The Plough, Beddington, Croydon

This fairly large Young's house benefits from a good location on the busy Croydon Road between Waddon and Carshalton and a relative lack of competition in a predominantly residential area. As such, the pub was doing a decent trade when I popped in on a recent Friday evening, perhaps aided by a recent refurb which has left the place looking smart and clean if somewhat less pub-like in terms of overall ambiance. There are three very distinct separate areas within the pub, despite attempts to open it out as much as possible. The bar is located in the middle of the three sections and takes up most of the available space here, with room for just a few high tables and stools in front of the windows. To the left of the bar is what appears to be more of a public bar room, with limited seating in a fairly large, open space, a TV showing live Wimbledon coverage and a dartboard on one of the walls. On the other side of the bar we find the lounge room which is nicely carpeted and has formal tables set up for diners, although no one was eating when I was there. This area also has a fireplace, some well stocked bookshelves and a TV screen which was showing cricket. Beers were limited to Young's Ordinary and Special with Waggledance seemingly off despite being advertised on a blackboard which also outlined plans for a cider festival due to take place during July. I tried the Special and thought it was in very good shape, which made it a bit of a shame that there wasn't more variety at the bar. The cheery barman was very quick to spot me waiting amongst the crowd and other staff seemed to be enjoying a bit of banter with some of the locals. This is a nice enough place for a pint but it does seem to have sacrificed some of its charm in order to smarten the place up and perhaps broaden its appeal. Not a bad option to have if you live locally but I would rather stay on the bus and find somewhere to drink in Carshalton or Croydon the next time I'm passing.