The Jolly Farmers, Purley

Situated on what must by one of the busiest intersections in South London, the Jolly Farmers is a bit of a run-down looking, suburban pub. Inside we find what is essentially a long L-shaped room with high archways connecting a number of notional areas. A carpeted area at the front opposite the bar has a few stools along a ledge under the windows and opens out slightly to the left where there is a bit of extra seating. Beyond the right hand end of the bar counter, the room extends to the rear, with a small, raised area houses some extra seating. A door leads out to the car park at the back where there seemed to be some bench seating, which has to be preferable to taking your drink out the front to admire the gridlocked traffic. There is a typical pub menu displayed on blackboards, with mains costing in the region of £4.50-£7.00. Three handpulls offered London Pride, Young's Ordinary and an uninspired guest in the shape of Greene King IPA. My half of Young's wasn't particularly great, but it was encouraging to see a decent pump clip collection on display which perhaps suggests I got unlucky on my visit. There was music playing in the background during my stay, with no sign of any big screens to show the Man Utd vs. Chelsea match which had been on that afternoon and which could no doubt have brought a full house given Purley's Chelsea fan base. Live music seems to be the pub's true forte and posters listing a long roster of upcoming acts were visible throughout the building. This is the closest thing that Purley has to a traditional pub and it's good to see that they have found a niche which will hopefully continue to make it a viable alternative to the Spoon's and Smith & Jones chains it is competing with. However, it left me a bit cold thanks to the large empty room and poor beer, but I'd still consider giving it another try the next time I'm down this way.