The Watermans, Richmond

Randomness Guide to London - Waterman's Arms entry

Randomness Guide to London - Waterman's Arms entry

This is an excellent little pub tucked away down a side street leading down to the river. It's a Young's pub, and the Bitter was good. It appears to be primarily a locals' pub, although there were one or two “visitors” in (like me) who were made welcome. The TV was on, showing a gameshow of some kind, with the sound turned down too low to hear over the babble of conversation. I don't think that we were missing anything worth hearing. In my view this is an excellent pub. The only downside was a fruit machine flashing away like a demented Dalek, that detracted from the otherwise excellent atmosphere. Food is mainly Thai (like so many pubs these days) – I had a chicken stir-fry, which was OK and reasonably good value at £6.50. Dog friendly as well – there were a couple of well-behaved mutts lying around the place.

A pleasant and welcoming pub just up a lane from the riverside. Small front room with the bar in the middle, banquette type seating to the perimeter and a fire burning in the grate made for a homely feel. Assorted nicknacks, pictures, model boats and other nautical stuff. I could see a further small room through the bar seemingly with small tables laid out in a way to suggest an eating area more than a routine bar. Some bench tables to the front and another outdoor terrace area to one side. Youngs beers plus Deuchars which appears to be a standard guest in some Youngs pubs these days. I didn't see Bombardier although it could have been on in the other room. TV in the corner showing sports but in a complimentary fashion rather than dominating the proceedings. Rather good, and a good spot to wander down the lane to smugly check high tides at the right time, as you won't get your feet wet here.