A FOREST HILL pub has been recognised as Pub of the Year by the south east London branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The Blythe Hill Tavern in Stanstead Road was crowned for the second time on May 17 and won praise for offering four real ales and live Irish music on Thursdays.

CAMRA Branch chairman Alan Jepson congratulated landlord of 24 years Con Riordan and manager Terry MacSweeney.

Mr Jepson said: "At a time when many pubs in the area are being closed down and converted into flats or betting shops, the Blythe Hill Tavern stands proud as an example of how a community pub should be: traditional, no-nonsense, no fancy food and three separate rooms. A place where people come for good conversation and a drink.”

He added: “There aren't many places like the Blythe Hill left - a rarity in London as a whole. Long may it continue."

The late-Victorian corner pub is also featured in CAMRA’s Regional Inventory for London, which lists pubs with special historic interest, because of its 1920s woodwork and its resistance of the trend to knock down partitions to create one room.