The Trafalgar, SW19

Tucked away on an otherwise unremarkable estate in South Wimbledon, this is a fine little community pub with a clear commitment to providing an excellent variety of well kept real ale. There were six pumps on when I recently visited, offering Dark Star Hophead and APA, Pilgrim Progress (£2.90), Sharp's Special, Ascot Market Ale (£2.70) and a real cider. The Pilgrim in particular was a fantastic pint and didn't last too long after my walk in the sweltering sun to get there. The pub is pretty small, with a compact bar area affording enough room for a few people to sit on stools at the bar itself or on a settle in the far corner. The rest of the room is in a slightly partitioned area which has several standard tables with benches and chairs. The partition is created by an enormous ship's wheel and various other Trafalgar related odds and ends adorn the otherwise bare walls. The pub has a dart board at one end and a small TV showing muted Sky Sports News at the other. There were posters promoting live music nights (although it's hard to picture where exactly the band would be able to fit) and a curry night (£6 for a curry and a pint). Although the pub has a bit of a tatty feel to it in places, it is of little consequence as the main reason for visiting is the excellent beer served by friendly staff. The pub is a short walk from South Wimbledon tube station to the North or Morden Road tram stop to the South and is well worth seeking out for those looking for quality and variety of ale.

The Traflagar defines the subtle difference between an estate pub and a community pub. It's a laid back friendly sort of place with no fruit/quiz machines or juke box to get in the way of idle conversation, although there are a couple of unobtrusive TV's. It's welcoming to locals and visitors alike and I imagine that many make the pilgrimage from afar for the excellent range of beers. There are 6 hand pumps plus 2-3 ciders and some bottled beers. I had a Hippy High from Ventnor, a Moorhouse Black Cat and the Thrupenny Hop that I believe may be brewed on the premises - the name allegedly coming from an old nickname for the pub as it was the price of the bus fare from surrounding areas.

I’ve not much to add to what Maldenman has said. I would say, however, that the Trafalgar has again been voted the CAMRA SW London pub of the year – congratulations to Dave and his team. According to the pump clip, the Ascot Market Ale, the second of the Traf’s house ales, is apparently also going to be available as a bottle-conditioned version in the Abbey Mills market. This pub obviously remains one of the very best in the area, and I shall certainly be back. A word of warning might be sensible for those looking for somewhere with loud music, a young modernistic clientele, and a cheap lager fuelled evening – this isn’t the pub for you.

I think that first impressions are very important and having to wait for the landlady/barmaid to finish her conversation before being served didn't really make this thirsty traveller feel very welcome. The icing on the cake was having to wait for her to finish another conversation whilst she was standing behind the bar with my full pint in her hand. I wouldn't have minded except for the fact that the local she was talking to looked like he had been there all day and I'm sure that whatever they were talking about could have waited for 30 seconds.. The pub is one of these sprawling places that find it very difficult to get enough patronage to generate much of an atmosphere. The Liverpool match on Setanta was being shown on both of the plasma screens that I spotted and out of the 15 people in the pub only a couple of them were watching it. There seemed to be a lot of flyers up on the walls advertising live music and karaoke on Thursday nights and the last time I went past here there was a wedding reception going on so maybe most of their money is generated through functions, not that I would want to hold any celebration here. The toilets are a mess with two cubicles that didn't have a toilet roll, lock on the door or toilet seat between them. I'd probably use this place if I lived locally as it does have a pool table, but as I live a fair trot away I won't be returning here again.

A very small and narrow pub, rather basic, certainly no frills, but a real fire and six handpumps serving well kept ales. Bench seats, stools and an odd settle at the end, obscure windows, a large ship's wheel forms a part of the semi seperation of the bar and sitting area. Well run by an enterprising landlord, music nights, jazz, blues etc plus curry evenings are regular features. Sport shown on the TV over the end door. Six on last night, house beers Thru'penny Hop (Pilgrim brew this), Ascot Market Ale, plus Pilgrim Talisman (Winter Warmer), Northumberland Pit Pony, Sharps Special and Skinners Betty Stogs. Highly recommended. Noted interestingly that every drinker inside (20 or so) were on the real stuff.

This is a very small pub which had a very hospitable woman behind the bar during my recent visit. I spotted six hand pumps, but I couldn’t get around the bar to check them out as a group of six blokes were blocking it – yes the pub is that small! There is also a bank of six draught taps from which I was served a fine pint of Guinness. There is a dartboard by the entrance and a TV above the door that shows Sky Sports. I’d be happy to have this place around the corner from my house for a few quiet mid week beers – Not before 3pm though.

Small traditional back street pub selling up to 5 real ales. Has just won CAMRA Greater London pub of the year. 5 minutes walk from South Wimbledon tube station