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J Mark Dodds

@jmarkdodds

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The Eagle Ale House
104 Chatham Road
Battersea, SW11 6HG

The Eagle is an absolutely exceptional pub with a fantastic garden space at the back and an always wonderful range of excellent ales and keg, which are always in absolutely perfect on-point condition. Dave Law is a fantastic licensee. I totally love him. The only thing which prevents this from being my absolutely frequent go-to local is that it takes me more than an hour to get there from where I live in Brockley, south east 4

I came to the Eagle Ale House on Saturday 13 June 2026 to meet a friend of mine, Tony Saroff, who I worked with forty years ago. I think I say so in the video below. An interesting circular coincidence here is that Tony lived a couple of streets away back then. He's Australian and he's visiting England, the UK now, and I, at the time, lived in Ballum, near the Fernside Road, near the tube station. I suggested that we meet at the Eagle Ale House because the owner, Dave Law, is a great friend, and it didn't actually occur to me that Tony had been a regular there up till 1988. We arranged to meet at 3 pm.

I arrived a bit early. He was held up on a train, and when I arrived by a line bike, I was astonished. David told me that Thames Water had thrown these barriers up without any warning a couple of days before, and he sent me a couple of photographs. Nothing could prepare me for the reality of what I encountered. This is completely outrageous. No business should ever have to encounter this level of disruption unless with great planning and forewarning, and I took the photographs just out of shock. I called Tony a message to assure him that the pub was open, because on the approach you can't see the pub. You would assume that everything is closed down the street. This is just outrageous.

https://camra.org.uk/pubs/eagle-ale-house-battersea-140223 by @jmarkdodds

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4 months ago

Suffield Arms
393 Station Rd
Lower Street
Norwich NR11 8UE

Thanks to @norwichcamra for a frankly fabulous coach crawl around pubs from Great Yarmouth to villages in East Norfolk, taking in some really interesting public houses.

This understated, charming austerity of Suffield Arms' sparse exterior and grounds, on a damp day especially doesn't prepare you for the incredible things waiting inside this extraordinary pub.

Long story short. Resurrection of a pub that was vulnerable to abuse of domestic conversion, bought, creatively restored, and reimagined to being a wildly decent 21st century purpose proper public house by art collection owner / dealer Ivan Braka. Marvellously bold and successfully transformed secular social space. I was in awe of it. I love it.

Check it out on the website. It's worth making effort to visit. Brilliant venue, staff are on point, interior is brilliantly observed, furnishings impeccablly chosen. Attention to detail exceptional. Art on the walls is banging. The spaces flow gracefully from one to the other between complete, complimentary contrasts of ambiance and aplomb.

I don't get out often but rarely have I been so overwhelmimgly positively impressed. Hats off to the team and Braka for conceptualising such a great dream so effectively. It's a dream pub...

Go taken in The Suffield Arms by @jmarkdodds

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8 months ago

My last three days, in reverse taken in London, United Kingdom by @jmarkdodds

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2 days ago

So much beauty everywhere by @jmarkdodds

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2 days ago

Currently at my former public house, now called THE SUN of CAMBERWELL Ex The Sun and Doves 🌞☀️ + 🕊️ 🕊️

Busy with the young people who don't go to pubs anymore.

Urban Pubs and Bar by @jmarkdodds

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5 days ago

by @jmarkdodds

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10 days ago

#Joes #joeallen #london #coventgarden #theatre #restaurant by @jmarkdodds

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10 days ago

THE BLACK HORSE AND HARROW
Catford

MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT by @jmarkdodds

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16 days ago

The EYES by @jmarkdodds

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20 days ago

COME ON DOWN! by @jmarkdodds

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23 days ago

Caller: He has not taken on his enemies head-on.

James O’Brien: Who are his enemies?

Caller: And I’ll give you a great example here. Before the election — the last election here — it had been abundantly clear that the Conservatives had led this country to the point of beyond breaking.

James O’Brien: Yes.

Caller: Yet our political classes, our media — even, let’s say, I remember before Tony Blair became PM in ’97, even The Sun had endorsed him. All of these media moguls had withheld their consent to Starmer being PM.

James O’Brien: Yeah.

Caller: They held their breath. It had been abundantly clear to me, and to many people, that this same media class were never going to give him or the Labour Party any chance to succeed.

James O’Brien: When you say that, the little pebble in my pleb soul — what were they so scared of?

Caller: They were scared of an alternative voice being out there, however small, letting the public know — especially in this era of social media becoming more and more prominent — it would actually shed a light on how corrupt this class is, about how bent and how willing they are to drag this country to the pits of hell just so that they could be enriched. And that terrifies them.

James O’Brien: But he hasn’t done that.

Caller: No, he hasn’t. And I think that’s why — that’s where I say that he hasn’t been brave. He should have identified his opponents and had that seminal battle. He has got a great, stomping majority in Parliament. He would not have had a better opportunity to really — and I know this sounds dramatic in the sort of language — really knobble his opponents and let them know: I’m going to rule. I’ve got the ability to lead.

James O’Brien: I agree.

Caller: And he hasn’t done that.

My comment.. He's right. Getting into power Starmer immediately chose to squander a historically unique moment to drive the radical transformation UK society needs. Pathetic. by @jmarkdodds

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