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There’s a train outside The Fox & Firkin, an actual, proper, 1950s carriage. It serves as a seldom-used private hire space but primarily it’s just the backdrop to this Lewisham pub, club and venue’s vast outdoor spacxe. Such is the scale of the place, that the train is barely noteworthy, tucked into a legendary beer garden and vast adult playground with festival-style canopies, benches and food trucks. There’s a stage, a photobooth, seating arrangements in what look like mausoleums, pool tables and a bar with lit-up signage reading BACKSTAGE. A soon-to-open new area, carved from the square footage of a closed-down ‘antiques’ shop, will add a cafe, taproom and street food hub.
The Fox’s free-spirited feel is embedded in its history. The second in the Firkin group, the slightly anarchic, student-friendly pub chain and brewery launched in 1979, the Fox & Firkin broke off as a rogue entity somewhere down the road. When the chain collapsed, the Fox survived - but only just. Much of the ethos remains - there’s a restored brewery in a warehouse beyond the garden, on the site where the beer for the whole Firkin chain was once brewed.
The Fox’s free-spirited feel is embedded in its history
The Fox & Firkin has surpassed its fallen brethren. Its musical programme - which takes place indoor, outdoor, late or all-day - is outstanding, a global offering of dub, rave, jazz, d’n’b, soul and highlife. Recent performers include Fabio & Grooverider, Mutya Buena and The Sugarhill Gang.
Not just a pub, the Fox is a year-round festival for daytime families and ravers alike. That train represents the just-do-it spirit that frequently sees the Fox rammed with the most mad-for-it people in London. The last bastion of the Firkin empire stands tall.
Order this
A pint of the house-brewed Ladywell Pale - so you can drink from a glass that says ‘Get Me A Firkin Pint.’ Then return the next day for a hangover breakfast in the brand new street cafe.
Time Out tip
Check out like-minded and music-loving pub The Ladywell Tavern, just around the corner.