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Picture source: Chris Crowther

The Downham Tavern was situated on Downham Way. This pub was opened on 29th May 1930, and is now the only pub on an estate with a population of around 29,000 - apparently this was deliberate as LCC (Lewisham County Council) didn't want the predominantly semi skilled workers from spending too much time in a pub!! It was, however, the world’s largest pub at that time – the Downham Tavern boasted a dance hall, beer garden, two saloon bars, a public lounge and ‘lunchroom’. re 2 Bars each 45ft in length able to accept 1000 customers at one time!!! The brewers were Barclay Perkins and co. Its bar has been quoted in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest bar - before the pub was renovated and the Co-op built a store on half the grounds with a car park and a much smaller pub was created. It was closed in March 2013 following to a police raid and arrests of 20 people for drug related charges.

Source: Graham Collom

Now reopened.

Paul Gray (January 2016)

My name was Christine Rowland aged approx 8 years of age when I lived in this pub for a while, when my Father moved us in to help my Uncle Jack and his wife Poppy who ran this pub in the 1960's. I think they had it before the 60's for a while. We were known as the Rowland family and all my uncles and Aunts ran many pubs in and around London. The Downham tavern had the longest bar recorded in the Guiness Book of records. I t was a large pub (at least to me as a child) and remember the land which my uncle had many chickens. My uncle Jack Rowland passed with illness and my Father had moved us on to a pub called the Crown at Willesden another lost pub now I believe. We also had the Cricklewood trades Hall in the 1950's. I had cousins at this pub but never really got to know them but I believe was a Paul and a John Rowland slightly older than me. I was told that my Aunt Poppy was a Romany Gipsy.

Christine Gerrard (December 2023)

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Picture source: Chris Crowther