The Telegraph, Putney Heath, SW15

Visited 01/08/24 Large sprawling pub on Putney Heath with a very classy interior and a large outside area with lots of what looks like wooden benches and tables put in in recent times all around a large tree that was a feature of the outside of the pub. Inside there is a long bar facing you as you walk through the front door and which has a smaller side at right angles off the rightmost end of the bar. Plenty of nice areas to sit in the pub, with including some v nice leather armchairs and sofas, and a dining area it looked like over on the right most fringes of the expansive interior. High quality hardwood flooring throughout, with the occasional floor covering. Apparently an upstairs area but didn’t venture there. Outside seems popular and am told in summer the pub is heaving at the weekends in nice weather (when I would assume the over exuberant children vibe would detract from casual enjoyment of a tranquil venue mid-week early evening as the storm clouds were gathering overhead) and not unknown for Mick Jagger to put in the occasional appearance (as a punter one would presume). This had a very impressive beer selection with 8 out of 8 functioning hand pulls on the front part of the bar. The offerings were Thornbridge Jaipur, Harvey’s Sussex Best, Sambrook’s Block Party, 360 Brewing’s Bluebell Sussex Best Bitter, Magic Rock’s Ringmaster, TT’s Boltmaker, Siren’s Broken Dream Breakfast Stout and an own (ie Brunning & Price ) brew Traditional Bitter. Only 1 of 3 dispensing on the side of the bar (and no cider on my visit just the own brew duplicated from the front pulls). keg beers were Guinness, FreeDamm, Cornish Orchards cider, Amstel, Peroni, Lowenbrau, Asahi, Bitburger, Camden Stout, Adnams Ease Up IPA, Anspach & Hobday The Pale, Neck Oil, Leffe, Vault City Cloudy Lemonade and finally Adnams Lazy Sipa. I take the point in some of the reviews below that it is almost too perfect and hotel like. I can’t get away from the top notch cask offering and with it not being weekend family dining vibe it certainly ticked the boxes for me.

Facebook page of The Telegraph - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Telegraph - www.facebook.com

This somewhat isolated location was the site of the area’s shutter – later semaphore – telegraph (Google it) from the late 18th to mid-19th century, predicated no doubt by the elevated topography. This has been a Brunning & Price joint since 2020, with a useless website gallery showing nothing but pictures of putative customers, but otherwise the interior is a rather fake ‘olde worlde’ number with a boarded floor with kilims, shades of blue and white colour scheme, conventional furniture with décor in the form of eclectic trendy prints, the ensemble exuding the feel of a hotel restaurant/bar, with young professional families dining, some with one or two hyperactive children in tow at near 9.00pm. An impressive cask lineup proffered Naked Ladies, Sussex Best, Wandle, Adnams Lighthouse, Boltmaker, Park Brewery’s Dark Mild, Brunning & Price (St. Austell) Traditional Bitter and Hophead at £2.85 a half and on top form, served by a smiley barmaid; the right-hand side of the bar exhibited three pumps dispensing cider, but questionably ‘real’. A traditional boozer this is not, but with the upper peripheral gallery this isn’t a bad place as far as this sort of thing goes, despite feral children, but the ale selection gets the score up; I’d use this place if I lived locally as it’s certainly better than the Green Man.

Brunning & Price establishment that can easily be reached from the nearby Tibbet's Corner bus stops. The interior is typical of its kind, with plenty of wood inside a spacious area. The bar is quite long and had 5 real ales on handpulls easily visible from the entrance door. Beers on were Wimbledon Copper Leaf, Twickenham Grandstand, Adnams Mosaic, Timothy Taylor Landlord & Gorgeous Gunpowder. A blackboard listing beers can be found above the bar, but the list didn't bear much relation to what was actually on offer. Further handpulls to the side of the bar had a number of cider pumpclips, but only SeaCider Christmas Pudding was actually on. I suspect that most customers come here for the food, but drinkers are equally welcome. Whilst it's a bit of a trek to get here, I do like the Brunning & Price chain and may well return if ever back in the area.

Official site of The Telegraph - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

Official site of The Telegraph - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

The Telegraph has been purchased by Brunning & Price and is due to reopen in April.