The Watchman (JD Wetherspoon), New Malden

Wetherspoon's property situated on a busy roundabout, having a fairly modern feel inside. My mid-Monday afternoon visit found the place fairly busy with a good mix of people, including the usual all-day drinkers, people who had obviously knocked off work early, ladies that lunch making the coffee machine popular and some members of the local Korean community. The bar is fairly central with long and thin seating areas at the front and to the rear and further areas at either end, with a semi-open kitchen at one of the ends. Greene King Abbot & IPA are the regular beers here. Guests were Twickenham Gothick Dark, Burning Sky NZPA, Adnams Ghost Ship, Oakham Citra & Exeter Darkness. The cider was Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon. As with the previous reviewer, I'd jumped off the bus to give this place a try. New Malden really doesn't have too much else to offer, apart from Woodies, which I last visited in 2016. At this rate, it's likely to be another 8 years until I return to the area. Although this place is quite handy. So, never say never.

This is a good sized modern Wetherspoons located on a landmark roundabout in an attractive old brick building. The pub has many seating areas , including a rather dim front space, the large open-plan bar area, a rear carpeted room and a very unusual narrow strip hidden behind the bar, where a row or banquette booths run next to a narrow walkway. The bar area is particularly large and extends into a space further back, past the bar, where there’s a kitchen serving hatch. The bar has a nice modern counter, complete with shiny metal top and smart bar back, and there is ample high table and stool seating opposite with regular tables and chairs further back and low-backed banquette booths around much of the perimeter. Additional banquettes can be found in the gloomy front part of the pub, where a lack of natural light makes this perhaps the least appealing space. Meanwhile, the rear room has a large skylight, so is pretty bright and airy, decorated with photos and fancy lamps. Much of the pub has been painted in quite striking colours or else has traditional wood panelling, with plenty of modern art on display and some of the new style of ‘Spoons information boards. There’s a patio garden to the rear and down part of the side of the pub, with limited garden furniture and shelter. Perhaps a unique ‘Spoons feature is the glass wall behind the servery, where you can see all of the casks and kegs racked up. On the bar, the three regular ‘Spoons ales were complimented by four or five guest beers, from which I tried the Hop Union Moose River for £2.29. I was served by a very polite barman and found the beer to be in good condition, although this was one of the hottest days on record, so anything would’ve probably slipped down well. There was a very large crowd in, making for a nice buzz on a late Saturday afternoon. I’ve been past this place on the bus hundreds of times, but was glad I took the time to jump off and check it out, as it’s a pretty good example of a well run, more modern Wetherspoons. There were several decent seating spaces, all quite distinct from each other, a good selection of well-kept beer and pleasant service, all of which is pretty good going by ‘Spoons standards, marking this out as one of the chain’s better branches.

A newish Spoons in an old building (converted police station) and quite tastefully decorated in blue/grey/off-white shades alongside a rather nice set of modern Art Deco influenced doors as well as a display case with various bottles within. Quite light and airy inside with large windows and a skylight above the bar. Two banks of seven pumps with an impressive amount of non-standard ales and only one of them was unavailable, though a lot these were form Westerham so perhaps not quite a thrilling a selection as it initially looked. Went for a Dark Star Partridge (good) and a Westerham Grasshopper (fair). A decent JDW, this one.

Old building, but with a substantial rear extension. Attractive modern furniture and decor in the various seating areas (which include a row of 'hidden' booths behind the bar). Two side terraces, one of which is designated for non-smokers (a feature I certainly appreciated). Total of 14 handpumps, and even allowing for two duplicates and four 'available soon's, there was still a reasonable selection at the expected good prices (e.g. my pint of the seasonal Banks's Lions Roar at £2.35).

This is a rare thing in London nowadays, a new Spoons. It's the second one I've been to that is a converted cop shop and it could not be more different from the Eva Hart at Chadwell Heath. They've gone for a modern look with an overall colour scheme of blue and off white. There is plenty of natural light and the Island bar mentioned previously is unusual. I did notice one of those old radiators near where I sat and as it appeared to be connected up I can only assume it is used in winter. I find this strange as the whole place is air-conditioned which presumably blows out warm air if it's cold. Maybe it's a relic from the original building. The beer selection was not that great as many of the pumps were taken up with festival Ciders, but the Old Hooky (£2.29) was in good nick.