Spread Eagle, Wandsworth, SW18

What a lovely old pub with real character but this type of pub only works when full of customers.Sadly nearly empty and the two Youngs cask ales are not going to tempt the young customers to use it.

Landmark Young's (now Ram) pub, located diagonally across a crossroads from the now sadly defunct brewery tap. Initially notable for the original exterior signage and the slim metal canopy above the main entrance to the impressive saloon. This features traditional decor but semi-modern furniture, but it retains much etched glass and other ornate features that merit its inclusion on Camra's national inventory. A glazed door through a screen in front of the counter then leads to a more basic public bar with a pool table and dartboard. A door through another screen at the back of the main counter leads to the 'dining room & lounge'. Three banks of four handpumps in total, although only Ordinary (£3.60) and Special were being dispensed.

Situated opposite the sad sight of the former Young’s Brewery, this is a beautiful late Victorian pub which would’ve made a grand place to showcase their ales. There were previously two entrances, but the left hand ‘Public Bar’ doorway is no longer in use, so you enter into the right hand side of the pub, which comprises an unusually large single room with the servery to the left. The room has been carpeted throughout with high stools and standard chairs running down the right hand wall. Some long padded benches round out the seating options at the far end of the room, whilst the décor sees a mix of smart wood panelling and modest wallpaper. A small fireplace breaks things up a little midway down the right hand side, but the room’s most striking feature is the stunning etched glass bar back, set into a detailed dark wood framework, with some nice integral lamps and a large bell. The glasswork continues into the panels at the rear of the room which act as partitioning from the ‘Dining Room and Lounge’. A nice stained glass cupola can be seen in this rear part of the room and there were some TV screens showing a music channel with the volume turned up surprisingly loud. Some fittingly traditional paintings line the walls and there is a collection of barrels and jugs on some high shelving, whilst I also noticed some board games piled up in one corner. The lounge is split level with lots of leather sofa seating and a few standard tables and chairs. The room is lit by a rather unimpressive skylight and there is another high shelf displaying bottles and jugs as well as a bookcase and a corner fireplace. The front public bar, accessed by a small door next to the servery is carpeted and has a pool table and dartboard with limited seating options. The décor is similar to the main bar but some of the features looked a little newer to me. There also appeared to be a courtyard to the left of the pub with picnic benches, but I didn’t explore properly. Plenty of hand pumps, but most were unused and others were doubled up, so in the final reckoning, there were actually only two ales on – Young’s Ordinary and Special. I gave the Ordinary a try and thought it was in decent nick, but not really a fitting legacy for the brewery visible from the front windows. There are no shortage of Young’s pubs in Wandsworth and if you’re only going to do one, I would make it this one, as the splendid Victorian styling of the place more than makes up for the disappointing state of Young’s beers nowadays.