Jolly Woodman, Beckenham

I too thought this pub had the feel of a country pub in town. It was no doubt once a backstreet beerhouse of the cheap variety, thus didn't have the magnificent decor and high ceilings of your typical Victorian "gin palace" that had a lot of money spent on it. The cheapness of the design has given it the advantage of a more intimate and homely pub. The windows have that ripple effect that used to be all the rage in order to ensure the privacy of those within, or possibly to protect innocent passers by from witnessing the drunken activity within. The pub area is L-shaped with the room stretching back on the left accessed by a wide aperture, and with the matchboard panelled bar counter at the front of the pub. All the seating is traditional and nothing fancy. Above the aperture is a shelf displaying small bottles, and in the area at the back is a print of Annigoni's iconic portrait of he Queen in her long blue cloak. And they do real ale, with Doom Bar, Black Sheep Bitter, Harvey's Best, Timothy Taylor Landlord, and Adnam's Ghost Ship. I had the Ghost ship, which was in excellent condition. I liked this pub a great deal. It was friendly and welcoming, homely and comfortable, and did decent ale. I put it at the top of the pile of Beckenham pubs.

The jolly Woodman is a decent looking pub that is a short walk from the middle of Beckenham. Once inside there is an L shaped room with the bar facing,the floor is tiled,the seating to the front is narrow bench seating and small stools,a TV to the front right was showing rugby,the rear left side has normal tables and chairs and bench seating and small stools. There were six real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Otter Bitter,which went down well,the other real ales noted were Taylor Boltmaker,Taylor Landlord,Youngs Bitter,Doom Bar and one more i can not read my notes of. The pub was fairly quiet on my Saturday dinner visit with a few locals in. I thought this was a pleasant enough pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 18/3/2017

A short stroll from the centre of Beckenham, the Jolly Woodman is a lovely traditional pub, located down an attractive side street. The place has the feel of a small village local, which I suppose it was back when it was built in the mid 1800’s. The interior is in a compact L shape with the servery facing you as you enter through the front door. The bar area has a linoleum floor and some wood panelling on the walls and there is just about enough space to squeeze in a couple of tables with some rickety looking banquettes for seating. Some bottles and jugs have been displayed on high shelves and there are several stacks of books dotted around on shelves, in window sills and so forth, which appear to be for sale with proceeds going to charity. The room extends past the left side of the servery, to a slightly darker, cosier space with mainly standard tables and chairs. I have the feeling I saw a dartboard somewhere in here, but I didn’t make a note of it, so maybe I’m mistaken. There is a small yard out the back with some benches and a barbeque, although I found the seats out on the street at the front to be a nicer summer spot. The pub’s compact nature means that the toilets are still housed in a separate outdoor block. I didn’t see anyone eating on my visit, but I believe the pub offers one changing hot meal option at lunchtimes and a few sandwiches as well. There were six ales available on my recent visit – Taylor Landlord and Golden Best, Deuchars IPA, St Austell Tribute, Young’s Ordinary and Harvey’s Best – perhaps not the most adventurous line-up, but my pint of Tribute was in great shape and I believe local microbreweries have seen their beers featured here in the past. The welcome was nice and friendly and the staff seemed to have a good rapport with their regulars. Beckenham isn’t an obvious destination for beer or pub fans, but the Jolly Woodman is well worth a look should you find yourself in the area. I found the place to be a charming, cosy rural pub with decent beer and friendly staff and I’ve no doubt I’ll be back in here the next time I’m in Beckenham.

Randomness Guide to London - Jolly Woodman entry

Randomness Guide to London - Jolly Woodman entry