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Image posted by Rex Rattus
Submitted on Saturday, 7th September 2013
With picture contributions to 1114 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (2 more images)
Detail Pages
The Althorp, Wandsworth Common, SW17
SW17
SW17 7EB
Served areas
The Althorp
It's the season to catch up with friends and family and we have delicious menus to accompany your festive gathering… https://t.co/O7xuGoaWoH
4:03 PM Nov 18th 2022 from Hootsuite Inc.
Reviews of The Althorp (Average Rating: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Althorp
Visited 05/08/26. Visited previously 26/10/22.
Cask was Youngs Original, Hog's Back TEA and Stan's Big Apple cider from Thatchers. Keg was Deya Steady Rolling Man, Modelo, Pravha. Estrella and the AF version, Hawkstone lager, Jubel peach and the lime lager, Asahi, Neck Oil, Guinness, and Aspall.
Another popular venue, with outside covered seating at the front. Inside bare boarded with the bar counter along the left-hand wall to the front of the venue. The front bar is where the action is. Seating via a mix of regular tables served by leather banquettes along the walls and then some tall tables in the floor space in front of the bar counter. There are a lot of framed photos and paintings on the wall opposite the bar counter. Down a couple of steps beyond the end of the front bar is another seating area, less manic on my mid-evening visit with some regular tables served by regular chairs and a leather bench along the rear wall. A good amount of framed stuff filling the walls in this space also. There is a rear area beyond that, probably in play when dining is the focal part of the week, but not seemingly in play on my visit. No screens and no piped music, a decent venue that relies on punter interactions and chatter.
On 18th September 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2067 recommendations about 2020 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Althorp
This is actually a modern conversion – 2010 – originally the Bowler, the name influenced by the operator’s sister pub, the Spencer Arms over in Putney. Rex mentions the Spencer family connection to Wandsworth, the family acquired Wandsworth Common in the mid-18th century, so this place name is a reference to their two-up, two-down in Northamptonshire from which the adjacent road takes its name.
Given that this is a modern conversion, there’s nothing of heritage here, with a modern interior viewable on their website with a lower room to the rear which rises again as you process deeper into the interior. Multiple TVs showed the F1 in silence, none of the customers – typically young, floaty women – showing not one iota of interest in the physics of rear diffusers, pushrod suspension and the like, but were understandably taken with the rather loud ABBA soundtrack.
Surprisingly, there is a cask choice here in the form of an unused pump, a reversed Doom clip then Wandle, £2.80 a half, in terrible ‘lemon barley water’ condition, served by a goofy barmaid; I couldn’t face finishing it.
I wouldn’t have come here if I’d known this was a conversion, but even if it weren’t, the neighbouring Hope is the clear winner in the immediate vicinity.
On 7th May 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2289 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Althorp
This pub is no doubt named after the family name of the Earls Spencer, who have traditionally owned masses of land in the Wandsworth area. This place brands itself as a bar and restaurant, and the dozen or more people in the bar on Friday afternoon were all eating, except for yours truly and one other bloke sitting at the bar. The main bar area has mainly normal tables and chairs, but there was the inevitable clutch of distressed leather sofas and armchairs by the window. It's an oddly shaped place - behind the main bar down a few steps is a sort of lounge area furnished with sofas and armchairs; keep going and there is another fairly large room with all tables laid for diners. But this room was unused during my visit, with diners presumably preferring the more convivial atmosphere of the main bar. A bit of seating outside at the front of the pub was being utilised by a couple of smokers. There were a couple of TVs on the walls (switched off during my visit), but no fruit machines or others of their ilk.
I didn't see a menu, but the Christmas bookings flyer was on my table advertising the 3-course Christmas lunch (but not on 25 or 31 December) for £28 plus 10% service charge. Most of the meals I saw being scoffed were not served on normal plates but on some sort of deep bowl affair. Preferably I like eating off plates, but I would guess that they would suit gravyphiles as you could probably get a couple of pints of the stuff in them.
This place is as much restaurant as pub, like so many places these days. It's not the sort of place in which I would choose to spend an evening session, but when I was in there were plenty of tables available for drinkers. Mustn't forget the beer - three ales on, being Sharp's Doom Bar and Cornish Coaster, and Timothy Taylor Landlord. The Cornish Coaster was £3.60 a pint which is OK by London standards, was in good nick although served in a dimpled jug with no choice offered (a typical gastropub affection of course). Nonetheless, this place makes a useful addition to the Wandsworth Common area and is worth dropping into for a pint or two.
On 7th September 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2629 recommendations about 2544 pubs]
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- Official site of The Althorp - www.thealthorp.co.uk
- Facebook - The Althorp
- Twitter - The Althorp
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Althorp - whatpub.com
Balham, 0.8 miles, 15 min walk (show)
Earlsfield, 1.29 miles, 24 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 06 May 2024 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Darts : No last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Function Room : Yes last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Jukebox : No last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Karaoke : No last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- Live Music : Yes last updated 06 May 2024 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Pool Table : No last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Quiz Night : Yes - Mondays 19.30. - last updated 06 May 2024 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 07 September 2013 by Rex Rattus
- Real Cider : No last updated 06 May 2024 by Tris C
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 06 May 2024 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 05 April 2022 by Tris C
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