Fulham
Top pub: The Duke of Cumberland,
New King's Road
Once upon a time, so legend has it, Fulham was a
predominantly working class area. Indeed, as recently as the late 1970s/early 1980s the
area provided the setting for the TV series Minder, featuring loveable West Londoners
Arfur Daley and Terry McCann. Don’t, however, expect too much in the way of diamond
geezers ducking and diving in the manner or, indeed, on the manor, of Arfur and Terry.
These days Fulham is seriously upmarket. Fair enough, it’s not quite Chelsea, let
alone South Kensington, but the hot topics of discussion on the mean streets of SW6 are
more likely to be the relative merits of Ferraris vs Porsches rather than 4-4-2 vs 3-5-2.
That’s not to say that Fulham supporters no longer exist in Fulham, it’s just
that most of them have long since been priced off the manor by City Traders called Jeremy
and Caroline.
You may think that this is all a bit off the
point for thirsty Burnley supporters seeking refreshment, but let’s not forget that
the character of pubs tends to reflect local demographic changes. So, if you find yourself
supping a bottle of overpriced pre-match fizz in the company of a bunch of wealthy
Jeremys/Carolines in a Fulham Road bar with the approximate ambience of Habitat,
don’t blame me!
The general area known as Fulham includes,
confusingly, Chelsea football ground, as well as Fulham football ground. The tube stop for
Stamford Bridge is Fulham Broadway, whilst the nearest station to Craven Cottage is Putney
Bridge. Both of them are on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line (the green one),
served by direct trains from Edgware Road, as well as from some outlandish places far away
to the distant east, such as Barking.
Fulham Broadway need not detain us. This is
certainly a lively area in the evenings, being chock-full of places to drink and eat.
Increasingly these outlets are styling themselves as cafe-bars, and I’m sure that
they’re very nice if that is what you are looking for. Since that’s not what
we’re looking for, however, let’s move on.
Parsons Green
Posh Fulham at its poshest, Parsons Green is, to
be fair, a highly desirable (i.e. expensive) part of town. There are two Good Beer Guide
listed pubs to be found here. The first of these, the dreaded Sloaney Pony, or to give it
its official name, the White Horse, is a large and imposing free house facing out
over the Green (exit Parsons Green tube and turn right). It used to stock a good range of
guest ales (possibly still does) and has even been known to host its own beer festivals.
Unfortunately, even though this pub has some happy personal associations for me, the utter
ghastliness of its regular clientele tends to take the shine off what ought to be one of
South West London’s top boozers. Still, don’t let me put you off –
you’ll almost certainly get a decent pint and, if you’re calling in before the
match, the braying twits that usually infest the place will be still at the office, with
any luck.
Approximately three minutes walk across Parsons
Green from the White Horse stands the Duke of Cumberland. Situated on the New
King's Road (a fairly nondescript thoroughfare, linking the King’s Road proper with
Fulham Palace Road), the D of C does not have the grandiose aspirations of the
aforementioned free house. What it does have, however, is Young’s beer in plentiful
supply. It was refurbished but, happily, not spoilt, a few years back. There is generally
a much better mix of customers to be found on this side of the Green, with a few
‘ordinary’ people even managing to give this boozer something of a local feel to
it. A good bet for a pre-match pint or two, though you should allow about twenty five
minutes to walk to the ground from here (a number 22 bus from just outside the pub will
take you down to the Fulham Palace Road if your legs are feeling the pace).
Putney
A nearby alternative to its transpontine
neighbour, Putney offers a good selection of watering holes, most of which are handy for
the High Street and are therefore within easy walking distance of the bridge, when the
time comes to head off towards the ground. Putney is well served by public transport,
having both a tube station (East Putney, on the District Line – five minutes walk
from the High Street) and an overground station served by South West Trains (a 15 minute
journey from Waterloo, or 5 minutes from Clapham Junction).
So, at the top of the High Street, and directly
opposite Putney overground station we have the Railway. This is a
Wetherspoon’s house, so you’ll know roughly what to expect in terms of beer,
food and service. If the guest ales at the Railway don’t take your fancy (or if the
manageress’ face has turned your pint sour), and if you have some time in hand, why
not take a trip to the top of Putney Hill and visit the Green Man? This will take
you about ten minutes on foot or about 3-4 minutes on a number 14 or number 85 bus from
directly outside Putney Station. Dating from the 18th century, and situated
just by Putney Heath, the Green Man is an absolute gem. It serves perfect Young’s
beers and, if the weather is decent, there’s plenty of room to sit outside. If
you’re pushed for time you’ll have to strike this from your itinerary (it is,
after all, in completely the wrong direction for the ground) but if you can manage to
squeeze it in, then do so, it’s well worth it. Oh, and it’s also my local, by
the way.
Returning to Putney High Street, about a hundred
yards below the Railway, on the same side of the street, you’ll find the Spotted
Horse. Another of Putney’s Young’s houses, the Spot achieved fame as the
venue for the London Clarets’ 1998 Christmas Party, following that appalling 4-0
defeat in the rain. Unfortunately, it seems to have gone to pot somewhat of late. The
current management has, for example, resorted to hiring ‘entertainment’ for
Friday and Saturday nights. This usually seems to take the form of either some godawful
Elvis impersonator or audience karaoke, i.e. let’s get some very pissed people to
demonstrate how completely talentless they are, at hardly any expense to the management.
Still, you shouldn’t have to worry about that sort of thing on a Tuesday, so if
you’re passing, pop in – it would be rude not to.
Moving further on down the High Street,
there’s another Young’s pub, called the Castle, a few yards along Putney
Bridge Road (that’s the one between Pizza Hut and the Cinema). There’s nothing
special to recommend this pub, other than the fact that it’s Young’s, so if
you’re trying to collect the set, then you’ll need this one. Heading back across
the High Street and down towards the bridge, veer off, if you’ve got time, 200 yards
or so along Lower Richmond Road to the Duke’s Head. This magnificent riverside
gin-palace is, yes, another Young’s house, and is perfectly situated for enjoying a
leisurely pint or two whilst doing nothing more taxing than watching the river flowing by.
There is yet another Young’s pub in Putney, namely the Half Moon. Best known
as a live music venue, the Half Moon is a couple of hundred yards or so further along from
the Duke’s Head, but has nothing of its near neighbour’s palatial splendour. It
used to be a perfectly decent place for a pint, but was given a frankly appalling makeover
a couple of years ago.
Near to Putney Bridge Tube/on
the way to the ground
The nearer we get to the ground, the slimmer the
real ale pickings become. Should you arrive at Putney Bridge tube with not much time to
spare, however, you might have to avail yourself of a quick one in the Eight Bells
(left turn out of the station then follow the road round to your right). This is a run of
the mill Courage house, although the Best bitter has always been palatable on my
(admittedly few) visits. Although the nearest pub to the tube station, the Eight Bells is
generally welcoming to away fans and you shouldn’t have any difficulty getting in,
colours or not. I understand that they also keep a good pint of Guinness, if that is your
preferred tipple.
Moving on to Fulham Palace Road, ahead of us
lies the sprawling bulk of the Pharaoh and Firkin. The barn-like interior of this
deceptively large boozer reflects its past as a snooker hall. Done up some years ago, it
stocks the standard range of Firkin ales and the standard range of Firkin customers
(Antipodeans, South Africans and assorted young rugger buggers). They used to allow a mix
of home and away fans, but took to hiring bouncers for match days, following an
‘incident’ a while back. You should be able to get food here, if they’ll
let you in. It wasn’t, in case you were wondering, named after Mohamed Al-Fayed, the
‘Phoney Pharaoh’ himself, since it predates the Egyptian shopkeeper’s
take-over of Fulham by a few years.
On the other side of the Fulham Palace Road is
the Golden Lion. Something of a community pub, the Lion is generally friendly but
is bound to be crowded. I can’t really recommend it for the discerning drinker,
I’m afraid, since the best you can expect is a pint of Bass, for which you may have
to wait ten minutes, and which may be of a slightly variable quality when you finally get
it. If you‘ve been turned away from the Firkin joint across the road, however, this
is what you may have to settle for. Further up Fulham Palace Road, in the direction of the
ground is the King’s Head. This is a large, dingy looking boozer, which has
nailed its colours firmly to the mast by attaching an enormous replica Fulham shirt
(roughly the size of the sail on a Viking longboat) to the front of the pub. It also
styles itself as a music venue, but since I’ve never been in it, I can’t really
offer an opinion.
Wandsworth (home of
Young’s Brewery!)
OK, so it’s not exactly handy for Craven
Cottage, but if you’re heading towards Putney from Waterloo, and you have loads of
time in hand, Wandsworth Town Station (about two minutes from Clapham Junction) gives you
access to a pretty good cluster of Young’s pubs. So, indeed, it should, given its
proximity to one of London’s greatest institutions, namely Young’s Brewery. I
seem to remember that an evening in these parts provided a very pleasant wind-down for the
London Clarets after a trip to the New Den a few years back. Be warned, however, that not
all the trains that stop at Putney also stop here, so you’ll need to check.
First up for the thirsty Wandsworth crawler,
hard by the station, is the Alma with its attractive green-tiled exterior and, as
far as I can remember, fairly pleasant interior. A five-minute or so walk from here takes
you to the High Street, where it would be a shame not to visit the rather splendid Spread
Eagle. In the other direction is the Ship, right by Wandsworth Bridge. This is
a left turn out of the station, and then more or less straight ahead, across a busy dual
carriageway, using the bus garage as a landmark. Take note, however, that although
it’s right by the river, the Ship is in something of an isolated position and is far
from handy for the rest of Wandsworth’s boozers. Also worthy of mention are the
Crane on Armoury Way (I think) and the Adelaide on Putney Bridge Road.
There’s also a Young’s hotel at the foot of St John’s Hill called the
Brewer or the Two Brewers or the Jolly Brewer, or something like that, although
judging from the bloke on the sign it ought to be called the Incredibly Fat Bastard
Brewer. I’ve never tried this one but it boasts of "well-appointed rooms",
should you need somewhere to stay for the night. When the time comes to move on, you can
get a bus to Putney from Wandsworth High Street or from Putney Bridge Road, or you can
walk back to the station for a two-minute train ride.
Hammersmith
An alternative to all of the above would be
Hammersmith, an area which can boast several good pubs, and from where it’s about a
fifteen to twenty minute walk along Fulham Palace road to Craven Cottage. I must confess
that it’s a good few years since I’ve been drinking in Hammersmith. From memory,
you might try the Builders (a Young’s house in King Street) the Salutation
(Fuller’s – also King Street), the Dove (a marvellous Fullers’ House
down by the river) or possibly the Brook Green (a Young’s house in
Shepherd’s Bush Road. That’s if they’re all still there, of course. Come to
think of it, it might be an idea to save the tour of Hammersmith for when we play QPR. [QPR pub guide]
Suggested crawl:
If you’re taking the afternoon off, go to Putney and start at the Green Man (if
you’re really thirsty, call at Wandsworth first of all). If you’re coming along
after work, go to Parsons Green for the White Horse and the Duke of Cumberland.
Top pub:
If you’re going to Putney, the Green Man. If you’re not going to Putney, the
Duke of Cumberland.
John Pepper
Last updated 6 September 2000
Thanks to John for contributing an excellent and
comprehensive guide. I have nothing I can add to the information given, except to
contribute a few personal experiences:
1) I wish I had a local as good as the Green
Man, and if you get a chance to visit, do.
2) The Alma at Wandsworth isn’t a bad place
for lunch, as although there is a separate dining room which tries to be upmarket, the
food here was good when I last tried it. This was also the only place in London that asked
me if I wanted another pint when I was sat down and then brought it over, which counts for
a lot in my book.
3) The last time we were in the Railway in
Putney it was about to undergo refurbishment, which included "installation of a
miniature railway".
4) The Spotted Horse has, in my view, been on a
downward spiral for some time, and I stopped rating it when they frankly let us down over
our Christmas party.
5) Don’t make the mistake of thinking you
can go for a pint or two on the King’s Road before moving down to Parson’s
Green, as we did last time. The local branch of CAMRA has allowed some extremely dubious
pubs into the Good Beer Guide. In particular, the Imperial on King’s
Road is awful, a pretentious café-bar place selling filthy beer.
6) There’s a third pub on the other side of
the triangle of Parson’s Green, across from the Sloaney. The Jolly Brewers
is small and unremarkable, selling a thoroughly uninteresting pint of Bass, but you might
want to do the set.
7) My pint of Harvey’s in the Sloaney had
been ruined.
8) The Duke of Cumberland is an excellent pub,
but don’t count on getting served in a hurry if there’s a crowd. There
aren’t enough bar staff and they’re none too fast.
9) If you’re charging up King’s Road
towards Hammersmith, there’s a pub about half way up called, I think, the Sussex
Yeoman, which sold a decent pint on our recent visit.
10) For heaven’s sake, don’t give the
stewards at Craven Cottage any opportunity to throw you out!
Firmo
25 September 2000
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