Anerley Arms, Anerley, SE20

A very large Sam Smith’s pub by the station, the building itself appears to wrap round a corner. Inside is classic Sam’s - a dark varnish wood panelled interior, carpet, burgundy button back banquettes, brass lamps. Biggest draw is a really lovely full-length bar gantry with square leaded windows. There’s a pool and darts room off right. No cask OBB or Man in a Box, so had a decent pint of the Pure Brewed. A nice place, should you find yourself down this way – as mentioned below, this seems not only an unlikely place to find a Sam Smiths pub but also a highly unlikely place for such a classy venue. 7.5

This large station-side pub misses out on the distinction of being Sam Smith's most southerly branch by a mater of metres to the Gazebo in Kingston, but makes up for it by being a far superior venue. As with all the best Sam Smith houses, this place has a marvellous period interior, with a traditional two bar layout which sees a Saloon Bar to the left and a simpler Public Bar to the right. The Saloon Bar is fitted out with lots of lovely dark wood panelling, plush carpets and a large dark wood servery to the rear. The bar counter is partly curved and has a fine glass canopy and a section of snob screens at the far right hand end. The bar back sports a nice old clock with a plaque beneath that reads 'Old barmen never die, for God cannot catch their eye!'. Sturdy padded banquettes run along the front wall with low stools in support, and there are some grand lamps built into the window sills behind the banquettes, under nice etched glass windows. The room expands past the left hand end of the bar, into a raised seating area where more button backed banquettes can be found beneath a huge mirror. There are a few interesting local history boards on the walls and the overall effect is a very pleasant room in which to properly relax over a few drinks. The Public Bar is through a door to the right and is also carpeted, but the seating is notably sparser, comprising mainly of high tables and stools. A pool table takes up much of the space and an area to the rear has been set aside for darts. The continued use of wood panelling and large mirrors means that it's not too much of a jarring transition from one bar to the other, but it's clearly an inferior spot to the Saloon. Unfortunately the pub doesn't serve Old Brewery Bitter from the cask, but the keg version was available alongside their keg Stout, Mild, Porter and Lager options, plus the full Sam Smiths bottled range. A friendly enough barmaid served me a cold but enjoyable pint of the Stout for £3.10, which I enjoyed very much from a seat opposite the bar, whilst taking the place in. This seems not only an unlikely place to find a Sam Smiths pub, but also a highly unlikely place for such a classy venue. The brewery have done a great job in presenting a very smart, characterful venue with plenty to admire but also a fair bit to keep the locals amused and it seemed to be doing a reasonable trade on an early Saturday evening. A most pleasant surprise and a good reason to jump off the train at Anerley.

Fine old station pub (and presumably once a hotel too), given the full Samuel Smith treatment - all dark wood-panelling, furniture and decor. Retains two bars - the main lounge extending into a side room, and an equally large public bar with pool table, etc. Lots of menus on the tables and plenty of other signage about food. No real OBB unfortunately, so opted for the keg India Ale (£3.90). Very quiet for a Saturday night, though...

I would ordinarily find it very difficult to be complimentary about a pub that had no cask ale, but I was very taken with this place. Superb old dark-wood panelled pub and bar, curved bar area runs between saloon and public (as you'll call ‘em down ‘ere), the whole bar-length (maybe 60ft all told) boasts an overhang with lead-light glass panels and a shorter, lower, section of the same made into ‘snob-screens'. Darts and pool were active, in a good way, on the public side of the bar ‘divide' with participation by the friendly and effervescent new guvnor. The lounge has studded leather-backed surround settles and tables/chairs/barstools in good condition. Whisper it quietly, but I was so enamoured with the place that I stayed for a 2nd drop of keg OBB and I tried the SS reserve cider, which is more than acceptable. The guv, by the way, seems very keen to get in cask OBB so I, for one, will happily go back to check progress.

Randomness Guide to London - Anerley Arms entry

Randomness Guide to London - Anerley Arms entry