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Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Blackthorn _
Submitted on Friday, 27th October 2023
With picture contributions to 5201 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (29 more images)
Detail Pages
The Windmill, SW4
Clapham Common
SW4
SW4 9DE
Served areas
Reviews of The Windmill (Average Rating: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Windmill
This is a grade II-listed building which may date back to the early 19th century but has been around in some form since 1665.
My experience last Saturday night broadly matched that of Blackthorn; the current interior dates from May 2021 and is a large rambling affair, trying to look like a posh gentlemen’s club which I really don’t like and can’t actually bother to describe, but if you read my review for the King’s Arms (SW15), you’ll get the idea, likewise from the pub’s website gallery; the only item of note is the pink marble fireplace. Far from being an upmarket pub and 42-room hotel, this is more like a sports’ bar-cum-student union hangout, with masses of screens showing silent unwatched football, fairly loud music, uncleared tables and soggy paper littering the floor; there were also two bouncers patrolling the interior like prison guards, a third defending the door. Customers were very studenty types, raucous, some really quite obnoxiously drunk with three people emerging from or entering lavatory cubicles after passing ‘things’ to one another; lavatory paper surely?
A feeble ale choice offered just the juicy and therefore nasty Gipsy Hill’s Trail, London Original and Special, served from a zinc bar top, my half of Gamma Ray costing £3.85.
In many ways I was quite looking forward to visiting this historic pub, but it’s a bit of a shocker, to which I will never return; I can’t imagine what the poor hotel guests make of it all.
On 20th March 2024
- rating: 2
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Blackthorn _ left this review about Windmill on the Common
A good-sized Young’s pub located about halfway along Clapham Common equidistant between the Clapham Common and Clapham South tube stations, there’s not much else in the immediate vicinity, but it was nonetheless extremely busy on the recent evenings when we visited, even on the outside seating at the front of the pub.
The main room is at the at the front, and this is a good size with a large bar counter to the left. At the rear is a smaller room, but still far too big to be called a snug, and another large room around the corner behind the bar counter. The décor is quite elegant in many ways, with much wood panelling on the walls, especially in the rear rooms, but unfortunately the rugby that was being shown rather detracted from this. In fact, even if you could get out of sight of a screen, the commentary was still pumped around to all corners of the pub at far too high a volume, and this made for a less than relaxing atmosphere. The flooring was mostly dark wood strip, along with some black and white chequered tiling around the bar counter, whilst the walling was mostly a very dark green which contrasted with the burnt orange ceiling. Timberwork both in the form of supporting pillars and beams on the ceiling was all black, but smooth and freshly plastered, not old and traditional. An old tiled fireplace was at the rear, although this did not appear to be in use, and there were a few caricature style pictures dotted around the walls. The room at the rear had blue banquette seating with turquoise paintwork, tasselled lamp shades and a large leaded roof window. There were also some small sections of stained glass around.
Beers on tap were all from Young’s with their London Special, London Original and Drop Gold, whilst the solitary cider was Aspall’s. I think perhaps if I’d caught this at a different time I might have felt differently, but as it was it seemed very noisy, crowded and dominated by the TV sports.
On 2nd November 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Windmill on the Common
Large rambling Young's pub with various rooms and bars. Usual selection of Young's beers on sale. Nothing spectacular about this place.
On 2nd September 2017
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
View more reviews of The Windmill (7)
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- Official site of the Windmill, includes menus, drinks list and events details - www.windmillclapham.co.uk
- Randomness Guide to London - Windmill On The Common entry
- Facebook - Windmill Clapham
- Twitter - Windmill Hotel
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Windmill - whatpub.com
Wandsworth Road, 1.14 miles, 21 min walk (show)
Balham, 1.18 miles, 22 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 : Yes - 42 rooms. - last updated 09 June 2019 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Car Park : Yes last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : No last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 09 June 2019 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes - According to Twitter - last updated 21 July 2015 by Dave McNally
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Live Music : Yes - Saturdays. - last updated 09 June 2019 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 09 June 2019 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 21 June 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Pinball : No last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Pool Table : No last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Quiz Night : Yes - Sundays 8.00-10.00pm. - last updated 09 June 2019 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 12 October 2011 by Will Larter
- Real Cider : No last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 15 March 2015 by Pub SignMan
