The Surrey Docks (JD Wetherspoon), Rotherhithe, SE16

Born on 12th May 1997, this is as mentioned not the largest ‘spoons, with a faux ‘Victorian’ interior of dark wood then all the typical ‘spoons touches. There are still photos of local boys on the way to the khazi as in ‘you can see photos when you’re en route to’ rather than celebs ‘on the way to the khazi’, which would amount to an invasion of privacy. Customers are a big mix, with some rather younger and more fashionable than in most outlets, many seemingly Spanish. The ale front here is rather more limited than anticipated, with the usual suspects then just Sambrook’s Powerhouse and Sidekick at only £1.00 a half and fine, served by an uninterested barmaid. Not being a purpose-built pub, I only made a visit due to needing a comfort break, as I was bursting for a comfort. This place is ok for a stop but obviously there’s no real reason for a special visit.

Classic old style Spoons well described below. It was fairly quiet when I called at 10 on a Saturday morning. Black Sheep Special, Oakham Citra and Southwark Brewing Harvard American Pale alongside the usual trio. I went for the Harvard which was in decent shape. All ales were £1.99 so it was by far the cheapest pint of a long day! Glad to have called in.

Old Skool JDW which looks bigger on the outside than is actually the case within. Dog legged shape with a classic mid-90s Spoons interior; wood panelling, cream ceilings, black and white photos of the docks from back in the days. Pen pics of famous locals (Caine, Bygraves and Hardee on the way to the khazee). Four ales on with two genuine guests from Southwark brewery. The latter's LPA was serviceable (NBSS 2.5) though I suspect it wasn't that great a brew to begin with. Notably cheap here compared to many other London Wetherspoons. Busy on my early afternoon Sunday visit and doing the job it’s designed to do.

Official site of The Surrey Docks (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Surrey Docks (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

This is a modern Spoons handy for Surrey Quays Overground that is GBG (2014) listed. Inside it is furnished fairly typically for a Spoons including five Fruit Machines that I counted which seems excessive for a building this size. The idea that the paved area overlooking the busy road junction at the front could be described as a beer garden is as ludicrous as calling a grass covered main road roundabout a Wildlife Park. The beer choice was disappointing given the GBG listing, of the 8 pumps 3 were not in use, one had Ruddles and the other 4 had festival ales. My Bateman's Hazelnut Brownie (£2.29) was in very good nick. Overall it really is nothing more than an average Spoons.

This is a fairly small Wetherspoons pub, a couple of minutes from Surrey Quays tube station. A decent sized front patio area, not something usually associated with ‘Spoons pubs, leads you into an unusually shaped single room with the servery running down the right hand side behind a series of pillars. The room is carpeted throughout with some attractive wood panelled walls and muted lighting helping to create quite a nice, cosy ambiance. The wide front section of the pub is perhaps a bit brighter, benefitting from the front windows, but the room quickly narrows before eventually opening out again at the rear, where you can find a raised seating area in the back corner, screened from the rest of the pub by partitioning walls and more pillars, and decorated with large bookshelves along the far wall. There is some sort of nautical navigational devise standing in a large cabinet in the mid section of the pub, next to stairs leading up to the toilets. The staircase has pictures of various local celebrities and a nice photo of the pub in its former guise as the ‘Sovereign of the Seas’. I counted eight hand pumps, but only six were in action, mostly offering ‘Spoons regulars or mainstream stuff like London Pride and Spitfire. The only interesting guest was Coach House Blueberry Classic Bitter, which I found well kept but slightly misleading as there was nothing ‘classic’ or ‘bitter’ about it, although there was much ‘blueberry’ going on. I grabbed a bite to eat here too, and the grub was typical Wetherspoons stuff, served in a timely manner by friendly waiting staff. I thought this place had a bit more character than some of the previous reviewers give it credit for and I can certainly think of many other Wetherspoons pubs that feel more bland and generic than this one. The ale selection was the real let-down for me, but I’d be prepared to give this place another go.