Coach & Horses, Barnes, SW13

Situated in the centre of Barnes, on the High Street, is The Coach and Horses, an 18th century coaching inn. Ann attractive small frontage, featuring fine leaded, stained glass windows depicting a coach and horses motif leads, via the passageway entrance, into a small traditionally furnished interior featuring much dark wood panelling, oak beams, and what looks like an original lapped bar front. The pub has had a bit of a spruce up since my previous visit 18 months or so ago – nothing too drastic, thankfully – which has seen the introduction of a new carpet and the fixed seating by the front being recovered with a dark padded covering. Pleasingly – and I’m sure Rex will agree – most of the cushions which gave the pub a bit of an old peoples’ home feel have gone. The etched glass screen behind the bar is still in situ. Less pleasingly, the iron gantry surrounding the bar and which acted as a glasses shelf, has also gone, giving the bar area a rather more open feel. The dark oak beams are still decorated with horse brasses and, although rather oddly, some musical instruments have now been affixed to the walls, the pub still very much retains its country village pub feel. For nostalgia addicts, we still have the now famous outside toilets. The small frontage belies the size of the long garden behind, accessed via what looks like the original horse drawn coach entrance. Here there is a childrens play area, an outside bar called The Beach Hut and a function room called The Walnut Room. The Coach and Horses is a Youngs pub and, on my recent visit, the day before The Royal Wedding, the pub was advertising a “Great British Beer Festival from 18 April to 2 May”. As well as Young Ordinary, Special and Bombardier, the pub was serving Youngs Royal Wedding Ale - £ 3.37p – plus a beer called Brysons Union Flag 1606, the provenance of which I didn’t record. The pub was advertising a Royal Wedding breakfast in The Walnut Room, which I gather used to be a skittle alley in days long gone. Royal Wedding Ale was being offered at £ 2.00p per pint between 10am and 2 pm on the big day. Rex is not wrong – this is still the best pub in Barnes, and by quite a long way.

Randomness Guide to London - Coach And Horses entry

Randomness Guide to London - Coach And Horses entry

This is a very friendly boozer and from my experiences of the other local pubs I think that this is the best pub in the area. Youngs Ordinary and Special were on during my visit along with Tribute, Bombardier, Scrumpy Jack, Fosters, Kronenburg and Guinness. The Bombardier was on good form as was the barmaid. Although the pub is very small it has a large well kept beer garden with children's play area at the rear which leaves the pub for the adults and their boozing. This is a beer drinker's pub – and a very good one at that.

They had the usual range of Young’s ales on. I had the Special, which was fine. There’s lots of dark wood that gives it an old feel. The wood panelling looks original, as does the etched and cut glass screen behind the bar, and the leaded windows in the main bar and door look pretty ancient as well. This remains an excellent pub. It’s pretty comfortable inside, although as a traditionalist I rather think that they have overdone it with all the cushions everywhere. There is a surprisingly large beer garden at the (surprising for such a small-fronted pub) which boasts an ice cream parlour that opens between 3 and 6 PM. This is a good pub – probably the best in Barnes.

Official page of the Coach & Horses, contains menus - www.youngs.co.uk

A small pub with dark wood interior. Has a large garden out the back. Quite a few customers when I got there. Lunch & evening meals served. Try not to sit at the table by the door, you risk getting hit with the door handle.

Official page of the Coach & Horses, contains menus - www.youngs.co.uk