The Palmerston, East Dulwich, SE22

This is quite a small, pleasant two room pub towards the top end of Lordship Lane. The front room has dark wood floorboards and near full height dark wall panels, which gives it a nice traditional feel, further enhanced by the long leather banquettes along the front and right-hand walls and standard tables and chairs through the centre of the room. The current climate of social distancing meant that the banquette had been subdivided somewhat by a series of dramatically large Perspex screens, which created a series of almost comical looking ‘booths’ which weirdly seemed to help make the place feel a bit cosier than it might otherwise have. This homely feel was also helped by the muted lighting throughout, with candles lit on each table and a chilled soundtrack playing in the background. The bar runs down the left-hand wall and has an unusual blue glazed tile counter front and an excellent traditional bar back incorporating mirrors, a decorative frieze and a central clock. Two arches to the rear lead through to the rear lounge which is arguably even nicer than the front room thanks to its beautiful mosaic tile floor and fine rear fireplace partially hidden by a mini-jungle of potted plants. More standard tables and chairs can be found back here, surrounded by some fine wood panelling topped with decorative patterned wallpaper and lined with more potted plants. Plenty of people had opted to sit outside on the benches that run along the front and right side of the building, although much of this seating fronts a pretty busy road and didn’t seem particularly appealing to me. The handpulls were a bit of a sad sight on arrival, sporting several turned clips from breweries such as Sambrooks and Harveys, but thankfully the did still have Taylors Landlord available, so I ordered a pint only to be told that it was going to set me back £5.60, which is a ridiculous price for a cask ale a day before we enter into a national lockdown – even by Dulwich standards. Thankfully it was in good nick and made up for a couple of disappointing pints elsewhere earlier in the evening. The staff all seemed very nice, especially a jovial fellow who I took to be the landlord, who popped over to most tables to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. I think this pub has a lot of redeeming features that make it well worth a visit, not least the cosy ambiance and two nicely presented rooms with their attractive traditional features. What puts me off from returning is the incredibly expensive ale, which might’ve been tolerable were I paying for a premium product rather than a nationally available 4.3% beer. If you can look past the pricing, this is a nice place for a little session, but otherwise, a quick half and a good nose around the place might have to suffice.

This is really a pub of two halves. The main bar area as you enter is still a pub of sorts. It retains its probably Victorian (but possibly Edwardian) bar back although the blue-tiled counter front is new. Furnishings consist of some upholstered bench seating, tall tables/tall stools with some normal tables and chairs as well. Standard pub issue these days of course. Past some panelled screening at the back takes you into the dining area, with all tables laid for diners of course. The most striking feature in this room is the mosaic flooring, but the bar counter looks original although it looks to have been shortened at some stage. The bar back has a cornice that looks to be brass featuring images of gryphons. Below the cornice is some post-war Watney's signage, with the original longer name of the pub - i.e. Lord Palmerston - which would have been illuminated. I saw a sign to a dining room upstairs, but didn't investigate. There were a couple of ales on - Timothy Taylor Landlord, and Harvey's Best (£4.50 a pint). I didn't examine a menu, although food is clearly a major player here. It's good that several heritage features of this pub have survived. It's still a decent enough pub, although it's as much a restaurant these days.

Official site of The Palmerston - thepalmerstondulwich.co.uk

Official site of The Palmerston - thepalmerstondulwich.co.uk

A corner Gastro pub, as you would expect most of the the tables inside were set for eating,although there is a little pubbiness retained. A street market in the adjacent side street added a little ambiance to the proceedings. The ale selection was a little pedestrian,Doom Bar, Landlord, and Harvey's Best along with Orchard Pig Explorer for the apple minded amongst us, the Harveys was in good form, there was a small but reasonable craft selection. Worth a look if passing, which you would likely do if on a crawl of the area.