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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Trafalgar, SW19
SW19
SW19 2JY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Moby Duck left this review about The Trafalgar
A revisit after almost fifteen years, it was a very good pub back then and possibly even better now and can only echo BF's recommendations below.Beers on my visit were Surrey Hills Shere Drop , Abbeydale Dark Mild, Newbarns Calcutta Pale, Unbarred Benchmark IPA and an excellent Howling Hops Export Porter plus another six or seven available in the garden from the mini beer festival running over the Easter weekend. I stayed longer than planned and will be back more often now.
On 30th April 2025
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Trafalgar
Round the back of a dodgy looking estate,this is a premier league ale house which should not be missed.A red brick exterior and a modest sized interior with some original windows around the front entrace and more modern etched glass in what looks like an extension.There is a brown tiled fireplace to the left of the bar ,some small high tables opposite then a few round tables before a collection of pine dining style tables to the right.The soundtrack comes from a vinyl turntable with gentle reggae at a modest volume perfect on my early doors visit.
The star of the show is the real ale,great care is taken with conditioning and all pints were coming out near perfect.There is also a selection of 10 indie beers,all very tempting ,unusual styles and a couple of genuine continental lagers.The fridge behind the bar had some superior bottles and cans.
On my visit the ale options were Surry Hills Shere Drop,Good Chemistry Into the Darkness,Otherworld Tinderbox 80/- and an outstanding Elusive Riverwood (NBSS 5).A great mix of styles .Three other handpumps stood unused,two with clips reversed.
I was deeply impressed with the offering,a great boozer which will get a lot more custom from me in future.
On 18th April 2025
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Tris C left this review about The Trafalgar
The pub dates from the 1860s, the right-hand extension – which essentially doubles the usable floor space – arriving in 1906; to the rear is a sign depicting Nelson and Battle of Trafalgar, but sadly the two red Bass triangles have been painted out. However, above the entrance is the name, depicted in fantastic Bass-Charrington lettering, reminding me of the 1970s; to the left-hand side is a beer garden where occasional barbecues are held, one in full swing at the time of my Friday arrival at just gone 10.00pm.
As mentioned, the place underwent a period of dormancy, reopening at 4.00pm on Tuesday 12th September 2023 and has been awarded CAMRA’s SW London pub of 2024. The ship’s wheel and dartboard now seemingly gone and devoid of electronic distractions, what we have is a simple – but not utilitarian – relatively wide but very shallow typical alehouse interior, the left-hand side with basic bar and bare boarded, with a few tall tables and chairs, the right-hand side carpeted with low furniture and settle seating, the name in etched glass to the windows, some décor in the form of miscellaneous paintings of the Victory; much of the ceiling space is given over to pump clips. There are two unisex cubicles, then non-gender-specific urinals. Customers out back were young, inside an older bunch, many obviously surfing the pumps.
There’s a beer board, then six pulls dispensing eight cask beers, a variety of styles but nothing of great strength, from the likes of Left Handed Giant, Little Miracle, Sheer Drop, Tempest, Vale of Glamorgan, Hogarth, my pint of Utopian Extra Pale Ale excellent and at an extremely reasonable £4.80 a pint, served by a very friendly barmaid; an equally friendly and knowledgeable barman was to hand.
This place is a no-brainer when in the area, making for a great one-two with the Sultan; as Quinno says, the two forming the basis of a great day’s drinking.
On 15th June 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Steve of N21 left this review about The Trafalgar
This pub was closed from 26/5/2021 to 11/9/2023 and reopened after a refit.
Just noticed that it has been awarded the South West London CAMRA branch POTY for 2024.
A trip to Merton is in order then because this is some accolade for a pub that has only been reopen for7 months and isn’t even in the GBG.
On 7th May 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2236 recommendations about 2098 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Trafalgar
Looks like a permanent goner - https://londondrinker.camra.org.uk/wordpress/index.php/2021/07/26/farewell-to-the-trafalgar/
December 2009
At first glance you don’t expect much – a fairly unattractive looking boozer in the shadow of a tower block and near an industrial estate. However this is a small, convivial freehouse with a really good selection of ale and a couple of ciders too. The interior appears to have altered little over the past 30-40 years and whilst not exactly an architectural gem is homely enough, with a large drape across the inside of the front door, real fire, dart board and large ships wheel. Five ales on during my visit, I wisely decided to go for the Dark Star critical mass, which at well-over 7% sent me into a bit of a tailspin, still a good pint though! Prices are very reasonable for the area. Regular live music is advertised and I reckon it’d be a good bet.
In tandem with the Sultan (10 minutes trot) this is the basis of a great drinking day out. Rated 8
On 10th October 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Trafalgar
Compact little boozer tucked away on the back streets. 6 real ales and a good bottle selection. Beers listed on a blackboard to the right of the bar.
On 28th October 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Trafalgar
Tucked away on an unremarkable estate is this unremarkable former local Camra pub of the year.Very old fashioned interior with obscure glass windows letting little light to enter.Good beer selection 2 from Surry Hills,Downton -quadhop By the Horns-stout(it was st paddy,s day)and my choice Keystone -Cheer up which was good.No music so I had to listen to others conversation whether I like it or not in this little box of a pub.I did not like it.
On 21st March 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Trafalgar
Visited in May 2010
Externally, a rather unattractive looking building, The Trafalgar is a small community orientated traditional local situated in a back street of South Wimbledon / Merton.
It's a single bar pub with two distinct drinking areas separated by a notable ship's wheel. There's some Nelson related memorabilia and frosted windows help contribute towards a cosy feel, but, taken as a whole, the interior is somewhat nondescript.
To be honest, I've never warmed to this pub in the past. Being only a small pub, there's not a lot of room and the regulars tend to congregate by the bar, leaving little room for the passing visitor to manoeuvre into a position to see what beers are on. In addition, the friendly welcoming atmosphere that other posters refer to has always appeared lacking to me. Plus of course, it's in an area that I would prefer to avoid after dark, thus restricting visiting opportunities in the winter months.
However, in my book, a pub is as good as I find it on my last visit and my visit on a May Sunday afternoon, coinciding with the afternoon jazz between 2.30pm and 5.30 pm, enabled me to see the pub in a more favourable light. Yes, it was busier than on my previous Saturday visits - and the regulars were still hogging the bar space - but I detected a much more welcoming and relaxed atmosphere overall, probably because there was a much wider customer mix, with a good number of people obviously there specifically for the jazz.
On the real ale front, there's six handpumps. Both beers sampled by me - Dark Star Hophead and a chocolatey tasting Lytham Dark ( both at £ 2.90p ) were in excellent condition, served incidentally by a barmaid who bore an uncanny resemblance to Becky in Coronation Street's Rovers Return ( but minus the permanent scowl )
The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular and has won local awards ( eg - CAMRA Greater London Pub of the Year 2008 )
Two smallish TV's were showing the afternoon's Premiership football, one oddly positioned in a corner behind and above where the jazz band was, but the game was attracting little interest and it didn't adversely affect the atmosphere.
I'm now more enthusiastic about this pub and I'll try and get here again soonish - probably on a Sunday. Finally, do note that, according to the CAMRA GBG, it doesn't open until 3pm in the afternoon between Mondays and Thursdays.
On 21st October 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Trafalgar
Tucked away on an otherwise unremarkable estate in South Wimbledon, this is a fine little community pub with a clear commitment to providing an excellent variety of well kept real ale.
There were six pumps on when I recently visited, offering Dark Star Hophead and APA, Pilgrim Progress (£2.90), Sharp's Special, Ascot Market Ale (£2.70) and a real cider. The Pilgrim in particular was a fantastic pint and didn't last too long after my walk in the sweltering sun to get there.
The pub is pretty small, with a compact bar area affording enough room for a few people to sit on stools at the bar itself or on a settle in the far corner. The rest of the room is in a slightly partitioned area which has several standard tables with benches and chairs. The partition is created by an enormous ship's wheel and various other Trafalgar related odds and ends adorn the otherwise bare walls.
The pub has a dart board at one end and a small TV showing muted Sky Sports News at the other. There were posters promoting live music nights (although it's hard to picture where exactly the band would be able to fit) and a curry night (£6 for a curry and a pint).
Although the pub has a bit of a tatty feel to it in places, it is of little consequence as the main reason for visiting is the excellent beer served by friendly staff. The pub is a short walk from South Wimbledon tube station to the North or Morden Road tram stop to the South and is well worth seeking out for those looking for quality and variety of ale.
On 5th June 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Trafalgar
I’ve not much to add to what Maldenman has said. I would say, however, that the Trafalgar has again been voted the CAMRA SW London pub of the year – congratulations to Dave and his team. According to the pump clip, the Ascot Market Ale, the second of the Traf’s house ales, is apparently also going to be available as a bottle-conditioned version in the Abbey Mills market. This pub obviously remains one of the very best in the area, and I shall certainly be back. A word of warning might be sensible for those looking for somewhere with loud music, a young modernistic clientele, and a cheap lager fuelled evening – this isn’t the pub for you.
On 16th February 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]