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Guess who I met today? with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Quinno _
Submitted on Sunday, 16th June 2024
With picture contributions to 5455 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (23 more images)
Detail Pages
William Cobbett, Farnham
Farnham
GU9 7QR
Served areas
Reviews of William Cobbett (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about William Cobbett
Farnham is not a town I've ever set foot in, at least until Bank Holiday Monday. With time for just visit, we chose the William Cobbett, which is near the town's railway station.
This pub feels fairly traditional with a few different sections. Off to the right, there is a dartboard and a TV screen. The TV was off, with music playing instead. Toilets are also at this end of the pub. I'm not sure about the ladies, but the gents had an impossibly low door handle to negotiate.
A real fire was lit and there was plenty of things to admire on the walls and beams including lots of old pumpclips, guitars, a skeleton, a 45" record collection, a propellor, a cabinet full of old bottles, old football match and concern ticket stubs and car registration plates. It's the kind of pub where successive visits will reveal something different every time.
However, as much as I love visiting fascinating pubs like this, I also value a good and varied beer range when reviewing pubs. The cask ale range here was limited to just TEA & Tribute. London Pride & Proper Job pumpclips were turned round, with a fifth handpull unclipped. Neck Oil was on keg, with Inch's being the cider. At least one of the cask ales was a local one.
I didn't get to explore the rest of this pub, as I was quite happy sat in a corner admiring my surroundings and unlike Quinno, I was enjoying the soundtrack. Perhaps it has improved since his visit, or maybe our musical tastes differ significantly. It did sound like there were quite a few people in the garden to the rear of the pub, which may also have been worth a visit. I'd happily return to see a bit more.
On 9th May 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3073 recommendations about 3071 pubs]
Quinno _ left this review about William Cobbett
Character pub, with tat everywhere - no particular theme for the most part but plenty to look at, including a load of old 45rpm discs displayed on a wall behind a Perspex screen. Strip all that out and you still have a pretty characterful place which must date from the 70s as there’s no CAMRA Heritage listing. Enter through a porch though the two rooms it originally opened into here are now one. Off right is a separate room which is the smash-through into the adjoining property, all black beams and exposed brick. There's some old coins in the flagstoned floor which I only noticed once I’d got my eye in as many have been worn down. Sizeable rear patio. Five pumps with four on, a samey selection of mid-range bitters – TT Landlord, Fuller's London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar and a local brew in Hogs Back TEA which was a bit long in the tooth (NBSS 2.5). Ropey music on the go throughout, somewhat at odds with the image the pubs interior presents. I’d say it’s well-worth a visit for the interior; a review of the cask offering would make this place a nailed-on destination. Could and should be a GBG regular. 6.5
On 25th June 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5562 recommendations about 5543 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Komakino . left this review about The William Cobbett
Slightly out of town and a good double-header with the nearby Lamb, this was a former stamping ground of my other half and she was thrilled to find it had barely changed internally in the last 20 years. This is dark inside with the aforementioned flagstoned floor and assorted paraphernalia on walls and beams including 7-inch vinyl (which reminded me of Jericho's Gardeners Arms), skateboards and foreign bank notes. There are also old photos of the pub and Farnham including one of the pub as the Jolly Farmers as mentioned by Malden man below. Presumably multi-roomed once upon a time (there an additional bar counter around the corner from the main bar to the left); an upstairs pool room houses four(!) pool tables which sit on sticky red lino floor. Four ales on in the form of Sharp's Doom Bar, St Austell Tribute and Proper Job and local Hogs Back T.E.A. with the latter in average shape. There's a decent courtyard 'back garden', repurchased from part of the car park and a pub cat is a presence, tarting himself around by going from pub bench to pub bench for attention. The nu-punk / skate metal-esque soundtrack wasn't to my taste, but overall this has more plus points than negatives and I certainly hope this remains the same for the next 20 years too.
On 21st August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1077 recommendations about 1077 pubs]
View more reviews of William Cobbett (5)
No known official website for this pub.
- Facebook - The William Cobbett
- CAMRA WhatPub :: William Cobbett - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Car Park : Yes last updated 09 May 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Darts : Yes last updated 09 May 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 09 May 2025 by Blue Scrumpy
- Function Room : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Hot Food : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Live Music : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Pinball : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- Pool Table : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 09 May 2025 by paulof horsham
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 21 August 2021 by Komakino .
- WiFi : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
