The Wellington, Waterloo, SE1

Close to the lower concourse entrance to Waterloo Station, this is a fairly cavernous pub semi-divided into three areas. The obvious main feature is the room sized mural of the Battle of Waterloo painted on the vaulted ceiling of the middle section, there are also various busts on display and a picture depicting Wellington himself above the bar. An area of the bar back is arched with some exposed brickwork. Part tiled, part wooden flooring with a splash area around the bar, seating is mixed, high tables, sofas, plus more conventional arrangements. Several TVs high on bulkhead walls were showing football highlights on Sunday evening competing for attention with the loud music and the din made by the punters trying to hold conversation above the music. Worth a quick look for the ceiling alone but not much else, apparently accommodation is available, not sure it would be my first choice for a relaxing night. Always tends to be busy and obviously with a transient bunch having regards to the pub's location. Fullers beers these days, Pride, ESB, Discovery and Wild River were on at the time. £4.20 for an ESB.

The Wellington stands between Waterloo and Waterloo East Stations and is an amalgamation of 2 buildings, Shropshire House and the Lord Hill pub which were knocked together around 1918 to form the Wellington that we see today. The upper floors are dissected by the footbridge that links the stations whilst the main line rattles past the end of the building which, in its hotel capacity, must make for some interesting sleep experiences. The pub is now part of the Fullers Empire having been taken off Marston’s hands in 2011. Given the 8 hand pumps (2 sets of 4) it was disappointing to see just 4 ales doubled up across them - Pride, ESB, Seafarers and Black Cab Stout. Fullers are normally at the top end of the price range but at £3.80 for the Stout, I found this comparable to other pubs in the area. Food wise, main courses are around £7-£11 for the usual pub grub stuff. The large interior still shows signs of being knocked through various buildings but can be conveniently divided into 3 areas. The focal point is undoubtebly the central main bar with its imprssive Battle of Waterloo mural that spans the barrel ceiling, the Duke of Boots and his cohorts above the bar itself and a defeated Napoleon and his troops conveniently placed near the exit. Recesses house a selection of busts and other Waterloo themed artworks. To the left is a slightly more loungey area with paneled walls, some interesting pictures, panoramas, mirrors and a sofa section in front of an open fire beneath a hexagonal coloured glass ceiling centerpiece. To the right is a rather faceless section albeit the fairy light adorned windows do give it a bit more natural light than the rest of the pub which is a bit glazingly challenged. The pub can get very busy, especially in rush hour with the commuter traffic and with the piped music and general hubbub it can get vibrant and noisy. There are several TV’s so I would imagine when sport is on the place could get quite uncomfortable. The area does have an interesting mix of pubs and the Welly certainly has enough of its own character and quirkiness to make it a worthwhile visit if you avoid peak periods.

Situated opposite a side entrance to Waterloo Station is The Wellington at Waterloo ( to give it its full pub name ), a large pub recently acquired by Fullers from Marstons. A long bar counter with two banks of four handpumps serves two adjoining rooms plus a further area down the far end. Seating is the usual mixture of traditional tables and chairs, sofas plus long tables and stools. The middle room has several fine large murals of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, painted by one John Waldon, apparently a renowned muralist. The most impressive of these covers the large arched ceiling. Note also several plaster busts in a small recess above the entrance to this room. On the wall at one end of the bar, a framed print tells us about Buster Edwards, one of The Great train Robbers, who was found hanged in 1994. We learn that it was believed that he had taken his own life, but an open verdict was returned on the basis that he had been drinking in The Wellington the previous day and had got too intoxicated to commit suicide. I’m not sure that this is something I’d be boasting about if I were Fullers. Describing itself as a pub / hotel, accommodation is available – 26 rooms – but, rather than having the atmosphere of a hotel bar, it’s very much got the feel of a typically transient characterless impersonal station bar with bare floorboards and some exposed brickwork contributing towards a rather noisy and echoey feel. Even by London pub standards, staff are generally clueless and unresponsive. Staff collecting glasses wear bright yellow tee shirts with a message reminding us to take care of our belongings. Various screens dotted around show live sport and, on my recent visit, I was able to see the conclusion of the latest England v Pakistan one day cricket international. Beers on were London Pride, ESB, Front Row and Seafarers. With the possible exception of the Battle of Waterloo paintings, this place has no real redeeming features or merits at all and I don’t envisage a return visit any time soon. The Hole in the Wall, with its better atmosphere, service and beer range (and quality) is a much better bet

Just purchased by Fullers, so might be some changes coming.

Noisy crowded and not at all nice. Once you have reached Waterloo station though there aren't that many options.

This seems to be a Marston’s pub now, judging by the external signage. I saw Brakspear’s Bitter and Pedigree (at £3.40 a pint) on that I noted, although there may have been on or two other ales on further down the bar counter. It’s a long bar counter and you really need to walk the length of it to be sure of what they have on. This is now a typical railway terminus pub, and seems to have become more downmarket from the pub I knew 10 or so years ago. They do food all day, at the usual sort of pubco prices – e.g. the steak and ale pie was about £8. A warning for ale drinkers – this is one of the few London pubs where they use sparklers, making the task of getting a full pint something of a challenge. Some loud pop music was being played which, for me, didn’t help the pub’s ambience one jot. This place serves its purpose as a convenient terminus pub for those travelling from Waterloo, but I really don’t find it a very easy place in which to relax. The only thing I do like about it though is the vaulted ceiling in the central part of the room with its mural of the Battle of Waterloo. It’s very appropriate, but doesn’t really make up for the pub’s other shortcomings.