Since re-opening under new management at the beginning of September Charlton’s White Swan pub has quickly built up a loyal audience and a programme of events that puts longer-established pubs in the area to shame, with live music each weekend, a weekly quiz, and even a free cheeseboard on Sundays.
Food’s now on the menu too…
https://twitter.com/SwanPubSE7/status/657189725216841728
Pub manager Eren sends us news of their first beer festival:
Our first annual beer festival will take place from October 30th – 1st November. During the course of that weekend:
Friday – Festival kicks off and we have live music from Dennis Greaves (9 Below Zero). We’re aiming to have around 15-20 ales & ciders.
Saturday 31st – Halloween party: Fancy dress strongly encouraged, pumpkin carving for kids from 1pm, live music from The Duplicates from 9pm. Also the rugby final at 4pm!
Sunday 1st Nov – The Oakland Brothers bring their acoustic sounds at 6pm.
This Friday brings a night of Northern Soul and Rare Groove – The Charlton Champion hopes this will become a regular event:
It’s not just music, though: local author Paul Breen
These past few weeks have shown me that there is a community in Charlton, and that all those different groups of people who I know also happen to know one another, and enjoy coming together in shared social spaces. I’ve met people there, and invited people there who I’ve never socialised with before in a pub. At times it’s felt like EastEnders, which being from Ireland I thought all London pubs were like anyway. Growing up, watching TV, most of England’s conversations seemed to take place in the pub, andrecently The White Swan has brought me back to memories of those soap operas I don’t watch anymore – places like The Queen Vic, The Rovers Return, and The Woolpack. Mind you though, I’m not putting names to Charlton’s versions of Grant Mitchell, Emily Bishop, Hilda Ogden, Dirty Den, or Bet Lynch.
It’s just good to see this drawing together of a community, and a sense that there’s a place you can go to on the edges of London’s incessant rush, and know somebody who’s there and have a chat.
One of the developments I have been involved in has been the creation of a Writers’ Group who have decided to hold regular gatherings on Monday evenings at half past seven. Once a month we have a theme, and all other Mondays are just going to be drop in sessions. Everyone is welcome to the drop in sessions happening next week and the week after, and then the theme night on Monday 2nd November, where the theme is Comedy & Humour. As I said, feel free to come along to perform, participate, discuss, watch, chat, drink, or whatever. Everyone’s welcome regardless of how or what they write. Some of us are published authors, bloggers or journalists, and some are artists in other areas, and some novices.
The Charlton Champion 