Not already a member?
Join our community and - Rate & review pubs - Upload pictures - Add events JOIN for free NOW

Image posted by Ian Mapp
Submitted on Wednesday, 23^rd September 2026
With picture contributions to 1669 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (8 more images)

Only members may add pictures, click to receive free membership

Detail Pages

Pub map
Pub reviews (10)
Pub pictures (9)
Page updates

The Bedford, Balham, SW12

77 Bedford Hill
SW12
SW12 9HD

Phone: 02086738787

Correct details

Served areas

Balham

Tweets by The Bedford

The Bedford, Balham 11:37 AM Jun 13th 2023 from TweetDeck

View the full twitter feed for The Bedford, Balham

Reviews of The Bedford (Average Rating: 5 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Ian Mapp left this review about The Bedford

I quite liked this huge 1930s pub - which is a well known comedy venue. It was included in the Time Out book of London Walks, written 30 years ago. Arthur Smith wrote the walk and is/was the regular compere here.

Immaculate inside - a large open plan room on entry - with ornate lighting and a very nice fireplace with surround. Bench seating under the windows. Evidence of the stage, with a curtained room off to one side and another room partitioned off. Lots of pop art memorabilia (art work recreating album covers and stills from films).

Seemed popular with (rich) pensioner lunchtime diners. All solo - all getting stuck into starters, mains and white wine. This is how I want to spend my Monday lunch time in dotage.

The beer was pretty good too - a predictable TT Landlord but I enjoyed what was called Vienese Lager from Wimbledon brewery - which was on cask.

On 23^rd September 2026 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1926 recommendations about 1886 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Bedford

A substantial brick building from the 30's and recently cleaned up,it's a landmark when travelling down the railway next to it.It's Grade II listed and retains features internally but may have been opened out at some stage.The main taproom has an impressive stone fireplace to the right with a nod to Watney's previuos ownership with two mounted stag antlers,parquet flooring throughout,a drinking shelf along the front and fitted long green leather benches along most of the other walls,with traditional furniture.The hotel reception is to the right through an arch marked Upstairs with a door to a small external yard,while there is a door to the Club Room in one corner near the bar,locked on my visit.
On the otherside is an arch to the Saloon,a long room with a "no service" marble topped servery to the right still sporting keg taps,more leather bounds benches,a smaller fireplace and the loos.
There is a short pub grub menu and some value specials on a chalk board ,while the muzak was gentle.The friendly barmaid was operasting behind three handpumps ,one reversed the others drawing Sambrook's Brown Dog Riot and TT Landlord (NBSS 3.5).
The area is slowly gentrifying,and the cleaned up building is now worthy of inspection and was much better than I feared or expected compared with prior reviews but I was in on a quiet lunchtime.

On 4^th May 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3261 recommendations about 3261 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Tris C left this review about The Bedford

Originally dating from the 1870s as the Bedford Hotel, this grade II-listed pub was rebuilt for Watney’s in 1931 by their inhouse architect, A. W. Blomfield, also responsible for Soho’s French House.
The interior is huge and rambling, like exploring a stately home; just when you think you’ve been in every room, another chamber magically appears. The interior is very gloomy, revealing little if anything of the original features, save for the pretty cornice to a black coffered ceiling, leaded lights and herringbone floor. There’s some exposed concrete to the upper walls and ceiling, a couple of sets of antlers and eclectic décor with plenty of music flyers, attesting to the pub’s music and comedy club credentials; think Ed Sheeran and Joe Lycett. Or perhaps don’t. Furniture is diverse and conventional, customers young and trendy; what was new to me were the lavs, with rusty cubicles.
Beverages amounted to Sambrook’s Drop Kick, Sussex Best and Landlord, £2.90 a half, served in a plastic cup and too cold but drinkable.
This place may have more appeal when the gloom isn’t pierced by cinema-sized screens showing deafening sport to a near hysterical crowd, but otherwise it’s just about average.

On 27^th March 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2289 pubs]

View more reviews of The Bedford (10)

External web links for The Bedford

Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.