The Old Dog and Bell.

I went out for a rare evening drink last night to the Dog and Bell, where I met up for a drink with an old schoolfriend, Ian Powling.  I knew he was going to bring some photos but I hadn't been expecting to see so many photos of the pub as it was back in 1984.  In the days before Charlie and Eileen, previous owners had allowed Ian to film a scene for a short (award-winning) film called ''Just Looking'' in there.  It's quite odd to see the pub as it was 25 years ago., though it's good to see that London Pride, with an earlier logo on the hand pump, was already being served.  Behind the bar, there are Scampi Fries, a smoking-paraphernalia cabinet on the wall and their generous selection of whiskies is already in evidence.

 

Looking from the bar to the door, where now stands an indoor-porch kind of arrangement, there was a simple curtain .

That curtain and rail is behind the seated drinker facing the camera.  And behind where the man is standing is where the steps and entrance to the side bar now stands. 

More Bog and Del than Dog and Bell, this is the view looking the other way from the bar.  The bar curved round - it's now a wall with a corridor and on the far wall is the door leading to the ladies(?) toilets.

Looking directly away from the bar, where a small table now stands, is the end of a bench seat which stretched right up to the curtain-rail by the entrance (see 2 pictures above.)

I'm going to have to go back and do some ''as it is now'' photos to help comparison.  Though, as I think I appear as a much younger marmoset in one of the photos linked below, I'm not going to do a then and now of myself.

There are more photos of the pub here

(Pictures copyrighted to Ian Powling.)