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 Draft House Charlotte, London W1. Pic: Draft House. London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Fitzrovia
Bar, specialist (Draft House)
43 Goodge Street W1T 1TA
e charlotte@drafthouseteam.com w www.drafthouse.co.uk f drafthouseuk tw drafthouseuk
Open 0800 (1200 Sat)-2300 (closed Sun). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 3 (Adnams, Sambrook’s, 1 guest), Other beer 10 keg, 50 bottles, Also A few bourbons.
Food Lunchtime burgers, steaks; pork pies and cold snacks at other times, Wifi.
Occasional beer events.
The smallest and most centrally located of the Draft Houses is this little corner pub at the junction of Charlotte Street and Goodge Street, among a strip of fashionable eateries targeted at creative types from local media companies. Formerly known as the Northumberland Arms, and with a history dating back to the 18th century development of the area, it reopened in its current guise in August 2012. A small single bar that’s often crowded, it’s been done out in the chain’s pleasant contemporary style with trademark green painted furniture, but with some reminders of the past, such as a late Victorian decorated ceiling and surviving fragments of engraved glass.
The stocking policy takes the usual Draft House approach of offering an easy way in to craft and speciality beer. Adnams Ghost Ship is a fixture among the casks, with Sambrook’s Wandle regularly appearing alongside a London guest or something from Dark Star. Keg beers include choices from Camden Town and Black Isle alongside approachable imports like Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles, Paulaner Dunkel Weiss and Stiegl Goldbräu. The bottles are mainly well known Europeans like Chimay, Erdinger (the rather good Ur-Weisse), König Ludwig and Schneider, with a few Kernels, US beers from Anchor, Left Hand and Odell and quite a range from Great Divide. The food menu is unsurprisingly more limited than in other Draft Houses but noted for its quality.
Underground Goodge Street Cycling LCN+ 6A, link to 0
 Waitrose Stratford City, London E20 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
East London: Olympic Park
Shop (Waitrose)
The Arcade, Westfield Stratford City E20 1EH
T 020 8534 3986 w www.waitrose.com
Open 0800 (1200 Sun)-2100 (1800 Sun).
Cask beer None, Other beer 80+ bottles, Also Ciders, wines.
Food Grocery food, takeaway, food court nearby. Disabled toilet In shopping centre.
British supermarkets are woefully behind the times when it comes to beer, but as mentioned in the guide entry for its Canary Wharf branch (p125), Waitrose currently provides about the best choice. Although the Docklands shop seems to have a slight edge in terms of selection, it’s still worth popping into this outlet in the vast Stratford City mall if you’re passing – as well you might be, since Tap East is just around the corner. Particularly attractive on the domestic shelves are the good ranges from Fuller’s and Thornbridge, alongside offerings from Bath, BrewDog, McMullen, St Peter’s, Skinners and Marston’s. The import shelves are less well endowed but do encompass Chimay Bleue, Warsteiner and own brand Czech and German beers. For more about the setting see the review of the Cow.
National Rail DLR Stratford International, Stratford Overground Underground Stratford Cycling Link to NCN1, LCN+ 16 155 156 Walking 2012 Games Epping Forest route, Jubilee Greenway, link to Capital Ring, Lee Valley Path
 Fox on the Hill, London SE5 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southeast London: Camberwell, Dulwich and Peckham
Contemporary pub (Wetherspoon)
149 Denmark Hill SE5 8EH
T 020 7738 4756 w www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-fox-on-the-hill
Open 0800-2300 (2400 Fri-Sat). Children very welcome until early evening.
Cask beer Up to 13 (Greene King, up to 11 guests) Cask Marque, Other beer Usual Wetherspoon kegs and bottles, Also Real cider/perry.
Food Wetherspoon menu, Outdoor Very large gardens, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Wetherspoon promotions.
This huge and rather forbidding red brick pile, built in the 1930s for Charrington’s, broods at the top of Denmark Hill between Camberwell and Dulwich. It’s around the corner from the Salvation Army training college with its landmark brick tower, though I doubt much custom comes from this particular source. Kings College and the Maudsley hospitals, a little further downhill, are more prolific sources of regulars, and pretty Ruskin Park across the road brings strolling families by. In fact the pub’s own outdoor space is equivalent in size to a small public park, encompassing an extensive front terrace with a grassy picnic area beyond, and a similarly generous rear garden complete with playground. The labyrinth of spaces indoors affords seating capacity of German beer hall proportions.
Since 1993 the place has been that rarity, a J D Wetherspoon branch that was actually built as a pub in the first place, and it’s one of the better examples of the chain. There are no less than 16 handpumps, though some dispense cider, and some double up except during JDW festivals or at the pub’s own occasional mini-festivals featuring local beers. Otherwise, regularly changing guests might come from Coach House, Exmoor, Mordue, Rhymney, Titanic and many others. In contrast to the usual open plan Wetherspoon style, there are plenty of tucked away spaces in which to enjoy them.
Pub trivia. The pub succeeded another, now demolished, further down Denmark Hill and known as the Fox under the Hill. Now there are once again foxes in the vicinity, the name seems more appropriate than when the current pub was first built.
National Rail Overground Denmark Hill Cycling LCN+ 23
 The White Swan, London WC2. Pic: NIcholson’s. London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Covent Garden
Traditional pub (Nicholson’s/M&B)
14 New Row WC2N 4LF
T 020 3077 1129 w www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thewhiteswanlondon
Open 1000 (1200 Sun)-2300 (2330 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome if dining.
Cask beer 8 (Fuller’s, St Austell, Thornbridge, 5 guests) Cask Marque, Other beer 2 keg, 5 bottles
Food Nicholson’s pub grub menu, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Occasional beer themed nights, functions.
Tucked away in a pretty Covent Garden side street just off St Martins Lane and not far from the Piazza, the White Swan was an O’Neill’s until May 2012 when it was reconfigured into a decidedly more beer-friendly Nicholson’s. Fuller’s London Pride, St Austell Nicholson’s Pale Ale and Thornbridge Jaipur are regularly sold; guests from the Nicholson’s list sometimes come from London brewers like Ha’penny and also from suppliers like Acorn, Great Heck or Leeds. The pub is relatively small for a Nicholson’s, furnished traditionally in dark wood with a screened off rear section and an upstairs restaurant, in a Grade II listed building that once belonged to Hoare’s Red Lion brewery in Smithfield. Staff are notably friendly.
National Rail Charing Cross Underground Leicester Square, Covent Garden Cycling LCN+ 6 6A Walking Jubilee Walkway
 The Union Tavern, London W9. Pic: Fuller’s. London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
West London: Other locations – Westbourne Park
Contemporary pub, specialist (Fuller’s)
45 Woodfield Road W9 2BA
T 020 7286 1886 w www.union-tavern.co.uk tw union_tavern
Open 1200-2300 (2400 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome until 1900.
Cask beer 6-9 (Fuller’s, up to 8 London guests), Other beer 10 keg, 60 bottles (London, international), Also Some specialist spirits.
Food Shortish enhanced pub grub menu, filled baps, meat, Outdoor Canalside terrace, Wifi.
Beer tastings, Meet the Brewer, Wed quiz, Thu-Fri live music, board games, functions.
Far from feeling threatened by the recent emergence of a new generation of small brewers in London, the capital’s one remaining historic independent brewery, Fuller’s of Chiswick, has shown confidence and foresight in actively celebrating and supporting it as a key member of the London Brewers Alliance. In June 2012 it further affirmed its support of the local brewing renaissance by reconfiguring one of its best sited pubs, the Grand Union (also previously known as the Pelican and the Carton Bridge Tavern), as a showcase for London’s brewing treasures, with some world craft beers thrown in for good measure.
Fuller’s cask beers, with contemporary creations like Bengal Lancer and Wild River alongside benchmark traditionals like ESB, line up on the ten handpumps alongside the products of Beavertown, East London, Redemption, Windsor & Eton and the very local Moncada.
Camden Town, Kernel and Meantime beers will likely be on the keg taps, plus if you’re lucky W&E’s Republika lager, alongside quality imports from the Czech Republic, Germany and the USA. Bottles from London brewers – London Fields and Redchurch besides Fuller’s own noted specialities – feature on a well chosen world list also including crafty Brits like Dark Star, Oakham and Summer Wine, Euro classics from St Georgen and Rodenbach and a few from brewers like Struise and Nøgne-Ø to keep the bloggerati happy.
The brewery’s experience as a pub operator shows too – they’ve created a welcoming, clean and contemporary space with the considerable bonus of a lower level that opens on to one of London’s loveliest waterside terraces, right beside the Grand Union Canal, so you can idly watch the narrowboats drift by as you enjoy your perfectly served pint of London’s finest.
Insider tip. If you’re lucky enough to own your own boat, ring ahead to book a free guest mooring right beside the terrace.
Underground Westbourne Park Cycling LCN+ 45, Shepherds Bush link, Grand Union Canal towpath Walking Grand Union Canal Walk, link to Jubilee Greenway
 Ales and Tails, Twickenham TW1 (London) London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
West London: Twickenham and Hampton Hill
Bar, specialist (Lost Society)
29 York Street, Twickenham TW1 3JX
w www.alesandtailsbar.co.uk f alesandtails tw alesandtails
Open 1700 (1200 Fri-Sun)-2300 (2400 Fri-Sat, 1700 Sun, closed Mon). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 6 (changing mainly London guests), Other beer 8 keg, 40+ bottles (London, international), Also 11 wines (including English wine), cocktails, specialist spirits.
Food Quality British menu, Outdoor Small balcony on street, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Meet the brewer, beer tastings, occasional live music and performance.
Twickenham strengthened its claim to beer connoisseur’s attention still further with the launch in August 2012 of this imaginative new venture from the people who brought you Citizen Smith and Powder Keg Diplomacy. Initially a pop-up bar, it later closed for a month and has since reopened as a permanent purveyor of craft beers, specialist spirits and cocktails, most sourced from the UK with a focus on London.
The prime central site was once an American-themed diner style joint called the Ranch, and the old seating with its padded booths and stools has been partially retained, though potted plants, vintage lampshades and candlesticks add a fin de siècle note shared with sister bar PKD. The menu is a long way from diner fare, boasting quality stuff made from British ingredients at gastropub prices – slow braised pig cheeks, smoked haddock and the like.
The cask beers are usually from London brewers, with Brodie’s, By the Horns, Sambrook’s and the local Twickenham brewery among the suppliers. The owners also contract a house beer under their own Lost brand, and there are occasional interlopers from the likes of Liverpool Organic. Beavertown, Kernel, Meantime and Redchurch might be on keg, alongside Hacker Pschorr and Ireland’s Porterhouse Porter, making a rare appearance outside its brewer’s own pubs.
London and London-linked breweries appear among the bottles too – Windsor & Eton’s Republika lager and a selection of Kernels are often stocked, and this might be one of the few places to sample Twickenham’s original cask Naked Ladies alongside the Belgian bottled version brewed by Alvinne. Bear Republic, Dupont, Summer Wine and Thornbridge are other names to reckon with.
Between this and the Sussex Arms up the road, Twickenham is on its way to becoming as much a byword for beer lovers as it is for rugby union devotees.
National Rail Twickenham Cycling LCN+ Kingston, Isleworth, Hanworth, Links to NCN4 Walking Thames Path, River Crane Walk
 The Aleksander, Twickenham TW1 (London) London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
West London: Twickenham and Hampton Hill
Contemporary pub (Independent)
277 Richmond Road, Twickenham TW1 2NP
T 020 8892 9277
Open 1200-2300. Children very welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 3 (Twickenham, Sharp’s, local guest), Other beer 8 keg, 14 bottles, Also 24 wines, specialist spirits.
Food Wood fired pizzas, gourmet sandwiches, Sunday roasts, Outdoor Beer garden, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Fri/alternate Sun live music, Sun food market, board games, skittles, major big screen sport.
Unbelievably, this pretty and picturesquely sited pub almost became a convenience store when former owner Young’s sold it to Sainsbury’s, but a restriction on the covenant proved too bothersome an obstacle and the pub was saved by new landlord Roger, who took over in August 2012. The rustic but elegant corner building gazes across green parkland towards the imposing façade of Marble Hill House, a Palladian villa now managed by English Heritage, the grounds of which sweep down to one of London’s prettiest stretches of riverside. The pub boasts its own little country estate in the form of a leafy beer garden, which deserves to be popular with strolling families on warm weekend afternoons.
Roger is keen to offer a range of quality beer – Doom Bar and locally brewed Naked Ladies are the regular cask offerings, with the guest often supplied by localish breweries like Dark Star, Sambrook’s or Surrey Hills. O’Hara’s Celtic Stout and Brooklyn Lager offer alternatives to the mainstream on the keg taps, while Anchor Porter, Affligem abbey beers, Paulaner wheat beer and a choice or two from Thornbridge enliven the fridges. Wood fired pizzas, fresh pasta and locally made artisanal ice cream are among the highlights on the menu.
Pub trivia. The pub has been known previously as the Marble Hill and the Rising Sun but takes its current name from the landlord’s young son.
National Rail St Margarets Bus St Stephens Church (numerous Twickenham, Richmond) Cycling Link to LCN+ Richmond and NCN4 Walking Thames Path
 The William Webb Ellis, Twickenham TW1 (London) London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
West London: Twickenham and Hampton Hill
Contemporary pub (Wetherspoon)
24 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3BR
T 020 8744 4300 w www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-william-webb-ellis
Open 0900-2300. Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 10 (Fuller’s, Greene King, Sharp’s, Twickenham, 5 sometimes local guests) Cask Marque, Other beer 2 real ciders, usual Wetherspoon kegs and bottles, Also Usual Wetherspoon wines and hot drinks.
Food Reduced Wetherspoon menu, Outdoor Rear terrace, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Big screen sport including rugby.
Such is the interest in good beer in Twickenham these days, it seems that even the local Wetherspoon makes a special effort. The substantial former post office building that is the William Webb Ellis actually bears the company’s more youth-oriented sub-brand Lloyds No 1 and boasts some stylish design features including a striking circular fireplace, but it’s more like one of the mainstream pubs in the chain, especially in its support of cask beer.
London Pride, Abbot, IPA, Doom Bar and local brew Naked Ladies are regularly offered here, and guests might include local options from Hepworth alongside interesting stuff from breweries like Hawkshead, Vale or small Cornish brewer Wooden Hand. Unsurprisingly considering the location, major rugby matches are screened and there’s plenty of memorabilia on display to intrigue the fans.
Pub trivia. Allegedly William Webb Ellis invented the game of rugby when he picked up the ball and ran with it during a football game while a student at Rugby school in 1823 – though the account is disputed by serious historians. Webb Ellis later became an evangelical vicar, and died at Menton on the French Riviera.
National Rail Twickenham Cycling LCN+ Hampton Wick, Brentford, link to NCN4 Walking Thames Path, River Crane Walk
 The Catford Bridge Tavern, London SE6 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southeast London: Other locations – Catford
Contemporary pub (Antic)
Station Approach, Catford Bridge SE6 4RE
T 020 3066 2060 w www.catfordbridgetavern.com tw catfordtavern
Open 1600 (1200 Sat-Sun)-2400 (0100 Fri-Sat). Children very welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 4-7 (Changing unusual including local guests), Other beer 4 keg (Kernel, 3 British/international guests), 10+ bottles, Also 3 cider/perries, specialist whiskies, 18 wines.
Food Short but imaginative gastroish menu, Outdoor Tables on street, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Quiz, occasional beer festivals and beer events, bar billiards, retro arcade games, functions.
The ambition and confidence of pubo Antic in rescuing and refurbishing this landmark Brewers’ Tudor pub right next to Catford Bridge station surely match those of the original builders in creating such a sprawling pile in the first place. Formerly known as the Copperfield, the pub had acquired an unenviable reputation and was closed late in 2011 by the local police after issues with drug dealing, noise and violence. Antic reopened it in March 2012, following a spruce up that’s revealed a spacious and relaxing interior with ceiling beams, floorboards, a mix of reclaimed retro furniture and the pubco’s trademark collections – billiard cues, kitchen cabinets, tennis racquets and ties.
One of Antic’s particularly beer friendly venues, the pub serves up local cask beer from the likes of Dark Star, East London, Ha’penny, Kent and Redemption alongside choices from more far flung but well reputed and unusual names – Blindman’s, Devilfish, Grain, Ilkley, Magic Rock, Moor, Thornbridge and the like. Further choice is available on keg – with Cotswold lager and guest kegs that might come from Ilkley, Kernel, Meantime or Sierra Nevada – and from a bottle fridge stocked with beers from Anchor, BrewDog, Harviestoun (the rather special Ola Dubh), Magic Rock, Mikkeller and Williams Brothers. Look out too for the cooked bar snacks, charcuterie plates and main dishes that stretch to river trout with mussels, cider and samphire or Jerusalem artichoke and couscous salad.
Disturbingly, this successful restoration of a genuine community amenity is already under threat of closure. Antic leases the pub from Punch which in turn leases it from a property company that wants to convert it to a potentially more lucrative convenience store. Neither Antic nor Punch supports the application but unfortunately Antic’s tenancy agreement means it can be required to vacate at any time. Both the local community and the operator are campaigning to keep the pub – more information including how you can help at www.catfordbridgetavern.com/save-the-tavern.
Update. The pub did in fact close temporarily for a few weeks in November-December 2012 but has since reopened following protection as a local asset by Lewisham council.
Pub trivia. Despite the local fame of the giant cat sculpture that adorns the local shopping centre, the name Catford is derived from ‘cattle ford’, where cattle were driven across the river Ravensbourne. The pub stands at one end of the bridge which succeeded the ford and is handy not only for the two adjacent stations, originally built by competing railway companies, but for the much improved green space of Ladywell Fields through which the river runs northwards to the Thames.
National Rail Catford Bridge, Catford Cycling NCN 21, LCN+ 22 Walking Waterlink Way
 The Park Tavern, London SE9 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southeast London: Other locations – Eltham
Contemporary pub (Enterprise)
45 Passey Place SE9 5DA
T 020 8850 8919 w www.parktaverneltham.co.uk
Open 1200-2300. Over 12s welcome until 1600.
Cask beer 8 (Adnams, Sharp’s, changing sometimes unusual guests), Other beer 1 keg, 5 bottles.
Food Sandwiches and home cooked pub grub lunches, Outdoor Rear garden. Disabled toilet.
Board games.
In an area that offers slim pickings for lovers of pub excellence, the Park has become something of a beacon since it was restored and reopened by new owners in 2007. Tucked away on a narrow lane behind the High Street, it retains the handsome external appearance of an old fashioned Truman’s Pub with immaculately preserved branding and tiling.
Inside, the Victorian drawing room decor (decorative plates, pot plants and tidy fireplace) and civilised atmosphere, with a no swearing rule and Classic FM playing gently on the stereo, almost suggest you’ll be better off ordering a cream tea than a pint. But as the row of well used handpumps at the bar attests, this is most definitely a pub.
Those pumps dispense regularly changing brands from Adnams and Sharp’s, and guests from the likes of Harveys, Marston’s, Ringwood, Wells & Young’s and localish suppliers like Dark Star and Hepworth. There are a few interesting if not particularly unusual bottles too, like Chimay, Duvel and Goose Island. Notably female friendly and something of an undiscovered gem.
Visitor’s note. Nearby Eltham Palace was the childhood home of Henry VIII, but was lavishly rebuilt by the Cortauld family in the 1930s as one of the most important art deco buildings in England. Now cared for by English Heritage and open to the public, it’s also noted for its extensive gardens.
National Rail Eltham Cycling LCN+ Shooters Hill Walking Green Chain Walk
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London’s Best Beer  The fully updated 3rd edition of my essential award-winning guide to London’s vibrant beer scene is available now from CAMRA Books. Read more here.
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