Talk about train beers...
The Holly Tree pub in Forest Gate is a beautiful boozer off the bat, what with its stained glass windows, and pretty fireplaces and palm-filled conservatory. But it comes with a very special added bonus — a fully-functioning miniature railway in the beer garden!
Operating from 1pm-4pm every Saturday and Sunday in the summer, the Holly Tree Railway can pull of will make you feel like a child again. As for your actual kids, they can of course ride it too — making this one pub they will happily let you stay in all afternoon. Score!
The little loco was the idea of the pub's owner, erstwhile Olympian swimmer, and dealer of restored Routemaster buses, Robert Thomas. "I have a penchant for pubs and for all things mechanical so adding a 7 ¾ gauge train to the garden of our latest pub, is the perfect fit," Robert told us when we visited the Holly Tree in 2019. Chuffing brilliant.
The Holly Tree, 141 Dames Road, Forest Gate
All images: Holly Tree pub
