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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
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Detail Pages
The Roundhouse, Wandsworth Common, SW18
Wandsworth Common
SW18
SW18 2SS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Roundhouse
Overlooking Spencer Park – the eponymous family once owning extensive lands in Wandsworth – this is a mid-19th century pub, originally the Freemason’s Hotel until recently, the name still visible in mosaic to an attractive entrance exhibiting some vestigial etched glass.
The interior features a bare boarded floor, modernised interior with white tiled bar back, conventional furniture and a huge number of fairy lights to the ceiling, giving the impression of drinking in a planetarium. Tacky sports’ flags were draped around, then conventional furniture, the whole decked out with trendy eclectic prints. Customers were youngish professional types, many feeling the urge to shout rather than talk, overall acoustics being loud enough to trigger the 80dB alert on my watch.
A meagre cask offering amounted to just a reversed Landlord clip, so it was more Oil at £3.55 a half, served by a perfunctory barman.
This isn’t a great pub; the lack of cask on a Friday night denting the score still further.
On 29th February 2024
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Roundhouse
Came across this pub when a local gave me wrong directions to another pub.Nice reallyas this is a nice looking internally and externally.Curved bar and a bit of a bohemian feel.lot of people eating.Good outside seating area to front.Couple of Flying Monk beerand a house beer on cask.
On 18th August 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Roundhouse
Not a full roundhouse by any means, but it does have an impressive curved frontage. Located opposite the northern side of Wandsworth Common, the narrow screened patio would be quite a nice spot were it not for the traffic. Once inside, you find quite a large, traditional interior that is partially divided into different seating and dining areas to avoid too cavernous a feel. Two of three hand pumps in operation when I visited, offering Wandle and XT 1215 (£4.15) when I stopping by.
On 5th July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Roundhouse
I was surprised how many locals with young children were using the seating on the path outside the Roundhouse when I visited at 21:00 on Friday evening. It was a sunny evening, but it felt more like a Saturday afternoon.
The interior is U shaped and premium draught products are available from the bar that also supports three hand pumps. W J King’s Wheat Mash was available alongside Sambrooks’ Junction, but the Wandle was off. To the left rear of the bar is an open kitchen, but I didn’t see any menus for prices etc.
There was some background music playing and I didn’t spot any televisions. A weekly quiz is advertised for 20:00 on Mondays.
I found the service to be friendly and thought that this pub was a little more down to earth compared to the bars on St John’s Hill. I’m still not sure that it is worth the walk from Clapham Junction Station though.
On 1st July 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5230 recommendations about 5198 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Roundhouse
This attractive and unusual round Victorian building is located to the North of Wandsworth Common, just five minutes walk from Clapham Junction station. You enter through a nice dark wood porch with etched glass panes and a mosaic tile floor bearing the pub’s former named – The Freemasons. The entrance leads you into a large main room with a long curved bar counter which follows the shape of the wall. A fireplace can be found to the immediate right of the front door, which seems like a bit of an odd location and has a large mirror above. There wasn’t much of interest in this room, with scrubbed wooden floorboards, sanded tables and some banquettes along the right hand wall with a mixture of chairs elsewhere. The space feels quite bare and unappealing, but to the left of the servery, the room extends to the rear where a raised area can be found. The place looks like it is set up more for diners, but seemed like the nicest part to sit down with your pint. There is some decent furniture throughout and the exposed brick walls are decorated with foreign movie posters and fancy circular mirrors. A few folding chairs and picnic benches have been arranged outside the front of the pub where there is a large paved area to make use of.
This pub is listed in the 2011 Good Beer Guide and there were three ales available on my visit – Hogs Back Her Majestea, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Adnam’s Lighthouse. Keg offerings included Innis and Gunn Original and Aspall’s Suffolk Cyder. I tried the Her Majestea and thought it was a bit off form and below par for a GBG pub.
This pub is blessed with a nice, unusual building in a promising location, but I really couldn’t warm to the bland interior that seems to be doing its best to rob the pub of any remaining character. It might be worth stopping in if you’re passing, but I can’t see myself bothering again.
On 7th August 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Roundhouse
The structure and layout of this pub remains unchanged since the previous reviewer’s visit. The Spanish film posters and obscure modern art are still on the walls. I was in here at late lunchtime on New Year’s Day, and it was anything but quiet with all the seating occupied either by numerous family groups, or possibly one overly large children’s party accompanied by some hapless adults, with everybody but me eating. So, for me it was a swift half at the bar. The three handpumps are still there, on this occasion doling out Hogsback Advent Ale, and the two Sambrook’s ales of Wandle and Junction. I had a half of Wandle which was £1.80, implying £3.60 a pint for a locally produced session ale in a pub that’s really nothing special. I tend to be a bit prejudiced against black-painted pubs (as this one is) that charge what I regard as an over the top price for an ordinary ale. I usually label them as “pretentious”. Obviously it would be a much more comfortable place if it was less crowded with children, but even so I can’t see me rushing back here.
On 1st January 2011
- 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 Roundhouse
A central curved bar dominates the space, the area around has a number of tables, all different in style and with non-matching chairs again all of a different style to each other. I assume this to be some sort of design statement but I don't get it personally. A slightly raised area is to one side of the bar. Fairly minimalist decor, cream walls, white ceiling and black wood, foreign film posters and the such. The main entrance area may have some original glazing, and still features the mosaic tiled step with the original name "The Freemasons" picked out. A not unpleasant low key ska music was playing at background volume. I suspect the pub has gone a bit gastro(?), certainly "trendy", nevertheless it was v quiet mid afternoon and no signs of food/people finishing lunches.
Three handpumps, Everards Original, Sambrooks Wandle and Westons Organic Cider. The Wandle had a slight haze but was drinkable. Served in an old dimple pot.
An unusual pub, probably marketed at local trendies but not really my sort of place really, far too mucked about with.
Please note, this review dates from 25th March 2009
On 15th May 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]