The Roundhouse, Wandsworth Common, SW18

I was surprised how many locals with young children were using the seating on the path outside the Roundhouse when I visited at 21:00 on Friday evening. It was a sunny evening, but it felt more like a Saturday afternoon. The interior is U shaped and premium draught products are available from the bar that also supports three hand pumps. W J King’s Wheat Mash was available alongside Sambrooks’ Junction, but the Wandle was off. To the left rear of the bar is an open kitchen, but I didn’t see any menus for prices etc. There was some background music playing and I didn’t spot any televisions. A weekly quiz is advertised for 20:00 on Mondays. I found the service to be friendly and thought that this pub was a little more down to earth compared to the bars on St John’s Hill. I’m still not sure that it is worth the walk from Clapham Junction Station though.

This attractive and unusual round Victorian building is located to the North of Wandsworth Common, just five minutes walk from Clapham Junction station. You enter through a nice dark wood porch with etched glass panes and a mosaic tile floor bearing the pub’s former named – The Freemasons. The entrance leads you into a large main room with a long curved bar counter which follows the shape of the wall. A fireplace can be found to the immediate right of the front door, which seems like a bit of an odd location and has a large mirror above. There wasn’t much of interest in this room, with scrubbed wooden floorboards, sanded tables and some banquettes along the right hand wall with a mixture of chairs elsewhere. The space feels quite bare and unappealing, but to the left of the servery, the room extends to the rear where a raised area can be found. The place looks like it is set up more for diners, but seemed like the nicest part to sit down with your pint. There is some decent furniture throughout and the exposed brick walls are decorated with foreign movie posters and fancy circular mirrors. A few folding chairs and picnic benches have been arranged outside the front of the pub where there is a large paved area to make use of. This pub is listed in the 2011 Good Beer Guide and there were three ales available on my visit – Hogs Back Her Majestea, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Adnam’s Lighthouse. Keg offerings included Innis and Gunn Original and Aspall’s Suffolk Cyder. I tried the Her Majestea and thought it was a bit off form and below par for a GBG pub. This pub is blessed with a nice, unusual building in a promising location, but I really couldn’t warm to the bland interior that seems to be doing its best to rob the pub of any remaining character. It might be worth stopping in if you’re passing, but I can’t see myself bothering again.