The Whispering Moon (JD Wetherspoon), Wallington

This is a relatively small branch of the Wetherspoons chain, located just across the road from the station, with a compact, rather overcrowded interior. You enter into the primary seating area which stretches down the right-hand side of the building and has lots of tables and chairs arranged under large windows, with the usual carpeting, neutral wall colours and flashing slot machines all present and correct. The room then turns 90 degrees to the left, where it becomes the main bar area - a cramped carpeted space chock full of high tables and stools, with the servery along the back wall. The bar has a traditional dark wood counter front and polished stone top, with a matching gantry and mirrored bar back. Opposite is a small, raised seating area, which I thought was the best spot in the pub, where short banquette booths with nice etched and stained glass partitioning screens can be found, along with lots of old photos of the local area and other such local interest bits and bobs. The rear left corner rounds out the seating options, with more high tables and stools and a few more booths in a functional space that felt like a bit of an after thought. TV screens were showing the Snooker World Championship final instead of the usual rolling news footage. The handpulls had a very respactable selection of cask ales, with the three regular options supplimented by no less than six guests. I tried the Burning Sky NZPA, which was in great condition and I thought the barmaid was very chipper and hyper-efficient in serving people. I didn't have particularly high hopes for this suburban 'Spoons, but was pleasantly surprised to find a well appointed branch with good service, a decent crowd and a wide selection of well-kept ales. Despite its proximity to my home town, I rarely end up in Wallington, but if I find myself back again, this will definitely be my first port of call. Date of visit - 6th May 2024

This felt like an above-average Spoons - fairly old-school but nicely looked after and lacking the frayed edges so often found. Five guest ales were on and a bonus for a sensible board listing them rather than having to scan sets of pumps. An East London Quadrant Oatmeal Stout was in very good form. I am guessing it is down to the current manager but this one seems to be getting it right.

A relatively small Spoons with an unusual curved frontage (a former Odeon cinema) situated opposite Wallington station. Usual early-90s pseudo-Victorian interior with a couple of raised areas and booth seating – all rather tatty and it desperately needs a refresh. 10 pumps with three guests in Naylors, Pilgrim and Wimbledon, the latter of which was watery and long in the tooth. Could be better with a bit effort.

Standard-issue 'spoons with a partially split-level, 'L'-shaped interior with quite a few booths, etc. Modest selection of seven real ales from the two banks of five handpumps, with a few locals - Wimbledon Quartermaine IPA, Twickenham Naked Ladies and RCH Return from the Ashes (£2.15).

Official site of The Whispering Moon (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Whispering Moon (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

A fairly large Wetherspoon's which had a fair selection of real ales on but nothing special.

This is a fairly compact JDW considering that it was once an Odeon cinema, the bar is on the back wall and there are a few booths opposite, some in a raised section. Décor includes several pictures of the former cinema and there are various bits of film related nostalgia, I also spotted a montage about the former Croydon airport which was technically partly in Wallington. Some of the booths had columns of small writing around a central picture but as they were all occupied I couldn't get close enough to read what they were about. Carpeted throughout and with the usual 'spoons crammed in tables, a few second hand paperbacks on a shelf. They also had a pile of London Drinkers on a window cill. A bit light on the guest ales, just Clarence and Frederick's Best Bitter which was fine at £2.20 less a CAMRA voucher, and something called Hop Stuff which I may have tried but the bloke before me had this and it looked a bit hazy. A 'spoons is a 'spoons I guess but this one was ok if not exceptional, it certainly had a better class of clientele to many, mostly older couples eating.

This is a converted cinema right opposite Wallington Station. The exterior was clad in scaffolding on my visit, but it's obvious from the pictures what the building originally was. Inside there's not much evidence of it being a cinema, the bar is on the right and the large room has the usual Spoons furnishings and fruit machines. There are ten handpumps with the two GK beers doubled up, a Pilgrim beer doubled up but available soon, Bateman's XXXB, Everard's Cambridge Belgian IPA, Adnam's Sixpoint Bengali Tiger and Jenning's Cocker Hoop. I only discovered when I saw a drip mat that this place is 2014 GBG listed, sadly the Bengali Tiger (£2.45) which I tried was well below GBG standard, but I'm hoping I was just unlucky. It seems to me that his place is nothing more than a typical Spoons.