"Through a warped glass sweetly"

A review of Champion Of The Thames by Alan di Scimmia - Wednesday 23rd of November 2005

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No other pub in England quite matches the Champ for ambience and enjoyment, but you need to know the best time to visit.

Nestled cosily halfway down a street renowned for its drinking venues, it seems out of place: easily missed from the outside; and once inside, one feels it would be better suited to a village, and not a busy city centre.

You wouldn't want to be there when it's packed. No, it truly comes alive at those times of day when no men should really be hanging about in pubs.

Go in at ten to three in the afternoon; buy a pint of excellent ale, and sit down with a crossword to do. This is when the Champ truly lives and breathes, transformed into the nearest place Cambridge has to compare with Soho in the fifties.

The locals - bearded, not unfriendly - sit in silent contemplation; content in the company of people they've known for so long that conversation is no longer necessary. They can read moods from the manner in which their companions enter, and act in accordance.

Sometimes, some will play dominoes; at other times, tipsy from too many hours spent there already, they'll engage the stranger in chat, usually at the stranger's expense. He must give as good as he gets.

The pub also used to field an excellent quiz team on Sunday evenings, though beware of shouting out the answers while the competition is going.

If you've nothing better to do, or are fatigued with the bustle of the city centre, find a seat, and view the world through the warped and dusty windows of the Champ. Sometimes, that's the only place the world makes sense.

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