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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Lamb
This is a rather quirky single room pub on a busy road in a building that apparently was previously divided into four separate bars back in the day, but now has a C-shaped room with a clear distinction between the former front and back sections. The room is bare boarded and has white walls and a curved tongue and groove servery. The front section has a few standard tables and chairs under the windows, whose sills are filled with oddities such as old cameras, a coffee maker, vases, pots, pictures and so on. To the right there is a strange sparkling light feature next to a series of mounted gauges, pipes, dials and the like, the purpose of which was not apparent. There are no handpulls on the front section of the bar, but it had instead been stacked with plenty of bar snacks. The rear half of the room has bench, chair and sofa seating options plus a tiny stage in the rear left corner, with a band arriving whilst I was there, who annoyingly started setting some of their equipment up on my table. Decor here is similarly eclectic, including a large dragon's head, potted plants, a didgeridoo, sewing machine, glitter ball, lamb portrait and numerous posters and familiar art works including Hokusai's Great Wave and the famous shot from Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon, where the rocket capsule lands in the eye of the Moon. It's all a bit kitsch and chaotic, and the quirkiness factor was ramped up when a tabletop pinball competition broke out between the bar staff during the brief period that I was the only customer in the pub. There's a decent sized beer garden to the rear with sofas, picnic benches and sturdy iron garden furniture and an effort had been made to provide some shelter, although the plastic awning used for this looked pretty shabby and it wasn't the most enticing garden I've come across. Reggae and indie music seemed to be the order of the day and I failed to spot any TV screens, although I did note a collection of board games.
On the bar there was Oakham The Navigation, Surrey Hills Ranmore, Hop Back Summer Lightning and Brains SA which went off and was replaced with Oakham Scarlet Macaw. A pint of the Ranmore set me back £3.90 and it was arguably the best pint of Ranmore I've ever had, so I enjoyed taking my time over it. The staff were all very nice, offering friendly greetings and farewells to everyone and helping a chap find another local pub doing food after he arrived to find they'd stopped serving here.
This is a strange pub which seems to be going for that quirky, junk-shop look which I think can work quite well, but it falls a little short and is conflicted by also trying to be a live music venue. I thought it was a cosy enough spot to enjoy a well kept pint and wouldn't mind spending an evening here, but I can also appreciate that it's not the sort of place that will appeal to everyone.
On 3rd October 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Lamb
Eclecticly furnished,messy,scruffy with a cluttered outside spaced.Like drinking in the furniture section of a car boot sale.Rthe bar reminds me of the Wenlock before they cleaned it up.Busy garden area.Its a music pub so they had to have Trooper,Summer lightning,Tiger and Surrey hills were also on.Wishy washy Ranmore was tried.I hate pubs like this but each to their own.
On 20th August 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Lamb
Even better on my second visit here,a great atmosphere on Saturday night, a good buzz all round and good beer to boot, two from Surrey Hills, Ranmore and Gilt Complex , Robinsons Trooper and unfortunately I can't remember the fourth but both of the Surrey Hills were excellent , I like this place a lot.
October 2014
A good old fashioned traditional boozer, four hand pumps, my Surrey Hills Ranmore Ale was in fine fettle.I would have no problem returning here.
On 31st March 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Lamb
This is an old fashioned GBG (2014) listed boozer diagonally opposite the Young's Black Lion. I arrived here just after midday to find it quiet. It's a small single room with an island bar and bare floorboards. There are a an assortment of chairs and tables plus a couple of sofas.
There are four handpumps with the Surrey Hills Ranmore Ale as a permanent fixture and on this occasion Dark Star Hophead, Robinson's Trooper and Hop Back Winter Lightning.
I went for the Trooper (£3.70) which I had only had before in bottles from Morrison's. It tasted bland to me although it appeared to be in fine condition. This struck me as expensive for the edge of Greater London as I have paid less in Central London pubs. If the previous pub I had been in had stocked this beer it would have cost just £2.20 so the question is whether it's worth paying an extra thirty bob a pint to drink in here? For me the answer is no.
On 21st December 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Lamb
A bit of an odd one this.
Situated on the Brighton Road in the centre of Surbiton is The Lamb, a small pub which, according to a plaque outside, dates back to 1850 and was the home of the Lamb Brewery. Nostalgia addicts will note the old Skol advertising sign on the outside wall.
Following a short period of closure, the pub re-opened several years ago. It’s a small pub with a central horseshoe bar and a low ceiling. The interior is decorated in what might be described as an eclectic style. Bunting and balloons were hanging down from one corner, but there was no indication that there was a party planned. What could be original beams have been painted in a lightish colour. Heavy duty wooden tables down one side have small candles, but there’s no indication of any food, apart from a large display of cheeses. We learn that “Homage de Fromage” evenings are held monthly on Mondays.
On my recent Saturday afternoon visit, the pub had an atmosphere that felt like a cross between a kindergarten and a drop in social centre for the underprivileged / unemployed. One small family group, who appeared to be related to or friends of the barman, were sitting round drinking coffee in a rather listless manner and, in the garden, several youngsters were busy painting some kind of mural. Posters dotted around the pub invited me to “come along and help build and play Giant Hungry Hippos” next weekend, ( so you’ve probably missed it now ) which gives you a feel of their target customer base, although I ought to add that it is all in aid of good charitable causes. Occupying a stool by the bar, I kept having to move to let pushchair-pushing parents and their offspring through. There didn’t appear to be any what I would regard as normal pub type customers, nor did there seem to be anyone else drinking alcohol.
Rather surprisingly against this background, 3 real ales were offered – Itchen Valley Hampshire Rose, Surrey Hills Ranmore Ale plus one other. My beer was OK and the pub is listed in the 2011 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Not really my cup of tea – I haven’t felt as out of place in a pub for a long time – and I very much doubt that I’ll be calling in again.
On 17th June 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gordon Bowen left this review about The Lamb
Great cheese. Great beer. Great atmosphere. What more do you want?
On 5th June 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Lamb
As Steve C has said this indeed a very quirky little pub. On the wall over the bar counter on the right is about a metre of tiled roofing (which is a first for me in a pub); and although I’ve seen decorative twigs in a pub, at the back end of this pub there is a decorative branch! Also, hung from the ceiling is some white netting, and of course all the tables were equipped with small candles. They had three ales on during my visit – Sambrook Junction; Dark Star Festival; and Surrey Hills Ranmore. I had pints of both the Ranmore and Festival and both were well kept and most enjoyable, but at £3.50 a pint I though the Festival was a tad overpriced. However, overall I enjoyed my visit to this pub and I would be very happy to pay a return visit.
On 23rd February 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Lamb
This is a quirky little pub that I felt was very difficult to get comfortable in as I found it to be like a poorly maintained scout hut, but it does have its charm and the staff on duty were more than friendly. Alongside a standard draught selection were three hand pumps that were drawing Sambrooks Junction, Surrey Hills Ranmore and Windsor and Eton’s Conqueror. Stowford Press cider was also available and an urn of mulled apples was sitting on the bar, my visit being just before Christmas. At the end of the bar there is a glass display case that was full of cheese and various accompaniments lined the bar in the form of pickles etc. The owners seem to be cheese monkeys as the last Monday of the month from 19:30 is their ‘Homage de Fromage’ evening, I’m just glad the misses wasn’t with me when I visited as I’d have never got her out! There were no TVs that I could see, but there was some inoffensive background music playing to give a little bit of atmosphere.
At the rear there is a beer garden that houses a small marquee to keep the elements off of the smokers.
This was a nice pub for a change as it is unique, but it’s not really my scene and I doubt that I’ll return anytime soon.
On 14th January 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tony Kent left this review about The Lamb
I moved to this area recently and have tried a number of the pubs in the area and in Kingston. I found The Lamb to be the friendliest with a really good atmosphere. Beer choice was good and there are certainly some weird things going on here. I'm going back again to see if the two evenings I went in were freaks - I hope not
On 10th September 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3 recommendations about 3 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Lamb
One room winding around the central bar. A slightly unusual interior with rather eclectic decor ranging from 1970's style lightshades, modern art on the white walls, a variety of non matching chairs at tables of differing sizes. Tables have candles and there are cacti on the window cill. Some years ago this pub was like a 1970's museum piece, particularly with the fake black beams and posts screwed to the walls. The beams remain but have been painted over. The old red Skol sign is still displayed on the outside gable wall.
The pub is home to a cheese club, and a selection of more unusual cheeses are available served with bread and home made chutney.
It may sound a bit trendy even pretentious, but I felt the place to be relaxing and enjoyed my stay. Good beer helps of course, there are three handpumps; the selection was Ringwood Best Bitter, Wychwood Hobgoblin and Titanic Lifeboat.
There is a large garden/patio area to the rear.
On 26th February 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]