The Red Barn, Barnehurst, Bexleyheath

Official site of The Red Barn - www.greatukpubs.co.uk

Official site of The Red Barn - www.greatukpubs.co.uk

This "Barn" is indeed another large suburban barn that once again is a Temple to the God of TV Sports. As mentioned below it's a roughly square room with a central roughly island bar and split into areas. There were TVs everywhere and I didn't bother to look any further than a seat near the entrance as it looked so boring. The beer choice could have been the result of a questionnaire asking for four beers you wouldn't want to see in a pub. They were London Pride, Marston's Bombardier, GK IPA and Doom Bore. I went for the London Pride (£3.00) which was very lively and slightly on the warm side. I thought it was a complete waste of time but at least the beer was relatively cheap.

I dropped in here for a swift one as I had a little time to spare before my train from Barnehurst Station next door. This is a Stonegate pub so one wouldn't expect anything very exciting in the way of ales as they tend to go for mainstream offerings. And this one didn't disappoint with Old Speckled Hen, Doom Bar and London Pride (£1.60 a half) on. The Pride was as good as you would expect from a non-Fuller's pub. As far as food goes, it's probably available most of the time, and although I didn't examine a menu in detail it looked like the usual glossy pubco type. It's clearly an original Charrington pub judging by the Toby motifs set in the side wall. But inside it's totally pubco with the smell of food/vinegar pervading the place. It's furnished as you might expect with tall tables/tall stools, bucket armchairs and normal tables and chairs. The best feature for me was the grandfather clock in the room round to the left of the bar counter. There's also a garden at the back, as well as a pool table in a small room on the right as you enter. This pub is very handy for Barnehurst Station, and in any case is fine if you're after a basic pubco meal and are happy with mainstream beers.