Fox & Hounds, Carshalton

This place doesn't seem to have changed much since the previous reviewer's visit a few months ago. The "Under New Management" sign is still outside, so maybe it has changed hands yet again as I did notice one change in that the panelled bar back and Teacher's mirrors seem to have gone. The best feature has to be the leaded light windows with coloured (floral themed?) motifs set in them. When I was in on Wednesday afternoon there were three ales on - Castle Rock Snowwhite (£1.55 a half), Caledonian Knee Deep, as well as Doom Bar of course, plus there was a reversed clip on a fourth pump. There were menus on the tables in the dining area on the right, but I didn't get to scrutinise one. This is a fairly straightforward pub with no apparent airs or graces. There was a good mix of what looked like serious drinkers at the bar, as well as families in the dining area. I wouldn't make this a destination pub, but with the fairly interesting ale selection I reckon it's worthy of inclusion in a Carshalton crawl.

Situated in on the busy A232 that runs through the centre of Carshalton, the Fox and Hounds is a prominent roadside pub with a large single room interior. The pub was refurbished back in July 2013 and a sign outside still proclaims it's 'Under New Management'. You enter via a paved front garden area with a good number of picnic benches, into a quarry stone floored room with the bar on the back wall. The servery has a dark wood counter which contrasts with the lighter tongue and groove panelled bar back which has been decorated with a couple of Teacher's mirrors. The bar area is mostly empty, save for two tables tucked under the front windows. To the right is a dining style area painted a grim shade of grey with some standard tables and chairs, a couple of ornately topped pillars and some limited, drink themed items on the walls. The rear left is another predominantly empty space with a couple more small tables and some slot machines. Perhaps the nicest area is the front left corner, where a raised front section offers good people watching through the windows. There is some restrained typical pub décor here and a small fireplace on one wall. Most of the front windows throughout the pub have a pleasant obscuring pattern with small stained glass inserts, making them arguably the pub's best feature. Music played quietly throughout my stay and I didn't spot any TV screens. I was a little surprised to find, despite one unused pump, there were three ales on the bar - Sharp's Doom Bar, Greene King IPA Reserve and Thwaites Pure Shores (£3.10). The latter was in pretty good nick as well, which was another bonus. The service was friendly enough and the customer mix was a bit more varied than I'd expected. Carshalton is a good place for a pub crawl and this place has always been the one I strike off the list first of all when deciding which ones to give a miss. On this evidence, there may be some merit in popping in when on a crawl, but the bland, empty interior doesn't really make you want to stay for anything more than a very quick pint.

This is probably the most disappointing pub in town and a place desperately in need of some TLC. There are a few redeeming features and with a bit of effort it could become a half decent place. The exterior displays plenty of neglect with peeling paint and decaying woodwork which is hardly a good advert to start with. The interior has been knocked through but still retains hints of character like the old paneling and latticed windows but generally it comes across as a gloomy and uncared for pub. There are a couple of areas that are tucked away from the main body of the pub but no matter where you go you cannot escape the TV's that intrude into every corner. The front area contains a piano and a range in the old fireplace and an interesting display case with old bottles of ales and stouts bearing the inscription of King Gearge V. A darts area to one side of the bar isn't quite so intrusive. There is a huge potential for ales but of the 10 hand pumps, only 1 was operational (Pride), 2 were off (Youngs and Bombardier), 5 were redundant and 2 pumps were completely broken off. The ale quality was drinkable but certainly not sufficient to warrant Cask Marque accreditation. With a decent facelift and an overhaul of the ales, it could have a better future but until such time, it is probably the one pub to miss in town if you have to miss any.