Football-themed but a long way from being a football theme bar, the well-located Albion has much more to offer besides the rare pleasure of watching matches in a civilised environment with good beer to hand.

The Venue
Walk south from Hackney’s Broadway Market and on the other side of the Regent’s Canal the straight line of an old drover’s route to Smithfield becomes Goldsmiths Row, a stretch named after historic alms houses built here by the Goldsmiths’ Company in 1703 and still standing today. Haggerston Park with its city farm is only a short walk away. West’s Brewery once stood by the farm site, and in 1925 the brewery built this smallish mock-Tudor pub right next to the alms houses. It was known as the Duke of Sussex until current landlord David Chapman renamed it when he took it over in 1998 on retiring from the music industry.

There’s now a single indoor drinking area done out in spotless traditional style – except for the fact that practically every surface is crammed with an astonishing collection of football memorabilia: posters, photos, pennants, scarves, badges, press cuttings, rosettes and more. You’ll spot the colours of a wide range of teams from the UK and abroad, but dominating the scene are the navy and white tones of David’s team, West Bromwich Albion. A small panel of space is reserved for personal history, displaying the landlord’s collection of backstage passes from his previous career.

The Atmosphere
You don’t have to be a Baggies fan to drink at the Albion – it’s a place where fans of opposing teams can watch the same match good-naturedly, though when there’s a match on, football inevitably dominates. At quieter times it’s a friendly and welcoming place to come for a relaxed drink. Music is a secondary theme, with interesting radio stations often streamed over the speakers and live blues bands on Thursday nights. Other pastimes include darts – there’s a thriving pub team – and shove ha’penny.

The Food
Food is usually limited to weekday Farmer’s Lunches with bread and cheese or pâté, and seasonal outdoor barbecues at weekends.

The Drink
In recent years the Albion has become a modest beer destination too, and currently enjoys a Good Beer Guide listing. Four handpumps dispense Sharp’s Doom Bar, Taylor Landlord, a local guest often from Brodies, and a fourth choice that might well be one of the new lower duty 2.8% beers. There are also a few US craft beers on keg (Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada Pale) and in bottle (Anchor, Brooklyn, Goose Island), with Budvar as a classier lager choice. 12 good value wines start at £2.95 for a small glass.

The Last Word
An object lesson in how to create a genuine football pub that isn’t about tanked up tribal laddishness, the Albion is an unusual little discovery and it's one that's a useful extension to a cluster of attractive drinking options around Broadway Market.

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