The Railway, Putney, SW15

Over the road from Putney station ,recently refurbed and reopened this is a large open plan pub with high tables all around the front section,with a long bench seat to the left side,a large sports flatscreen ahead and the wall to the right full of paintings and prints.The floor throughout is light pine,the wall coverings in dark Farrow & Ball,the bar to the right then some seating booths infront of a raised section which looked more like a dining area. Upstairs there is an area decribed as The Lounge,empty on a Friday evening trip but looking like a cocktail bar with lots of small circular high tables and stools. The lack of carpets creates a general din and the muzak was playing much too loud.It was popular with youngish office workers and a few old soak regulars but just one real ale ,Sambrooks Wandle (ever dull,NBSS 2.5) while the keg selection was mundane apart from a Siren and Deya tap.The short food menu with a median main at £16.50 and pizze around £13 didn't inspire confidence and few punters were eating. Unremarkable and a not very comfortable place,I will drift pass quickly when I'm next in the area.

This was a Bass Charrington pub with a "notorious" reputation that was given the daft name "Drummonds" before Wetherspoon took it over in 1993. It's a fairly typical old school Spoons that could just as easily have been a Bank conversion rather than an original pub. The twelve pumps were all in use with no silly duplicates or annoying "Available Soon". The selection was GK Ruddles and Abbot, three ciders, Tetley Gold, Doombore, By The Horns Diamond Geezer, Portobello American Pale Ale, WJ King Poacher's Moon, Sambrook's Junction and Thwaite's Lancaster Bomber. I went for the Portobello which was in very good nick. My visit was slightly marred by the short pint I was offered and the fact that after asking for a top up was returned with hardly any change to it. Putting that aside, I thought this was one of the better Spoons and I would happily return.