Watson's General Telegraph, East Dulwich, SE22

Huge open plan interior, access gained by a corridor with an old Trumans sign. Photo provided - if it makes it through the selection process on this site :-) All punters in the huge garden - which is very pleasant. All kegs at the bar, with the three cask hand pulls turned around. On inquiry the Redemption Hopspur was on - even if not labelled - and in great condition.

This is a large, open plan pub with a somewhat modernised interior that gives it a similar vibe to an Antic pub. The entrance corridor suggests you’re about to enter a well-preserved heritage pub thanks to the fabulous tiled Truman’s Brewery logo on the end wall, which is an incredible sight to be greeted by, but sadly doesn’t reflect the rest of the pub in any way. Once properly inside, you find yourselves in a scuffed bare boarded room with a mix of full height old wall panels and some modern glazed tiling in two tones, plus some rather grim plastered walls between windows at the front. The servery is along the left-hand wall and has a typical wood panelled counter and bare plastered bar back with some scruffy shelving, all of which sounds terrible on paper, but it actually comes together reasonably well, and the pub’s modern credentials are emphasised by the long row of craft keg taps along part of the bar back. Hard backed chairs fill much of the room, serving a variety of table sizes with some leather sofas and armchairs in a nook to the rear right, around a fireplace with some books stacked in the window sills – quite a cosy spot, but sadly roped off and out of bounds on my pandemic-era visit. Another fireplace can be seen to the front right, this time under a bright hood, whilst the flags of various seemingly unrelated nations hang from the ceiling, which boasts a nice skylight towards the rear. A few random items have been dotted around the room, including a ‘Luggage Room’ sign hung above the door of the staff store room, a back-lit sun decoration to one side of the entrance and a traffic light operating in an odd sequence next to the greeter’s desk. More than half of the evening’s customers were sat outside in the extensive beer garden which runs down part of the side of the pub and a fair way back beyond it, offering plenty of good garden furniture and some sheltered areas. An eclectic modern soundtrack played throughout my stay and there was a reasonable buzz from the few customers who had stayed inside, despite the rather cavernous feel of the room, accentuated no doubt by the removal of some furniture for social distancing purposes. The barman who greeted me on entering was very friendly and helpfully explained how I had to order my drinks through the pub’s website or via a QR Code. Once I’d set up an account, I was given the choice of two cask ales – Laine Best Bitter or Old Sod Session IPA – with four handpulls out of action presumably as a result of lower customer numbers in the wake of the pandemic. The Session IPA was quite easy drinking and in good shape if not exactly the most memorable. I wasn’t too sure about this place initially, finding the open plan room a little impersonal and the faff of ordering through the website an unnecessary inconvenience, but I warmed to it as the evening progressed and left feeling that this was a well-run pub with some nice spots to enjoy a decent pint or two.

Official site of Watson's General Telegraph - www.watsonstelegraph.pub

Official site of Watson's General Telegraph - www.watsonstelegraph.pub

Now the Watson,s General Telegraph.Large interesting interior to this one room bar. Distressed painted walls and odd school room tables and chairs and wooden floorboards make it shabby chic. This is a Laines pub.5 handpumps with beer from Laines,Crate,Darkstar and Caveman.8 craft keg with a superb Outlaw -weekender 3.0 on.What Laines do really well is the outside space.Great outside covered space which was more comfortable than inside.

Surly staff. One knocked over my drink and despite promising to replace it failed to. The manager refused also. Won't be returning. Recommend people find somewhere with a better service and attitude.

This is an old Truman’s pub, with a lot of the original signage still in place outside. But the pub is now painted black, which is a shame as it is undoubtedly covering some of the original Truman’s tiling. The pub sign is now the minimalist and very uninspiring white “FHT” against a dark grey background. It’s yet another pub given a so-called modern makeover. Inside it’s bare-boarded of course, with furnishings including high stools and tables, sofas and low tables, etc, etc. But there is a pool table on the left, and the wood panelling on the walls looks to be original. There is a good amount of outside seating at the side and to the rear of the pub, to which all the apparent regulars decanted at one stage, presumably to enjoy a smoke. I spoke to the manager, who said he was committed to having a couple of real ales on the go, which is all he can currently accommodate in the face of the dedicated lager drinkers who form the core of his clientele. His plan is to have less usually seen ales on, and when I was in he had on two Nelson Brewery ales – Temptress (4.0% ABV), and Friggin’ in the Riggin’ (4.7% ABV). The Temptress was pretty good (£3.20 a pint). I don’t normally like these black painted pubs that someone tries to convert into some sort of minimalist and anonymous upmarket joint, but I was impressed by the manager’s enthusiasm and friendly welcome I received (including unsolicited tasters of the two Nelson ales on offer). I would be happy to drop in for another pint if I was in the area.