London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southeast London: Other – Chelsfield
Five Bells, Chelsfield BR6 (London)
Traditional pub (Enterprise)
Church Road, Chelsfield BR6 7RE
T 01689 821044 w thefivebells-chelsfieldvillage.co.uk
Open 1100 (1200 Sun)-2300 (2230 Sun). Children very welcome if dining or outside.
Cask beer 4 (Sharp’s, Wells & Young’s, 2 guests) Cask Marque, Also 12 wines from local supplier
Food Enhanced pub grub, Outdoor Very large garden, Wifi. No disabled toilet but will assist with access.
Tue quiz, Wed fortnightly open mic, Thu monthly jazz, occasional Sat live music, beer festivals, seasonal events, darts, bat & trap, functions.
This pretty village pub in the rural reaches of Bromley was built around 1664, at the time the nearby church of St Martin of Tours – celebrated today for its original Norman features – had a fifth bell installed, thus the name. The building has been altered since but retains its charm as a rustic weatherboarded Kentish pub with a big garden and an even bigger adjoining meadow used for marquee receptions and the local game of bat and trap. Landlords Ade and Kay took over in 2005 and have worked hard to build its appeal, with regular events, a warm welcome and great beer, ensuring it a Good Beer Guide listing.
Courage Best (it’s a former Courage house) and Doom Bar are the regular casks, and guests come from Kent breweries like Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Westerham as well as Adnams, Cottage or Rudgate. There’s a deliberate policy of avoiding too many golden ales. Food is of unpretentiously good quality, freshly cooked from local ingredients – for example steak and kidney puds, fish and chips or goat cheese and asparagus tart. The pub retains its two bar layout with a proper public bar complete with ancient beams, dartboard and fireplace, and a saloon bar that has been extended significantly into a restaurant section at the back. Well worth a relatively straightforward journey via Orpington and a bus that stops right outside, or a break on a walk through London’s countryside.
National Rail Orpington, Chelsfield Bus Chelsfield Five Bells (R3 Orpington) Cycling Link to LCN+ 22 Walking Chelsfield Circular Walk
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