Canton Arms, South Lambeth, SW8

A corner pub with one large room albeit divided into two areas, pub and dining, there is a central bar upon which are mounted three handpumps that on my visit were offering up a choice T.T Landlord, Sharps Atlantic and Harveys Sussex Best, not the most interesting of trios but at least the Harveys was in good shape.It's an ok pub that manages to balance the mix of food and drink fairly well.

This is quite a commanding corner pub on busy South Lambeth Road, its leaded windows with green and amber stained glass infill a clear indication that this was once a Charrington’s house. I initially effected entry via the open side entrance with disabled ramp and staff smoking outside and having walked about halfway to the bar, was barked at by a barmaid wearing a Princess Diana T-shirt, telling me that ‘The entrance is round the corner’; I left the pub, walked eight feet round to the front entrance and re-entered the pub, not that this made a jot of difference. The interior features an aged, boarded floor, burgundy wall panelling to almost full height, the infill home to a multitude of pump clips not reflected in the ale selection, cream ceiling with a pretty paint encrusted cornice. Furniture is traditional, with the rear quite a gastro affair, all visible on their website. Aside from two unused pumps, the ale choice amounted to just Sussex Best and Timothy Taylor Golden Best at £2.85 a half, served by a friendly barmaid; it was though a very dull drink, prompting me to wonder why they didn’t select the far more reliable Landlord? Despite the witch in the Diana T-shirt, this is really quite a nice place; a more interesting ale selection would get the score up.

This is a fairly typical London boozer, just up the road from Stockwell station, which has been given a bit of a makeover to appeal to the young professionals who seem to live in this part of town. A corner entrance takes you into the front bar, which has bare boards and check tile flooring around a centrally positioned servery. The bar has an angular counter with dark panel frontage and a nice polished metal top, but no bar back to speak of due to the way the pub has been opened out over the years. One large pillar remains though, with a beer board and old pump clips attached to it, whilst further boards hang above the opening to the similar rear servery area. The room is filled with lots of tables and low stools or chairs, with the latter mainly to the front and left, under leaded windows with nice green banding. The walls have some dark wood panelling, decorated with small period mirrors and lamps. Similar seating can be found to the right, where the room runs past the bar, into a decent split level rear space with lots more seating and similar decor. The pub was insanely noisy on my Saturday evening visit, thanks to a sizable crowd and a total lack of soft furnishings, which forced some to take refuge in a decent front outdoor seating area, which is screened from the road by planters and has plenty of picnic bench seating. There were three cask ales on the bar - Skinners Betty Stogs, Wimbledon Copper and Taylors Landlord. Service was pretty poor, thanks to a remarkably slow barman who favoured serving young ladies who just arrived at the bar, rather than those who had been waiting the longest. I eventually got hold of a pint of the Copper, but it was mediocre at best. This is a decent enough pub, which draws a good weekend crowd and has a nice lively atmosphere as a result, and there are enough pleasant spots to sit, away from the more gastro-styled areas, to make it a decent place to stop for a pint or two. However, the slow service, subpar beer and chopped out interior detracted enough from the overall experience that I’m unlikely to rush back any time soon.

Official site of Canton Arms - www.cantonarms.com

Official site of Canton Arms - www.cantonarms.com

They had four ales on in here – Skinner’s Betty Stogs; Timothy Taylor Golden Best; Cotleigh Long-Eared Owl; and Belleville Northcote Blonde (£1.85 a half). I didn’t see a menu, but as the tables at the back and to the right of the bar counter are all laid for diners they surely must do food. The mass of pump clips on the wall also indicate a changing real ale policy. Judging by the trademark green-banded glazing in the windows, this must once have been a Charrington’s pub. The wood panelling on the walls looks original as well. The front, bar area, is furnished with a couple of very distressed leather armchairs, some basic but very functional plain wooden tables, with a mix of normal chairs and small round stools. It’s bare-boarded of course, like so many pubs now that are hoping to attract a younger crowd. There’s a central island bar now, with a small stillion in the centre bearing spirits and mixers, as well as a coffee machine of course. The ales, with their ABVs were listed on a chalkboard, and unsurprisingly another chalkboard had the wine list. When I was in on a warm and sunny early Wednesday evening there was a lively, youngish crowd in, mainly occupying the benches at the front of the pub. I reckon this pub has something for everyone - real ale, wine, food, mix of furnishings, etc. I didn’t see any of those tall tables though, which must be a good thing. I’d happily revisit this pub.

Randomness Guide to London - Canton Arms entry

Randomness Guide to London - Canton Arms entry