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Detail Pages
The Bread & Roses, Clapham, SW4
SW4
SW4 6DZ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Bread & Roses
As the Bowyer Arms, this grade II-listed backstreet pub was built in 1846 by Thomas ‘The Man Who Built London’ Cubitt, also responsible for Osborne House, the fruit of his loins being great-great-granddaughter Queen Camilla. It was a Meux’s house by the start of the 20th century, an empty Taylor Walker sign frame extant.
On approach, there’s some vestigial etched glass, the interior being fairly large, simple white and slate grey painted and rambling, with a multitude of theatre and live music flyers, best viewed on their website. The place is home to a theatre and comedy club and a noted live music venue, a good Ska/Two-tone band playing on my mid-Saturday evening visit, isolated from the outside through the installation of double glazing. The place was buzzing with a mixed crowd, but plenty of old-school locals in attendance, with much dancing – after a fashion – going on.
It wasn’t an easy task to get to the bar but once a large group left a hole, I slipped in, wisely eschewing the anonymous house beer in favour of a half of Wandle, £2.60, tired and flabby even by Wandle’s flabby fruit salad standards.
This is a fun place, making for something different and quite the surprise given the location, but the beer quality lets the side down a bit.
On 18th March 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Bread & Roses
L-shaped room with the bar facing you as you walk in. Weak real ales on offer. Stage to the right. The long room to the left opens out onto a beer garden. Nothing special. Opens at 4pm.
On 20th October 2019
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Bread & Roses
The interior consists of a large L shaped interior, with the bar facing you as you enter and a decent size stage area on the right. The seating consisted of brown smooth finished banquette seating along the left hand side. Walls were in white with a large collection of black and white photos of various musicians past and present. Three handpumps on the bar, with two in use, Sambrooks Wandle and London Pride. Service was slow from the two bar staff, even though the pub was quiet on our early Friday eve visit, so you wouldn't have a hope of being served when live music was playing and the place gets busy.
On 6th April 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Bread & Roses
There was just the one real ale when I dropped in here on Wednesday afternoon – London Pride at £1.50 a half (£3 a pint?), plus another pump with a Doom Bar clip reversed. Food doesn’t seem to feature here (I didn't see any menus), although music most certainly does. There’s a large stage on the right, and just about everywhere there’s a photograph of musicians performing, including a montage of hundreds of photographs on the bar counter facing. That’s fair enough, but I could have done without the raucus pop music being played, but that’s just my opinion, as I suppose if you go to a music pub you can’t really expect a quiet drink.
There’s a beer garden at the back, past a little conservatory area where the pool table’s located. Free wi-fi is advertised. Furnishings are cheap looking black plastic covered banquettes, standard but very basic wooden chairs, and round pedestal tables. It’s all very Spartan, which I suppose is what those you visit music pubs want, or have come to expect. As a music venue it no doubt ticks the boxes, but as just a pub I wasn't overly impressed. This is not a pub that I expect to visit again.
On 20th September 2013
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Bread & Roses
The bar is straight ahead on entering, then the pub extends around to the left through an area with a few sofas and then on to a dining area at the rear with light wood furniture and finally to a rear garden/decked area. A modern interior, rather bohemian with black and white pictures of various iconic musicians, political statements and soundbites etc. There are a set of record decks in the front corner so I imagine this is a music venue some evenings. There is a small terrace to the front with a few benches under jumberellas. The original pub brown tiling and etched windows can be seen from here.
The unusual name I believe originates from a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim about a group of female factory workers striking in the USA. "Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread but give us roses."
Beers were Sharp's Doom Bar and Honey Spice Gold, plus Slater's Top Totty.
An amusing aside, the gents toilets have the chorus to The Police's "Don't Stand so Close to me" painted on the walls above the urinals.
An unusual but ok spot for a pint, my Top Totty was in good shape. Note the hours, 4:30 till 11 in the week and 12 to 11/12 weekends.
On 25th July 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Bread & Roses
This pub was quite busy mid saturday afternoon there was a couple of tables outside but it was far to cold when i was here to drink outside,there were three real ales on i tried Sharps Doom Bar which was not bad the other beers were Slaters Top Totty and Hogs Back Advent Ale not a bad pub to have a few in.
On 20th June 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about The Bread & Roses
Nice pub, has tables out the front and seating out the back in a medium sized garden that's a bit of a suntrap. Sells real ale, 3pumps. Had live jazz music on Sunday.
On 19th March 2007
- rating: 8
[User has posted 757 recommendations about 720 pubs]