Down the River
Pubs in Wandsworth & Battersea
PUBS IN SW11 Part 1 (A-G)
This printout of the online version of Down the River lists the pubs alphabetically from A - G and has been updated by information reported up to January 2010. For the Rest of the SW11 pubs see the SW11 Part 2 (H-Z) page. To buy the printed version of any of our local guides go to the CAMRA on-line shop at http://shop.camra.org.uk/
Eventually we will have all the pubs in our area available on-line via the very useful www.whatpub.org website. We intend this to be the most up-to-date pubs listing available for South West London pubs.
For now we now have UPDATED on-line versions of the three earliest publications available on this website. Either use the Pubs drop down menu at the top of any page for direct links to the on-line pubs lists or click the links below for a list of the pubs in the relevant postcode area:
If you spot any errors or omissions in our listings please contact our Pubs Officer, Geoff Strawbridge geoff.strawbridge@camraswl.org.uk, with the details.
TRANSPORT
Stations
NR - Battersea Park, Clapham Junction, Queenstown Road
Access is easy by Bus or National Rail.
Use the TfL Journey Planner to find your way.
HISTORY
This area between the River, Battersea Park and Clapham and Wandsworth Commons was first recorded as Badric’s Island in 693AD. Battersea the postal district is not actually home to either the Dogs’ & now also Cats’ Home or the Power Station but does have at its heart the mighty Clapham Junction railway station, whilst the original village of Battersea is centred on Battersea Square. The Dutch-gabled Raven One Forty dates from the 17th Century.
Battersea was largely given over to market gardens growing carrots, melons, asparagus and lavender until the 19th Century when the railway came bringing much industry in its wake. There were at one time glucose, gas, candle and chemical works in the area some of whose emissions used to combine with the more delicate aromas of Young’s Brewery to produce the once pungent Wandsworth Smell.
The 19th Century Sunday fairs in the fields later to become Battersea Park were attended by thousands indulging in various sports, drinking and gambling. The Duke of Wellington fought a duel here in 1829 and the nearby Red House Tavern was described as attracting ‘the riff-raff of London’.
PUBS
Pubs are listed in alphabetical order.
Photos are by our webmaster, Mike Flynn.
Facilities are coded under each real ale pub entry:
NR/LU/TL - Rail, tube or tram station within 1/2 mile:
AC - Accommodation
CP - Own car park:
DF - Disabled access + WC
FA - Children welcome:
GD - Garden or outdoor drinking area
SN - Snacks (sandwiches, pies etc):
ML - Lunchtime meals
ME - Evening meals:
RS - Restaurant
FR - Function room:
PB - Separate public bar
PG - Traditional pub games:
QP - Quiet pub
RI - Regional Inventory:
LocAle - CAMRA LocAle Accredited
ALCHEMIST
225 St Johns Hill
SW11 1TH
Website: thealchemistbar.com
Punch
No real ale
Formerly Mess, previously Common Rooms and originally Fishmongers Arms.
ALL BAR ONE
7-9 Battersea Square
SW11 3RA
Mitchells & Butlers
CLOSED
ANCHOR
61 Holgate Avenue
SW11 2AT
Enterprise
No real ale
Estate pub with a separate public bar
ARTISAN & VINE
126 St Johns Hill
SW11 1SL
Website: www.artisanandvine.com
No real ale
Upmarket wine bar with keg lager, formerly Cuban, One Two Six, originally Napier Arms
ASPARAGUS
1-13 Falcon Road
SW11 2PL
Tel: 020-7801 0046 Website: jdwetherspoon.co.uk
09.00 - 00.00
Wetherspoon
Courage Best Bitter; Greene King Abbot; Marston Pedigree; guest beers. Weston Organic Vintage Cider
Opened in July 1998 in shop units under offices. Turquoise exterior paintwork and various shades of green and blue inside with stained glass. Typical open-plan, split level layout. TV sports. Named after local 19th century asparagus crop which was sold in ‘Battersea Bundles’.
NR(Clapham Jct)
DF FA GD SN ML ME QP
BABEL
3-7 Northcote Road
SW11 1NG
Website: www.faucetinn.com
Faucet Inns
No real ale
Principally a restaurant, formerly Significant Half.
NR(Clapham Jct)
BANK
31-37 Northcote Road
SW11 1NJ
Tel: 020-7924 7387 Website: www.fullers.co.uk
11.00 - 23.00 Mon - Thu, 11.00 - 00.00 Fri & Sat, 12.00 - 22.30 Sun
Fuller
Fuller’s London Pride
A well patronised, welcoming oasis, serving good quality ale in trendy Nothcote Road. DJs Sat evenings. Newly refurbished with stronger emphasis on food. Formerly Fine Line.
NR(Clapham Jct)
DF FA(until 18.00) ML ME
BAR CALVADOS
52 Battersea Rise
SW11 1EG
Website: bar-calvados.co.uk
Free
No real ale
NR(Clapham Jct)
BARRIO
14 Battersea Square
SW11 3RA
Website: www.barrio-bar.com
No real ale
Cocktail bar with draught lagers and Mexican bottled beers
BATTERSEA BAR
58 York Road
SW11 3QD
Admiral
No real ale
Formerly Chopper, with the heliport nearby. Opposite Sambrook’s Brewery.
BEAUFOY BAR
18 Lavender Hill
SW11 5RW
No real ale
Formerly Beaufoy Arms, Caribbean menu.
BEEHIVE
197 St Johns Hill
SW11 1TH
Tel: 020-7564 1897 Website: www.fullers.co.uk
11.00 - 23.00 Mon - Thu, 11.00 - 00.00 Fri & Sat, 12.00 - 23.00 Sun
Fuller
Fuller’s London Pride, ESB, guest beer
A small, friendly, one-roomed local with a real public bar feel to it. Everyone welcome, including children. Unobtrusive background music from a classic jukebox makes way for live performances Thu evenings. A regular entry in the Good Beer Guide.
NR(Clapham Jct)
FA ML(Mon - Fri)
BOLINGBROKE
174 Northcote Rd.
SW11 6RE
Tel: 020-7228 4040 Website: thebolingbroke.com
11.00 - 23.00 Mon - Wed, 11.00 - 00.00 Thu & Fri, 10.00 - 00.00 Sat, 10.00 - 22.30 Sun
Renaissance
Taylor Landlord; guest beer (often from Sambrook’s)
A family-friendly corner ‘Pub & Dining Room’ opened in August 2008 in previous ‘Niksons Bar & Restaurant’ premises. Meals served lunchtimes and evenings Mon to Sat and all day to 21.00 on Sundays. No TV. Disabled toilet; covered smoking area on pavement patio. Side bar available for functions. Revives name of pub in Cobham Close demolished for housing in 2008.
NR(Clapham Jct)
DF FA MA ML ME
BRITISH FLAG
103/105 Culvert Road
SW11 5AU
No real ale.
Briefly CAREYS 5
BRUNEL
37 Battersea Bridge Road
SW11 3BA
No real ale
Formerly S Bar, originally Earl Spencer.
CARBON
165 St Johns Hill
SW11 1TQ
Tel: 020-7228 4040 Website: thebolingbroke.com
11.00 - 23.00 Mon - Wed, 11.00 - 00.00 Thu & Fri, 10.00 - 00.00 Sat, 10.00 - 22.30 Sun
CLOSED
Formerly Brown Sugar - a Caribbean restaurant and lounge bar, Boom, originally Barringtons.
NR(Clapham Jct)
CASTLE
115 Battersea High Street
SW11 3HS
Tel: 020-7228 8181 Website: youngs.co.uk
11.00 - 23.30 Mon - Fri, 11.00 - 00.00 Sat, 11.30 - 23.00 Sun
Young
Wells Bombardier, Young’s Bitter, Special - RAiB: Champion, Special London Ale
1960s pub with an intimate, candle-lit interior and conservatory. The former public bar is now a dining room. Large heated marquee for smokers. High quality food and extensive wine list appeal to upmarket Battersea residents but the pub attracts a mixed local clientele. Music quiz alternate Weds.
GD SN ML ME
CHELSEA REACH
189 Battersea Park Road
SW11 4LB
Admiral
No real ale
CHURCHILLS
151 St Johns Hill
SW11 1TQ
Tel: 020-8265 7265
11.00 - 00.00 Mon - Thu, 11.00 - 01.00 Fri & Sat, 11.30 - 23.30 Sun
Free
Fuller’s London Pride, guest beer
Lively local with long, narrow bar and enclosed garden/conservatory to rear. A friendly pub, good for smokers. TV sports, live music fortnightly. No food on Mondays. Formerly Princes Puzzle and previously Prince of Wales.
NR(Clapham Jct)
FA GD SN ML ME
CROWN (Jack Beard’s)
102 Lavender Hill
SW11 5RD
Tel: 020-7228 8215
11.00 - 23.00 Sun - Thu, 11.00 - 00.00 Fri & Sat
Enterprise (CC Taverns trading as Jack Beard’s)
Courage Best Bitter; Fuller’s London Pride
A landmark, listed Victorian pub retaining Truman tiled exterior and signage, high ceiling and island bar. Popular for football, especially with Chelsea supporters. Juke box and occasional music events. Downstairs kitchen makes sandwiches for local offices; any left are sold across the bar for charity.
NR(Clapham Jct)
GD(pavement patio) PG
DRAFT HOUSE NORTHCOTE ROAD
94 Northcote Road
SW11 6QW
Website: www.drafthouse.co.uk
Sambrook’s Wandle, Junction; Guest beer
Formerly Pitcher & Piano
DUCK
110 Battersea Rise
SW11 1EJ
Orchid
Fuller’s London Pride
Reinstatement of real ale in this Orchid pizza pub by new ex-M&B (Nicholson) licensees after summer 2009 refurbishment. Formerly Dog & Duck, previously Savilles.
NR(Clapham Jct)
DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE
228 Battersea Bridge Road
SW11 3AA
Tel: 020-7223 5662; Website: www.thedukeofcambridge.com
11.00 - 00.30 Mon - Sat, 12.00 - 23.00 Sun
Young
Wells Bombardier, Young’s Bitter, Special
Now an upmarket gastropub serving a predominantly well heeled clientele. A mix of high stools and lived-in sofas surrounds the original island bar with heritage-green painted bar-back. Smokers can shelter under the substantial glass and iron roof covering the front terrace. TV sports. Quiz Wed.
NR(Clapham Jct)
FA GD SN ML ME
EAGLE (ALE HOUSE)
104 Chatham Road
SW11 6HG
Tel: 020-7228 2328
15.00 - 23.30 Mon - Thu, 12.00 - 23.30 Fri & Sat, 12.00 - 22.30 Sun
Enterprise
Beer range varies
A real ale haven just off Northcote Road with at least three regularly changing beers, often from microbreweries. Unspoilt, somewhat chaotic interior with big leather sofas, old carpets and dusty books. Loyal local mixed clientele and always welcoming to visitors. TV rugby and football. Marquee in garden.
NR(Clapham Jct)
DF FA GD ML ME FR PG QP LocAle
EAGLE TAVERN
231 Battersea Park Road
SW11 4LG
Tel: 020-7622 4844
11.00 - 23.00 Mon - Thu, 11.00 - 00.00 Fri & Sat, 12.00 - 22.30 Sun
Enterprise
Young’s Bitter; occasional guest beer
In an area that has lost several traditional pubs and where real ale can be hard to find, here is a no-nonsense community local, popular for big screen TV sports, pool and occasional live music and with Ruby, the friendly spaniel in residence. Rebuilt between the wars to the designs of Watney’s house architect, Alfred W Blomfield, better known for the French House in Soho. Two impressive bay windows survive the later opening out of the interior.
NR(Battersea Park, Queenstown Rd)
FA(until 19.00) GD SN ML ME PG
ESTABLISHMENT
35-37 Battersea Rise
SW11 1HG
Tel: 020-7228 9400; Website: www.theestablishment.com
17.00 - 00.00 Mon - Thu, 11.00 - 00.00 Fri & Sat, 11.00 - 22.30 Sun
Rising Star Leisure
Caledonian Deuchars IPA
A stylish ‘bar and dining’ venue opened in April 2009 in former restaurant premises, this is the only one of the company’s four bars to serve real ale. Unusual bottled beers from microbreweries are also available.
NR(Clapham Jct)
ML ME
FALCON
2 St Johns Hill
SW11 1RU
Tel: 020-7924 8040; Website: www.classicpubs.co.uk
10.00 - 23.00 Mon - Wed, 10.00 - 00.00 Thu - Sat, 10.00 - 22.30 Sun
Mitchells & Butlers (Nicholson’s)
Adnams Broadside; Fuller’s London Pride; Shepherd Neame Spitfire; Taylor Landlord; Wadworth 6X; Wells Bombardier; guest beers
Now busier than ever since recent refurbishment and rebranding, with stronger emphasis on food and vast improvement in the number and diversity of real ales available: three guest beers, changing every week or two. Weekly sausage and ale tastings. The Victorian splendours of this local, Grade II listed landmark feature in CAMRA’s National Inventory of pub interiors of outstanding historic interest. The island bar counter is one of the longest in the country.
NR(Clapham Jct)
SN(weekday afternoons) ML ME LocAle
FOX & HOUNDS
66 Latchmere Road
SW11 1JU
Tel: 020-7924 5483 Website: thefoxandhoundspub.co.uk
17.00 - 23.00 Mon, 12.00 - 15.00 and 17.00 - 23.00 Tue - Thu 12.00 - 23.00 Fri & Sat, 12.00 - 22.30 Sun
Punch
Caledonian Deuchars IPA; Fuller’s London Pride; Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter
Now a gastropub, one of a small chain operated by George and Richard Manners, popular with younger, affluent clientele. Comfortable, intimate seating extends into former shop premises next door. Ample secluded patio behind with flowers and shrubs.
NR(Clapham Jct)
DF FA(until 19.00) GD ML ME
GARDENERS ARMS (Jack Beard’s at the)
119 Chatham Road
SW11 6HG
Enterprise (CC Taverns trading as Jack Beards)
No real ale - handpump unused
Was Gardeners Arms Tavern for a time.
GOAT
66A Battersea Rise
SW11 1EQ
Tel: 020-7350 0349 Website: www.thegoatpub.com
12.00 - 23.00 Mon & Tue, 12.00 - 00.00 Wed - Sat, 12.00 - 22.30 Sun
Mitchells & Butlers
Everard Tiger; Wells Bombardier. Weston Old Rosie Cider
Atmospheric split level bar on the site of the Temperance Snooker Hall where Jimmy White and Tony Meo learned their trade. Wide choice of Belgian, German and other bottled beers, also five bottled ciders. Formerly O’Neills, originally Faraday & Firkin. The former brewing area at 66B has been leased off as a shop unit with flat 66C above.
NR(Clapham Jct)
ML ME
GREYHOUND
136 Battersea High Street
SW11 3JR
CLOSED
Principally a restaurant, was Buzze Bar for a time.
