our own preferences and prejudices.

Apologies if it comes across a bit confrontational - got a 6.5%er coming to a close here! :drinkup:

Mobyduck
23-05-2013, 23:01
Looking at some pubs where i have not reviewed and as it is closed i cant anyway.I noticed the Wenlock Arms gets ave 9/10.This to me was a dirty ,manky down at the heel back street boozer and one of the worst pubs visually i have used in London.Now they had lots of beers so thats a plus but to me the quality could be variable.And those gents toilets well what can i say.New beers is the reason i used to visit. Over 40 times i have been there but 9/10 should be for a great pub or can manky boozers be great.I would appreciate your views on this puzzle. cheers john
I always liked the Wenlock,yes it was a bit grimey and dusty ,some may say downright dirty but I felt it was a honest unpretentious boozer,the beer was usually good and as you say lots of different beers,I was happy to give it an 8/10 in its day.On my last couple of visits ,over a year ago now , I agree the the quality of the beer(and the pub in my opinion)went downhill while the uncertainty of the future, and the owners just not wanting to be there, took effect,that aside I think it was great in its own way.I never found the locals to be a problem,quite the opposite in fact,possibly a little loud at times,I did find the tickers a bit irritating at times whilst waiting for a pint while they ordered 5 or 6 halves at a time to take back to there table to compare.
It's due to re-open in early June if what's said here (http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/13/1316/Wenlock_Arms/Hoxton) can be believed.I will certainly pay another visit if true.

london calling
24-05-2013, 23:25
Well, lc, that's because it's an average of the views of all those who've reviewed the pub, not just your viewpoint. It's kind of in the nature of a 'social' website - a composite of views.

Conrad & Dave were anxious to downplay the significance of the score as, in another place, a lot of commotion was generated from pubs which rose quickly up the rankings. It's useful to read a review or two to form your own opinion as to whether that's the sort of place you may want to visit. Some reviewers even refuse to publish a mark out of 10 and that's fair enough. We each review and score from our own preferences and prejudices.

Apologies if it comes across a bit confrontational - got a 6.5%er coming to a close here! :drinkup:

Paul i understand its an average mark.I am curious how it can be so high.Moby says grimey and dusty.Auqalung says (euphenism for a dive).I say manky.Hardly glowing reference for a great pub.How can i rate one of the best (only imo)pubs in London the Sussex Arms 9/10 as an equal to the Wenlock.Thanks for the feedback. cheers john

Bucking Fastard
25-05-2013, 11:36
Asking contributors to justify their ratings is moving into tricky territory,these sort of debates on BITE pub reviews are one of the reasons why folk have migrated to PuG.

The Wenlock was reviewed by 16 different PuG contributors which must make it one of the more heavily reviewed pubs on the data base,so the average is not drawn from just a few reviews.Its all about personal opinion.

Given that a new incarnation of this pub is about to open,I will no doubt give it a go and write an update then.

Rex_Rattus
25-05-2013, 19:15
I was one of the many contributors who gave the Wenlock an 8. It's horses for course I reckon. One person's manky dive is another's traditional honest boozer. For me, the Wenlock had that indefinable quality of "pub character". It's hard to define exactly what it is, but I know it when I see it! Everyone to their own I say. There are enough pubs in London to satisfy all tastes.

I too will be making a trip up to Hoxton to see the new incarnation.

Mobyduck
25-05-2013, 19:21
I was one of the many contributors who gave the Wenlock an 8. It's horses for course I reckon. One person's manky dive is another's traditional honest boozer. For me, the Wenlock had that indefinable quality of "pub character". It's hard to define exactly what it is, but I know it when I see it! Everyone to their own I say. There are enough pubs in London to satisfy all tastes.

I too will be making a trip up to Hoxton to see the new incarnation.
Well said Rex , thats exactly what I meant to say.

Aqualung
26-05-2013, 00:00
Asking contributors to justify their ratings is moving into tricky territory,these sort of debates on BITE pub reviews are one of the reasons why folk have migrated to PuG.

The Wenlock was reviewed by 16 different PuG contributors which must make it one of the more heavily reviewed pubs on the data base,so the average is not drawn from just a few reviews.Its all about personal opinion.

Given that a new incarnation of this pub is about to open,I will no doubt give it a go and write an update then.

I'm going to put my oar in here by stating that Spoons tend to be marked lower than they deserve, but I'm happy to admit that this may well be a personal prejudice!

I'm in no way a ticker but I would rather drink in a rat infested hovel with interesting beers rather than a clean and tidy pub selling perfectly served boring brown beers.

In my opinion the Antic Shabby-Chic thing is a pathetic gimmick which I am happy to now rename as Squalid-Chic.

The Bell in Walthamstow has got it right in that there are bare floorboards and random furniture, but apart from that the place doesn't look like it's just been renovated by Mr O'Reilly from Fawlty Towers.

Mobyduck
26-05-2013, 08:45
I'm in no way a ticker but I would rather drink in a rat infested hovel with interesting beers rather than a clean and tidy pub selling perfectly served boring brown beers.
Spot on.

Millay
27-05-2013, 12:11
It should be more dificult for pubs that are heavily reviewed to get higher ratings so I'm a bit surprised about the 9/10 as well. This site does hold many real ale devotees and the Wenlock is a pub that you'd only really go to for the ale. So maybe that explains it. It does still mean that there must be many who have given it a 10, perhaps this is a bit to do with sentiment as well, given its history.

hondo
05-06-2013, 09:12
Looking at some pubs where i have not reviewed and as it is closed i cant anyway.I noticed the Wenlock Arms gets ave 9/10.This to me was a dirty ,manky down at the heel back street boozer and one of the worst pubs visually i have used in London.Now they had lots of beers so thats a plus but to me the quality could be variable.And those gents toilets well what can i say.New beers is the reason i used to visit. Over 40 times i have been there but 9/10 should be for a great pub or can manky boozers be great.I would appreciate your views on this puzzle. cheers john

"council gave us some conditions with the refurbishment. We had to install"

http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2013/06/iconic-pub-re-opened-after-refurbishment/

Mobyduck
05-06-2013, 18:36
"council gave us some conditions with the refurbishment. We had to install"

http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2013/06/iconic-pub-re-opened-after-refurbishment/
This sounds like good news to me ,I will have a look as soon as I can.