Fox & Hounds, Battersea, SW11

I’ve seen this pub hundreds of time from the train to and from Waterloo, but this was my first visit. It’s clearly a typical corner-site Victorian pub that did, and actually still does, dominate the largely residential street where it resides. The exterior remains very attractive and traditional, standing out from its surroundings, but not like a sore thumb! But inside it’s been stripped out over the years and the only relic of its Victorian heritage are the cast iron fluted columns, which are probable a structural necessity. It’s bare-boarded with a modern and rather ugly bar counter, and normal tables and chairs. There’s also a side room down a few steps on the left, containing some more normal tables and chairs. The ceiling and doors are painted a dull red, the walls a dull yellow, and there is nothing worth mentioning in the way of decor. The plus point for me was the ales on offer – Fuller’s Summer Ale (a new one on me); Ossett’s Gold; and Butcombe Bitter. The Butcombe was excellent, the barmaid doing an excellent job of pulling a full pint, but at a top of the range price of £3.40 a pint. The food menu was on a chalkboard on one of the walls, and although I didn’t take a close look at it, it certainly didn’t look like reasonably priced pub grub to me. The wine list was on another chalkboard behind the bar counter. This pub is really a bit too minimalist and Spartan for my taste, but with three decent ales on I would probably be happy to have this as my local, even with the prices they charge.

Randomness Guide to London - Fox And Hounds entry

Randomness Guide to London - Fox And Hounds entry

Official site of the Fox & Hounds, includes menus and wine list - www.thefoxandhoundspub.co.uk

Official site of the Fox & Hounds, includes menus and wine list - www.thefoxandhoundspub.co.uk