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A cross between a sewage works and a shrine to Liverpool FC, this dour Dover pub was pretty much devoid of atmosphere.
With walls strewn with a multitude of LFC scarves, and painted in Anfield red, it’s not difficult to work out who the landlord supports. But, I was left thinking that if he could be persuaded to spend time fixing the plumbing instead of following football then the hefty wafts of sewage flooding the bar could be stifled.
At first sight, the Eagle Tavern on London Road doesn’t look to have much going for it; ignoring the footie frippery, the front bar is fairly tatty, there’s not a great selection of drinks and the fireplace looks as dead as the rest of the pub.
To give the barmaid her due she did grab a bottle of Domestos to tackle the stench from the gents but said in her experience no amount of bleach would touch it. In the end, she quickly gave up and, taking the advice of the punter dressed in a burgundy suit, popped outside for a fag instead.
I’d played it safe with a pint of Madri lager for £5, which seemed fairly reasonable and, at the time, I didn’t think much of it, but later realised the pricing model has been set at this rate for all the beers.
Although it’s not surprising the pub was quiet on a Thursday afternoon it was frequented by some interesting characters and I quickly found myself surrounded by a couple of likely fellows, who it turns out, were both ex-publicans in a past life.
The chat switched between US/UK politics to footballers feigning injury and then, most interesting to me, the history of this and other local pubs, many sadly no longer with us.
Now a big open bar at the front, I’m told the Eagle Tavern used to have a fantastic little snug on the left where you’d have ‘felt safe to bring your mum in for a drink’. A previous owner had the wall knocked out to create a larger, more open pub which was then renamed the Old Irish Times.
I could avoid visiting the gents no longer and was surprised that the smell inside wasn’t quite as bad as the smell leaching into the bar, though the sign stuck on the wall with Blu Tack told the story of the lack of running water – ‘Sink out of use, please use sanitizer’.
Just a swift glance around was enough to confirm that there are other areas of the toilets which also need urgent attention.
And, I must mention the square black stickers added to the white wall tiles, many of which have now peeled off, as I have absolutely no idea what purpose they serve or what the person who applied them was thinking.
A sign on the wall opposite greets you as you leave the gents informing you that you’re stupid whichever direction you choose.
I, perhaps stupidly, turned right, where I witnessed a steady stream of black bin bags being taken through the bar to the front of the pub ready for collection.
There is also a back bar, equipped with a pair of pool tables and two dartboards, as well as another fruit machine and many more Scouse scarves.
In the front there is a larger fruit machine, a jukebox, two big TV screens (not switched on) and several very bright lightbulbs hung above the bar on what looked like rope nooses.
By now, despite the wind and rain, one regular had managed to arrive bang on his usual time, and as soon as he was seated in front of the window by the door his pint of Fosters was delivered by the barmaid. She also said she put the radiator on ahead of his arrival so it had time to warm up. Now, that’s service for you.
All that remains to be explained is the Eagle’s charging policy, which declares ‘cash is king’. Any card payment is set at a £5 minimum – thus a £5 Madri costs £5, a £4.70 Boddingtons costs £5 and a £4.70 Kronenbourg costs £5. I’m not sure how much I would have been charged if I had ordered two pints of Boddingtons.
I’m sure that over the years this has been a grand establishment, renowned for serving decent ales and extending a warm welcome to all visitors.
Sadly, the Eagle Tavern now seems a shadow of what it was years ago and it’s extremely difficult to come up with a single reason to recommend it.
EAGLE TAVERN, 324 LONDON ROAD, DOVER CT17 0SX
Décor: Disregarding the partisan nature of much of the decoration, the rest of the place is tatty and unkempt. The state of the gents is frankly unforgivable and much could be improved here very easily. *
Drink: Boddingtons is the only ale on tap but there are a reasonable number of lagers available. Cocktails were on offer but I chose not to go this route. **
Price: It doesn’t matter what you order, each pint is a fiver if you choose to use a card. Boddingtons £4.70 (£5), Kronenbourg £4.70 (£5), Madri £5. An Up The Eagle fishbowl is a tenner and four pints of cocktail £15. ***
Staff: By her own admission the barmaid is fairly new to her role but, between serving, she did try to keep herself busy with other tidying tasks. **
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