William Morris, Merton, SW19

Somewhat newbuild, with a rather bland boxy feel to the bar area, but nicely located next to the river Wandle so I'm sure the roof terrace must be popular on a sunny day. Didn't know of this place until recently, surprising since I use the nearby Traf regularly, but there is quite a cosmopolitan complex surrounding the pub, eateries include Mama Rosa's italian, Belgian bagel/creperie, Caribbean jerk shop, also weekend market, craft shops. William Morris has 4 handpumps but uses just 2, on my visit they were Bateman's Valiant & XB, although the latter had already gone. Valiant looked good, but was too cold & a little tangy (£3.05). Food mains incl fish&chips, steak pie, scampi, sausage&mash, £8/9. The layout & beer limitations make me feel this is something of a wasted opportunity.

I paid a return visit to this pub the other evening, to find the interior unchanged. It's comfortable enough, with traditional seating wrapped around a central island bar. There's no doubt that this pub comes into its own when the weather's fine enough to sit outside to watch the River Wandle ambling past. There's an upstairs terrace which is a great place to spend time in the summer. The ale selection was OK on my visit. The four ales on were Old Golden Hen, O'Hanlon's Yellowhammer, and a couple from the London Beer Factory (a microbrewery based in Gipsy Hill) - London Session Bitter (3.8% and £4 a pint), and Chelsea Blonde (4.3% and £4.10 a pint). I had both of the LBF ales and both were on fine form, and in particular the Chelsea Blonde, which was a smooth hoppy ale. I reckon this pub's worth a visit if you're in the area. Best to pick a nice day though.

On the banks of the River Wandle, standing on the site of the old Liberty printing works, is the relatively new pub The William Morris. It was pretty dead on a Sunday evening with only about half the bar being “manned”. Food was OK, if somewhat unimaginative, when I’ve had lunch in there during the week. It gets very busy at Sunday midday when the Merton Abbey Mills market is in full swing, and is very pleasant if you can sit outside during the warmer weather. Pretty ordinary real ales on offer – I think we were drinking Young’s Bitter. A decent enough pub if you can sit outside, or can get a window seat overlooking the river, but probably not worth seeking out unless you are visiting Merton Abbey anyway.

The thing about this pub, is that your critical eye can so easily be distracted by the pleasant surroundings it finds itself in. The old print works, now coverted into fancy 'boutique-style' shops; the big old 7-spoke mill, still turning in the wheel house; the river Wandle lazily flowing alongside the pub. It's all very peaceful and charming, but aside from some nice drinking spots on the river bank or the roof terrace, I'm not sure the place offers a great deal. The interior is fairly run-of-the-mill (no pun intended) and the ale selection was a little drab (Adnams Broadside and Regatta, plus something from Bateman's I think) ans below par in the taste department. Still, if it's a drink in the sun, in nice, quiet surroundings that you're after, this is probably worth a punt.

The pub is actually part of he Merton Abbey Mills market area, one of the buildings of the former Liberty Mills print works. It was converted and substantially altered some 20 years ago when the old riverside works were turned into today's attraction. The pub has a central bar, flagged floor on entrance with a carpeted area with plenty of seating behind overlooking the Wandle. The upper bar tends to be closed but is available for hire, A side room has wooden floors and panelling and has a traditional feel. Lots of exposed brickwork. Sounds good, but it really does not maximise the potential or opportunity it is given. Disinterested staff and an indifference to the beer served let this pub down. Superb location, history etc, but wasted. Four seemingly working handpumps, five once but one has the handpull missing. Only two on, others not even reverse clipped, both serving Batemans, XB and Valiant.