The Sun Inn, Barnes, SW13

The Sun Inn is a nice looking old pub that is in a nice location opposite the duck pond. Once inside the pub had an olde worlde feel to it making the pub seem quite cosy and comfortable on a cold day,there were two real ales on the bar i had a drink of London Pride which was very expensive at £2.80 a pint when most Youngs houses were charging around £2.20 pint,the other beer was Oakham JHB. The pub was very quiet on my dinnertime visit but i was'nt surprised when they were charging so much for a pint of bitter,having said that i did quite like this pub and the drink was also quite nice. Pub visited 14/12/2002

I called on a rare sunny evening to find the front terrace with its seating overlooking pond fairly busy but there was plenty of space inside the rambling interior. The low ceilings, multiple pillars and fairly dim lighting make exploring the pub a bit like caving and there are several snugs, nooks and crannies that open up around every corner. The place has been sympathetically refurbished and retains a lot of character with its bare floors, oddball selection of seating, lighting, quirky décor and, er, an elephant! A selection of newspapers and board games are available to pass away the time although the Ale selection was, to be honest, rather standard (Pride, Adnams & Bombardier). Westons Organic Cider made a refreshing change and there was a good choice of continental draught beers. There also appeared to be good disabled facilities. Behind the pub is a walled bowling green, claimed to be the oldest in England, where they still play to the original rules. There are suggestions that Sir Francis Drake taught Queen Elizabeth I to play bowls here although the blurb on the wall of the pub says the club was only formed in 1725. It is quite an interesting place and I quite warmed to it although a few more interesting ales would help.

I was in here earlier this week and found the barman to be very polite. There was a blonde woman behind the bar who totally ignored me and I had to wait for said gentleman to come behind the bar before I was served. I thought that she was the cleaner until she started moaning about something on the menu and I realised that she was in charge. The rear of the pub, which is the majority, seems to be some sort of dining area. The pub front is quite small, but there is plenty of seating outside. There is a duck pond opposite, but it is on the other side of a fairly busy road. Pride, Bombardier, Broadside, Westons cider, Fruli and some premium lagers were all available. I think that my Pride came to £2.90. To be honest I quite liked it here and would go back if in the area.

Official site of the Sun Inn, contains menu, events listing and beer details - www.thesuninnbarnes.co.uk