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The Four Thieves, SW11
SW11
SW11 1DJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Four Thieves
All of the factual stuff below holds still so plenty of Laine beers on tap. This is a pretty large venue and had a good ambiance even at 9pm on a Monday evening. There were three beers on hand pump - best bitter called Bushy that I sampled that was good, a particular favourite the 360 Brewing Tacoma and one of the American leaning pale ales from Gun Brewery. My Tacoma was very well kept and a pleasure to quaff. Might not be everyone’s cup of tea as a venue but I thought it was pretty damn decent.
On 25th March 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 90 recommendations about 90 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Four Thieves
A very large pub owned by the Laine Pub Co, complete with its own brew kit which provides much of the beer for the pub. It still has the feel of an Antic pub which previously it was. Eight handpumps in all on the bar, unfortunately my beer was a bit warm and lifeless. I went in at a quiet time and it seemed to me a little souless, no doubt its a different story on a weekend evening.
Unlike my beer I found the pub a little difficult to warm to.
On 17th July 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Four Thieves
Fantastic pub, has a bit of everything without spoiling each. Brew their own good quality beer, the main room is large and ecclectic, nicely relaxed. Gin garden to one side, music area, a food area and a massive games room upstairs.
Excellent all rounder.
On 1st July 2019
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Four Thieves
I quite liked this pub for its quirkiness and the beer was good. Noticeable features was the large timber sculpture of a woodpecker, an old TV on legs and electronic bingo boards from the 80's displayed on a wall. I especially liked the two pipes which came out of the microbrewery and then went across the ceiling and straight into the Laines lager fonts. Two banks of four handpumps, so I went for the Laines School of Hops Azacca, which was a very good pint. The pub has various theme nights such as Quiz nite, Comedy Nite, Burger nite 2 for 1, soul funk disco and Sunday Roast with a jazz band.
On 4th April 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Four Thieves
Just off Lavender Hill a short walk from Clapham Junction Railway Station is the Four Thieves. This is a large pub with seating at the front and steps up to the rear bar. To the right is a separate seating area that was busy with a student crowd who were in a celebratory mood whilst loud music played. To the left rear is ‘Gin Yard’ which is a covered outside area that actually feels like an extension of the interior. Those that do not fancy playing the table football can visit the games room on the first floor where pool, table tennis and retro arcade games can be played whilst watching live sport. Although there is no need to worry if this is not your bag because the main bar area is TV and games free.
During my recent Saturday afternoon visit the bar was stocked with premium draught products and the Laines ales available from cask were Pink Grapefruit Sour, Cuddle me Bluff and Redrum. A very friendly barmaid served me half of the latter which set me back £2.15. Food is available and the cheapest burger I saw was priced at £12, certainly not the cheapest in the area.
Fans of bare boarded ‘lived in’ public houses will like this place, but I am still undecided.
On 14th December 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Four Thieves
Very large pub, with a multi-room interior and the sort of distressed mix of furniture and decor you would expect in an Antic establishment. 'Boat House' performance space and 'Gin Yard' covered beer garden, plus an on-site brewery and gin distillery. Also houses another large venue upstairs (albeit with a separate entrance, although you can take your drinks upstairs since the first-floor bar isn't open). Six of eight handpumps in operation, all with Laine's beers e.g. London Porter (£4.25). Excellent.
On 3rd May 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Four Thieves
This place has changed a great deal since my previous visit when it was still an Antic pub. The front bar has now lost its servery and been properly decorated, creating a decent seating area complete with a very large, strange looking bird sculpture next to the entrance. The side room to the left has been converted into a brewery and gin distillery by the Laines Brewery who now operate the pub, and the plant can be clearly viewed through the large side windows. The former dining area to the rear now houses the bar, with the servery running along the rear wall and plenty of seating provided opposite. There is some nice decorative tiling running around the room and a large pipe runs from the brew-plant, along the ceiling and down into the lager fonts on the bar. A new area to the right, called the Boat House, has been opened up. It is essentially a large performance hall with a stage to the rear, lots of open space in the middle and seating around the perimeter. Live music and cabaret shows seem to be the norm in here. A door to the rear left leads out to a covered garden called the Gin Yard where lavender is grown in the roof for use in their gin. I also noticed a sign for a snug, up some stairs to the right of the bar, but the area was in darkness and a quick peek didn’t reveal much. The whole pub has a strange visual theme centred around gas masks – instructions for their use, images of people wearing such masks and of course the masks themselves all make appearances around the pub, with the centrepiece being a seemingly innocent painting of children dancing round a maypole, which on closer inspection, depicts each child wearing a gas mask. Quite what the relevance of this is, I have no idea.
There were four Laines beers and three guests from micros such as Tiny Rebel, available on this visit. I tried the Laines Bright Ale and Extra Special Bitter, with the latter being particularly enjoyable. A few craft keg offerings and interesting bottles are also available. We stopped for a bite to eat as well and found the food okay without being anything to particularly recommend.
I think they have done a pretty good job here and would say it’s a slight improvement on the pub’s former incarnation (see review below). Still one of the best bets for a good pint in this part of town.
Original review as Battersea Mess and Music Hall: 3rd November 2011
This new pub, located just off Lavender Hill in an former Walkabout venue, has apparently styled itself on a 1930's working men's club, although to my untrained eye, it seemed to be a lot more contemporary than that description implies. The pub, part of the ever expanding Antic group, has a multiple room format with entry taking you into perhaps the most traditional part of the pub - a wooden floored room with lots of dark wood, a compact servery, walls lined with old bottles and coats of arms and some limited seating options including one table that appeared to be made from an old sewing machine. There is also a small snug type space at the front of the room, looking out onto the street, which I decided to sit in, only to find that it wasn't all that snug, with its unpainted walls and mouldy looking ceiling.
A door at the rear of this room leads to a large space with another bar and a good deal more seating, with most tables set up for diners, the kitchen being visible along the back wall. To the left rear of this room there is a brighter space with some sofas which appeared to be decorated with the usual array of kooky and kitsch items typical of Antic pubs, but there was a large group taking up this area which meant I couldn't really explore properly. There is a rather long and narrow third room to the left of the main bar, which has been decorated in typical Antic pastel shades with long tables and banquette seating ideal for large groups of people. A solid indie music soundtrack was playing to a mainly young clientele.
A handsome row of handpulls offered Adnams Lighthouse (always £2.50) and Gunhill, Pin Up Beers Natural Blonde (£3.20), Redemption Burnham No. 6, Wytchwood Bountiful, Purity Ubu and Mad Goose and Sharps Doom Bar as well as Pheasant Plucker Cider and Weston's Country Perry. I was seduced by the Pin Up Beers Natural Blonde which was in good condition although it didn't really live up to the promise of the pump clip. There is a short daily menu which listed mains around the £10-15 mark.
I found this pub to be well set up, with plenty on offer to suit a wide range of people. Despite trying to be a bit too knowingly cool, I thought this was a good place to spend some time and a welcome addition to the Clapham/Battersea ale scene.
On 2nd January 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Four Thieves
No longer Antic but now a Laines brewpub.Now a one roomed bar with a slightly raise area for the bar.Brewery sits behind glass as you enter the pub on the left.Quirkely furnished with a nice case above the front door with stuffed things.Stainless steel pipe runs from the brewery across the ceiling and on to the bar delivering lager. Nice outside space to the rear.Six laines beers on and the Random pale ale and ESB were good.An improvement since Antic had it.
On 5th October 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Battersea Mess & Music Hall
I like Antic pubs and support what they do, especially as they not only rescue troubled pubs but also appeal to the 20-30's drinker and serve generally a good range of well kept real ales. Unfortunately, we really didn't hit this one on a good night however. Seven handpumps but only Doom Bar, Adnams Broadside and Lighthouse were on, one reverse clipped and the Purity Mad Goose went as we asked for it. In its favour though, the Lighthouse was just £2.50 a pint. A cider and a perry on handpump were on offer too, but again the cider was off.
Typical of this pub group there is an eclectic and wacky mix of furnishings and decor, such as the drop leaf formica topped tables in the side room and the 1960's sideboards. Various areas inside, the main bar on entering is the most "pubby", this has a smallish snug-like area to the front and also contains a bar football table. There were a few books and games on a shelf in here. Behind the bar, to the rear, there is a larger room with a food servery. This was packed on the night with a quiz in full flow, so we decided against sitting in that area. Beyond, we discovered later, is a smaller side room/space with a distinct 70's feel enhanced by the boxy veneer clad small TV, horsey pictures and stuffed small animals in glass cases.
We actually settled in a long and narrow side room, separated from the main bar by a curtain, which had banquette type benches running the full length of the side wall; it was quieter in here with small groups chatting which was, thankfully, perfectly possible with the background music at a reasonable level.
Another admirable rescue by Antic it seems, and hopefully when I return they might have a bit more beer to choose from.
On 14th January 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Battersea Mess & Music Hall
I first visited this place nearly two years ago when it was a bar called The Rise, since when it’s been a Walkabout and now the Antic Pubco’s imaginatively named Battersea Mess & Music Hall. The improvement is immense, not least because they now do real ale, although on my visit the other evening the selection was probably not as good as is usually the case. The establishment is well described by Pubsignman, but I would add just a couple of things – the rarely seen table football machine at the front of the room, being used enthusiastically by a couple of lads the other night, and the unusual food offering of a complete roast joint, as long as there are a minimum of eight diners sharing it.
They were playing some classic 60s motown tracks which made a welcome change from the usual stuff we get thrust upon us. Like other places that Antic have gotten their hands on (or at least those I’ve visited) this place is massively improved. I would visit again.
On 12th January 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]