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The Watch House (JD Wetherspoon), Lewisham, SE13
SE13
SE13 6JP
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Watch House (JD Wetherspoon)
This Lewisham branch of the Wetherspoons chain is a fairly old-school example which calls to mind several of its South London peers. The pub is set in a wide, but not particularly deep, room with the usual carpeting and dark wood panelled walls. A few centrally positioned sections of supporting wall help to break up the space nicely and have been surrounded by dark wood display cabinets full of old books and arty prints. A small, raised seating area to the front right offers basic tables and chairs, and these can be found down either side of the room too. High tables and stools fill the mid-section, whilst a small side room to the left has some banquette booths, although this looked like quite a scruffy space and I think I’d rather sit on the more uncomfortable high stools than chance it in there. The bar can be found along the back wall and it has an early ‘Spoons era dark wood counter and mirrored bar back. Over to the left, a fireplace has a dragon statue on its hearth, whilst the walls are covered with local history boards, especially in the rear right corner, where you can learn about local pop culture icons such as Kate Bush and Ginger Baker.
On the bar, the three regular ‘Spoons’ ales were supplemented by three highly uninspiring guest ales, the pick of which was Hook Norton Old Hooky at £2.57 a pint. The bar staff all seemed to be highly incompetent, with the exception of the no nonsense barmaid who served me and seemed to be getting through about four times as many customers as the rest of her team put together. The beer was in pretty good nick and there was a good crowd in on a Friday night, without it ever feeling like it was too packed.
I generally find a lot of South London Wetherspoons to be interchangeable and not all that interesting, and this place seems to slot straight into that category. For all the plus points such as the cheap beer, good seating options and interesting décor, there was an equal negative, like the poor service, grubby tables and uninspiring guest ale range. I’d call in again if I was in the area, but more because there aren’t that many other decent options rather than because this place is worth repeat visits.
Date of visit – 28th July 2023
On 28th December 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Quinno _ left this review about The Watch House (JD Wetherspoon)
Lewisham is a pit, but this is a nicely-kept Spoons of the comfy Victoriana period (1997 opener) and is relatively small so feels more pub-like than some of Timbo’s more modern mega barns and as noted below, the use of pillars as display cases is a neat touch. Got a bit of a thing with dragons (or is it a griffin?), no idea why. Just two guest casks, I suffered a long pour Naked Ladies (NBSS 2). I suspect the locale doesn’t see much cask sold outside the Ruddles. Either way, I quite enjoyed my brief visit and would have scored higher if the beer was better kept. 5.5
On 21st November 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Watch House (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a fairly typical High Street Spoons dating from 1997. It's only an average size for the brand and on my pre-midday visit was quite busy with a mix of the slightly scary daytime Spoons types and other folk. There were twelve pumps with six Festival ales on, one unused, two Ruddles, Old speckled Hen and two ciders.
I got lucky with the Festival ales as there were two I hadn't come across, Rooster's All Star and Brewster's Aromatic Porter, both of which were in very good condition. For some reason I was charged £2.49 for the first pint and £2.29 for the second, so if you're reading this Watch House you owe me 20P!
On 1st November 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Watch House (JD Wetherspoon)
This quite formulaic High Street Wetherspoons takes its name from the old Village Green that now lies under layers of tarmac in the nearby shopping precinct.
The interior is wide but quite shallow with an exyended area to the right of the bar. There comes a time when writing about a ‘Spoons does little more than cover the same territory and the Watch House is not really any different athough the interior does have a little bit of character with some good use of the pillars that have been cleverly turned them into display units.
The beers and food are as one would expect with a couple of decent guests on my visit. It was fairly quiet (late Sunday evening) although I suspect that it is a “choose the right time” sort of place to visit.
Overall I would say it is above the average ‘Spoons but in an area like Lewisham, it can be a Godsend for anyone looking to sample a few out of the ordinary ales and for that reason alone, is worth popping in.
On 15th February 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Watch House (JD Wetherspoon)
Run-of-the-mill 'spoons, but with a reasonable mix of clientele giving what is a very gloomy bar a decent-enough lunchtime atmosphere. The real ale selection was rather unimaginiative, but the seasonal Nadelek from Sharp's Brewery provided an ideal winter beer to go with my ham, eggs and chips. Bar staff weren't the most efficient, but the young chap bringing out the good and tidying up was doing a grand job.
On 31st December 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Watch House
Large Wetherspoon's in the Market area of Lewisham. Does a fair range of real ales and the usual Wether nosh
On 20th January 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]