ABOUT CAMRA
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, voluntary organisation once (Dec 2019) with 192,289 members campaigning for real ale, community pubs and consumer rights. Down (Dec 2025) to a eight-year low of 143,038 possibly due to the pandemic without beer festivals for renewals/new members.. But it could be that now members have been deprived of a monthly What’s Brewing paper and can only view information online that they find it no longer value for money? 22% of the over 65’s do not use the internet. CAMRA acts as the champion for beer drinkers and pub-goers on issues ranging from protecting pubs from closing down, keeping the lid on the price of a pint and ensuring there is fair competition in the beer and pubs market. CAMRA supports well-run pubs as the centres of community life and believe their continued existence play a critical social role in UK culture.
NEWS
2026 PIG’S EAR FESTIVAL T-SHIRTS see the festival page. Where are most “foreign” lagers brewed? According to this article it’s the UK. Our branch was 50 years old in 2024. Back in the day (1980-1989) the branch produced a local newsletter named unsurprisingly enough, Pigs Ear. Here is the Nov/Dec 1981 edition. One from Feb 85. But before that Bas Clarke produced the East London Newsletter. Here is the first volume from December 1976, Volume 3 and Volume 6. Volume 7 , Volume 10, Volume 13 , Volume 14 , Volume 15 , Volume 17, Volume 18 , Volume 19 and Volume 20.Photograph a pub.
What do the following pub/bars have in common?, Ciderhouse E7 0JN, Riverside East E20 2AD, Tommy Flowers Pub E14 0NU. None have a picture on CAMRA Pubs. If you can help please send us your photograph. A map with all the pubs plotted on them is here. Brewery History Society Website. The latest London Drinker is available here. CAMRA London Pubs Guide. London Beer & Pub Guide.Beer Barrels and Brewhouses Publication on
forgotten East End breweries. See here. PDF
here.
Do you know of any clubs not on this list?
Campaigning for real ale,
pubs & drinkers' rights
since 1971.
© Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: “All pages, their contents and related items are provided as is. Thus no liability, consequential or otherwise, rising from them is accepted. Where not already
belonging or assigned to others, all material remains our copyright. CAMRA East London & City 2026. Parts of this website were updated 16 September 2026..
Branch events
ROBERT’S RAMBLE 2026 - SATURDAY 3rd OCTOBER We will meet outside St Albans City Railway Station (town centre exit) by 12.00. We will then take a 15-minute walk to the London Road Station. This old station building is on a disused branch line that is now a cycling and walking trail. From there it is an eight-minute walk to our first pub, The Great Northern, 172 London Road, St Albans AL1 1PQ. This is an independent pub with up to five cask ales on, normally including a Porter or Stout. From here we will pass The Odyssey, a cinema with art-deco features. After an 11- minute walk we come to the Clock Tower, a medieval belfry completed in 1405. We will then visit The Boot, 4 Market Place, St Albans AL3 5DG. This Grade II listed dating back to 1422 has up to five cask ales. We will then do a ten-minute walk through the centre of St Albans, past the Museum, to St Peter’s Church, parts of which date back to 948 although the tower is from the 19th century. From here we will walk back through the centre and onto St Albans Cathedral (ten-minute walk). The cathedral dates back to the 8th century with the nave dating from the 11th century. From the cathedral it is a short 5-minute downhill walk to Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, 16 Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HE. This is reputed to be the oldest pub in Britain. It has up to 8 cask ales. From here we will do a 20-minute walk through Verulamium Park, where there are various Roman remains and then on through the picturesque St Michael’s Village to The Lower Red Lion, 34-36 Fishpool Street, St Albans AL3 4RX. This pub has up to five cask ales. We will then walk back to the centre of the town and visit The White Hart Tap, 4 Keyfield Terrace, AL1 1QJ (13-minute walk). This pub has four changing cask ales. From here it is a 15-minute walk back to the railway station. For those that want to stay longer, there are two GBG pubs very close to our last stop, these are The Garibaldi and The Beehive. There are two uphill stages of the walk, to the centre from the Old London Road station and from St Michael’s village to the centre. The walk will be around five miles in length. St Albans City Station is on the Thameslink line from central London stations such as Farringdon and London St Pancras International. Pete Roberts, I believe, can be seen on the front of June 1979 London Drinker mourning the demise of Watney’s Red Barrel. Monday October 5th. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear Planning meeting, Olde Rose & Crown 53 Hoe St, E17 4SA Tuesday October 20th. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear planning meeting, Black Lion, 59-61 High Street, E13 0AD. Thursday October 22nd. 6pm Social Leyton Orient Supporters club, Oliver Rd, E10 5NF. Club Ale night. Doors open 4pm. Close 10pm. Thursday October 29th. 6:30pm Pigs Ear Bar Trek, European, 557-559 Lea Bridge Road, E10 7EQ, and then 7:30pm E10 6AE William IV, 816 High Road, 8:15pm Coach & Horses, 319 High Road, 9:00pm Leyton Engineer, 265 High Road, 10pm Northcote Arms, 110 Grove Green Road [Timings approximate]. Tuesday November 3rd. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear planning meeting, Black Lion, 59-61 High Street, E13 0AD. Wednesday November 4th. 7:30pm Branch Meeting Ye Olde Mitre 1 Ely Court, EC1N 6SJ. Wednesday November 11th. 7pm Pigs Ear Bar Trek EC4A 1AN Wild Swan, 99 Fetter Lane and then 8pm EC1N 6SJ Ye Olde Mitre, 1 Ely Court, Ely Place, 8:45pm EC1N 7TR Craft Beer Co 82 Leather Lane, 9:30pm EC1A 7JR Bishops Finger, 9-10 West Smithfield [Timings approximate] Saturday November 14th 1pm Pig’s Ear Bar Trek, NW1 6SU Tapping the Admiral, 66 Castle Street, and then 2pm N1 2AS Pocket, 25 Canonbury Lane, 3:45pm E8 2JP Black Eel, 41 Kingsland High Street, 4:30pm E8 1JH Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, 5:15pm E8 1EJ Cock Tavern, 315 Mare Street, 6pm E9 6DU Chesham, 15 Mehetabel Road [Timings approximate] . Monday November 16th. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear planning meeting Olde Rose & Crown 53 Hoe St, E17 4SA. Thursday November 19th. 6:30pm Pigs Ear Bar Trek, EC3N 1YE Ye Three Lords, 27 Minories, 7:30pm E1 5LJ Pride of Spitalfields, 3 Henage Street, 8:15pm E2 6EG Carpenters Arms, 73 Cheshire Street, 9:00pm E2 6EY Kings Arms, 11A Buckfast Street, 10pm E2 8HP Great Beyond Taproom, 412 Union Walk. [Timing approximate] Anyone wishing to make social pub visits or any suggestions or give feedback is welcome to email James Skinner our Social Secretary. BEER SCORING If you tend to score the beers you drink then you need to read this article and this PDF as the system is changing.
WELCOME
t
Old Wine Shades EC4R from Rex Ward.
Campaigning for real ale,
pubs & drinkers' rights
since 1971.
WELCOME
NEWS
2026 PIG’S EAR FESTIVAL T-SHIRTS see the festival page. Where are most “foreign” lagers brewed? According to this article it’s the UK. Our branch was 50 years old in 2024. Back in the day (1980-1989) the branch produced a local newsletter named unsurprisingly enough, Pigs Ear. Here is the Nov/Dec 1981 edition. One from Feb 85. But before that Bas Clarke produced the East London Newsletter. Here is the first volume from December 1976, Volume 3 and Volume 6. Volume 7 , Volume 10, Volume 13 , Volume 14 , Volume 15 , Volume 17, Volume 18 , Volume 19 and Volume 20.Photograph a pub.
What do the following pub/bars have in common?, Ciderhouse E7 0JN, Riverside East E20 2AD, Tommy Flowers Pub E14 0NU. None have a picture on CAMRA Pubs. If you can help please send us your photograph. A map with all the pubs plotted on them is here. Brewery History Society Website. The latest London Drinker is available here. CAMRA London Pubs Guide. London Beer & Pub Guide.Beer Barrels and Brewhouses Publication on forgotten East End
breweries. See here. PDF here.
Do you know of any clubs not on this list?
Branch events
ROBERT’S RAMBLE 2026 - SATURDAY 3rd OCTOBER We will meet outside St Albans City Railway Station (town centre exit) by 12.00. We will then take a 15-minute walk to the London Road Station. This old station building is on a disused branch line that is now a cycling and walking trail. From there it is an eight-minute walk to our first pub, The Great Northern, 172 London Road, St Albans AL1 1PQ. This is an independent pub with up to five cask ales on, normally including a Porter or Stout. From here we will pass The Odyssey, a cinema with art-deco features. After an 11- minute walk we come to the Clock Tower, a medieval belfry completed in 1405. We will then visit The Boot, 4 Market Place, St Albans AL3 5DG. This Grade II listed dating back to 1422 has up to five cask ales. We will then do a ten-minute walk through the centre of St Albans, past the Museum, to St Peter’s Church, parts of which date back to 948 although the tower is from the 19th century. From here we will walk back through the centre and onto St Albans Cathedral (ten-minute walk). The cathedral dates back to the 8th century with the nave dating from the 11th century. From the cathedral it is a short 5-minute downhill walk to Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, 16 Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HE. This is reputed to be the oldest pub in Britain. It has up to 8 cask ales. From here we will do a 20-minute walk through Verulamium Park, where there are various Roman remains and then on through the picturesque St Michael’s Village to The Lower Red Lion, 34-36 Fishpool Street, St Albans AL3 4RX. This pub has up to five cask ales. We will then walk back to the centre of the town and visit The White Hart Tap, 4 Keyfield Terrace, AL1 1QJ (13-minute walk). This pub has four changing cask ales. From here it is a 15-minute walk back to the railway station. For those that want to stay longer, there are two GBG pubs very close to our last stop, these are The Garibaldi and The Beehive. There are two uphill stages of the walk, to the centre from the Old London Road station and from St Michael’s village to the centre. The walk will be around five miles in length. St Albans City Station is on the Thameslink line from central London stations such as Farringdon and London St Pancras International. Pete Roberts, I believe, can be seen on the front of June 1979 London Drinker mourning the demise of Watney’s Red Barrel. Monday October 5th. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear Planning meeting, Olde Rose & Crown 53 Hoe St, E17 4SA Tuesday October 20th. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear planning meeting, Black Lion, 59-61 High Street, E13 0AD. Thursday October 22nd. 6pm Social Leyton Orient Supporters club, Oliver Rd, E10 5NF. Club Ale night. Doors open 4pm. Close 10pm. Thursday October 29th. 6:30pm Pigs Ear Bar Trek, European, 557-559 Lea Bridge Road, E10 7EQ, and then 7:30pm E10 6AE William IV, 816 High Road, 8:15pm Coach & Horses, 319 High Road, 9:00pm Leyton Engineer, 265 High Road, 10pm Northcote Arms, 110 Grove Green Road [Timings approximate]. Tuesday November 3rd. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear planning meeting, Black Lion, 59-61 High Street, E13 0AD. Wednesday November 4th. 7:30pm Branch Meeting Ye Olde Mitre 1 Ely Court, EC1N 6SJ. Wednesday November 11th. 7pm Pigs Ear Bar Trek EC4A 1AN Wild Swan, 99 Fetter Lane and then 8pm EC1N 6SJ Ye Olde Mitre, 1 Ely Court, Ely Place, 8:45pm EC1N 7TR Craft Beer Co 82 Leather Lane, 9:30pm EC1A 7JR Bishops Finger, 9-10 West Smithfield [Timings approximate] Saturday November 14th 1pm Pig’s Ear Bar Trek, NW1 6SU Tapping the Admiral, 66 Castle Street, and then 2pm N1 2AS Pocket, 25 Canonbury Lane, 3:45pm E8 2JP Black Eel, 41 Kingsland High Street, 4:30pm E8 1JH Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, 5:15pm E8 1EJ Cock Tavern, 315 Mare Street, 6pm E9 6DU Chesham, 15 Mehetabel Road [Timings approximate] . Monday November 16th. 7:30pm Pig’s Ear planning meeting Olde Rose & Crown 53 Hoe St, E17 4SA. Thursday November 19th. 6:30pm Pigs Ear Bar Trek, EC3N 1YE Ye Three Lords, 27 Minories, 7:30pm E1 5LJ Pride of Spitalfields, 3 Henage Street, 8:15pm E2 6EG Carpenters Arms, 73 Cheshire Street, 9:00pm E2 6EY Kings Arms, 11A Buckfast Street, 10pm E2 8HP Great Beyond Taproom, 412 Union Walk. [Timing approximate] Anyone wishing to make social pub visits or any suggestions or give feedback is welcome to email James Skinner our Social Secretary. BEER SCORING If you tend to score the beers you drink then you need to read this article and this PDF as the system is changing.
ABOUT CAMRA
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, voluntary organisation once (Dec 2019) with 192,289 members campaigning for real ale, community pubs and consumer rights. Down (Dec 2025) to a eight-year low of 143,038 possibly due to the pandemic without beer festivals for renewals/new members.. But it could be that now members have been deprived of a monthly What’s Brewing paper and can only view information online that they find it no longer value for money? 22% of the over 65’s do not use the internet. CAMRA acts as the champion for beer drinkers and pub-goers on issues ranging from protecting pubs from closing down, keeping the lid on the price of a pint and ensuring there is fair competition in the beer and pubs market. CAMRA supports well-run pubs as the centres of community life and believe their continued existence play a critical social role in UK culture.
Old Wine Shades EC4R from Rex Ward.
Old Wine Shades EC4R from Rex Ward.
