Ambling along from Lewisham station - along a dirty gridlocked road, past an ugly retail park next to a giant building site – it is fair to say I wasn’t looking forward to the pub in the middle of this melee.

But at the same time, if ever an oasis was needed then it was here.

The Rising Sun is hardly glamorous from the outside, but it is tidy enough. The fascia simultaneously looked fresh but old while a panel on the door was broken and a sign stuck to the inner door warned that non-regulars had to pay £7 to get in when the football is on.

It is hardly welcoming (though your £7 does equate to two drinks tokens, so it’s more a deposit than a fee). Frankly, I feared what I would find when I pushed the door open.

The first thing I noticed were the screens, which obviously make the pub so attractive to footy fans.

They could not be more prominent and when I went in were showing the nags, with a few of the gnarled regulars checking the form guides.

It is obviously a Millwall bar too – with shirts and photos making the most of the Lions’ relatively scant successes.

Despite how it may sound at this point, The Rising Sun was actually very welcoming.

The friendly, well-turned-out barmaid practically danced over to serve me with a smile and happily poured my pint while I nipped to the cash point opposite.

My Fosters cost £3.40 and the range on tap was fairly disappointing but I won’t hold the pub too responsible – there was a sweet poster pinned up, presumably by the landlords, explaining they had no choice but to increase prices because of the brewery.

On a weekday late afternoon, there was a good smattering of punters and they were refreshingly varied. There were groups of friends, male and female, young and old, all enjoying each other’s company.

It was jovial atmosphere you don’t find often.

What was intriguing about this pub was how well everyone was chatting away when the place seems well set up with distractions.

As well as the two TVs, there’s a pool table and a couple of dart boards. It’s almost like a clubhouse.

And it seems the Sun’s drinkers are more successful than the team down at the Den. They had certainly won more trophies, which lined tops of the walls.

While it maintained these bastions of a great man-cave, I suppose it was accessible for everyone. For starters, I don’t know what is was but there was a nice smell (not often I write that) and plain but attractive use of wood cladding, exposed brick and a decorated chalkboard.

There were even fetching lampshades over the bar. But none of it verged on pretentious, it was just comfortable.



The Rising Sun, Loampit Vale, Lewisham

How it rated:

Decor *** Comfortable

Atmosphere **** Friendly and welcoming

Staff ***** Made me feel welcome

Drink* Not a brilliant selection

Price*** I’ve paid more for less