The Station, Epsom

This is a large prominent pub at the end of Stoneleigh's shopping parade, immediately adjacent to the station. The Tudor exterior and huge gothic chimneys make the pub appear older than it is likely to be, which would be the early 30's when the suburb was developed although it could be slightly earlier if built due to the railway coming through. Some of the original Truman's signage remains externally over a corner door. Internally the pub has been pretty much knocked through into one huge U-shaped space with the bar central. Most of the fixtures and fittings are now of course new and without merit but I suspect the dado and picture rails, possibly some grape and vine mouldings on a beam plus the lower wall embossed finish could just be original. Mostly carpeted and with mixed if smart seating thanks to a recent makeover, a couple of areas are slightly raised, the overall feel being clean and comfortable if a little bland. Decor has the usual Barras B&W photos of the area but include a couple of the pub from 1955 and 1960. The 1955 one is especially good and shows all the Truman's badging. Additionally I spotted a couple of caricatures of Michaela Strachan and one Jimmy Page, both of whom have rather marginal connections to the area. These are situated in the return area to the left which houses a pool table and dartboard. Naturally for a pub of this type several TVs are dotted around. On the bar were four handpumps, offering Marston's EPA, Doom Bar, Surrey Hills Shere Drop (£3.25) and Oxfordshire Ales Uncle Scrooge. To me a decent choice for a backwater suburban pub. It is what it is, a chain pub with all that entails, big menus, food deals and various forms of nightly entertainment but it wasn't too bad either I thought. Oh, and the grapple machine has survived the makeover, phew!

This is a John Barras house, which means that it is part of the Punch pubco. There were three real ales on during my visit – the usual suspects of London Pride, Bombardier, and Deuchars IPA. I had the Pride, which was OK, and at the rather odd price of £2.98 a pint. The food menu was the usual sort of Punch pubco fare. This is a very large imposing pub, the exterior sporting a magnificent brewer’s Tudor façade, with the walls painted pink or light terracotta. Inside there are several interconnected room, all wrapped round a central bar. Like other John Barras pubs I’ve been in, it’s comfortably furnished, with normal tables, chairs and banquettes. It’s right next to Stoneleigh Station, so probably gets a fair bit of passing trade. I did spot the photograph of Colonel Barras on one of the walls glaring down at punters enjoying a well-earned pint, but otherwise I saw nothing in the décor worth mentioning. All the usual machines were present (one armed bandits, games machine, etc) plus there was a pool table and dartboard in one of the rooms. Special mention should be made of the presence of one of those “grapple” games where you have to manipulate a grapple in an effort to snag a worthless fluffy toy. I guess you would have to be pissed to waste your money on one of them – probably gets a lot of use then. I particularly liked the flashing lights that were part of its regime, especially the blue one reflecting off the walls, that appeared to herald the arrival of the Old Bill, or perhaps the emergence of the TARDIS from hyperspace around the corner! It must make money for some reason, otherwise why would anyone want one of them in a pub? This is a Punch pub, so you won’t get any surprises, but it is clean and comfortable, and I would rate it at the top end of the Wetherspoon’s scale, but without the JDW ale choice and prices of course.