Black Prince pub and a visit to the Cinema Museum

I had a spiffingly SE11-esque day on Sunday...

First, we went to lunch at the Black Prince pub (6 Black Prince Road). I heard that it had been refurbished back in December, and the effort appears to have paid off. The interior is lovely, all dark wood, with two fires at either end of the pub. Service was impeccable and all of the bar staff were really friendly. There appears to be a variety of beers on tap. Food was mid-range (think prices similar to The Bear, Camberwell), but good. We ordered two roast dinners (I strongly recommend the cheese/quince tart veggie option), and our only foodie complaint is that the veg. were rather al dente. However, I'm aware that that's something of a fashion statement at the moment so I'm inclined to charitably assume that they weren't just undercooked. I noticed a number of nice touches eg. pie evening on Tuesdays at more than reasonable prices. Mmmm. Pie. I love pie. We will definitely be back for pie night.

Anyhow, the Black Prince is a really lovely pub (I have no connection), and it's definitely cheaper and quieter that The White Hart, and has none of the "ick" of the Dog House. My one issue with the whole experience is actually my fault. The pub markets itself (even on the outside) as a "live sports" venue, which I failed to notice. But even with that knowledge, I feel that there's a slight clash of aims. In order to satisfy both the patrons who are eating, and those who are there for the sport, the TVs show the football without volume and pleasant classical music plays in the background (somewhat frustrating for fans, you might think). Even with that huge concession, it felt a little bit uncomfortable to be surrounded by cheering football fans when trying to eat a roast dinner! My advice to diners is to try and sit in the cove at the other end of the pub, away from the screens. I couldn't quite decide whether the pub was aiming for the monied gay folk of SE11 or trying to be a kind of "local" for football fans (not that these two groups need be different, mind). I'm not convinced that it manage to pull off either as well as it should, but I will definitely be back, and I recommend it to readers!

The second part of the afternoon was spent visiting The Cinema Museum in Duggard Way. I'd never been before, and wanted to go and check it out, especially as it's currently in danger. It appears the site has been bought by a property developer, who will probably eventually want to turn it into flats. On the one hand, I have some sympathy for their plight, but on the other hand, the museum does come over as a kind of private collection for a select few individuals. It's rarely open to the public, but since they were holding a fund raiser at the weekend, it seemed worth popping in. I'm glad I did. The building that houses the collection is the administration wing of the old Lambeth Workhouse, and it's an exquisite building. I've taken a few photos so you can see what I mean (apologies for quality, but they were taken on my mobile phone camera as I forgot the other one).

The upstairs room is wonderfully light because of large windows on all 3 sides:



The Chaplin figure fits the space perfectly:



Some of the museum memorabilia:





Posters for sale:




This item particularly caught my eye.  Although it was taken on the Old Kent Road, it captured a particular era in London when small (though dangerous) cinemas could be opened up in shop fronts.  Made me feel quite nostalgic for a time I never knew...

There are better photos on The Cinema museum's website here and here.

According to their website, the Cinema Museum are looking to move once again (and indeed open the collection to the public) and are considering venues...