The Antelope, Tooting, SW17

Tris C left this review about The Antelope

This is a late Victorian pub, originally known as the Foresters and on CAMRA’s inventory of having an interior of Regional Importance; I suspect that this pub isn’t the 1870s’ original though, still sporting an unused Courage sign bracket.
I’d not been to Tooting before, but think of it as an old friend from having watched Citizen Smith in the late ‘70s. This has a rather fine interior indeed, which probably explains why owner Antic hasn’t dynamited it. Unfortunately, Antic don’t have the imagination to capitalise on the interior, as there are no pictures of it on the website. Suffice to say, this must have been quite some gin palace in its day, with a good wood panelled floor, there’s an ornate flying bar back with a Barclays backlit parapet. This is exceptionally rare, possibly unique; the Turin Shroud of old brewery regalia. There’s some very fine Art Nouveau etched glass to select windows. A royal blue Anaglypta ceiling complements walls which are either plain or panelled, painted pale grey. Décor comes in the form of coats of arms to walls, mounted patterned plates and a stuffed deer’s head; furniture is somewhat modern and comfy, with peripheral banquettes. It would seem that this large room must comprise the bulk of the pub, but not a bit of it as there’s a substantial plain wood panelled dining room to the rear, but then a massive similarly attired room to the left, seemingly devoted to football, dimly lit with a megavision screen and probably once a billiard room. Customers were a mixed bunch, many supping in the fairly large beer garden.
There was Old Rosie cider (not considered ‘real’ by CAMRA), then three unused pumps, thereafter Volden Pale, Volden Session at a remarkable £3.30 a pint, Wandle and Jaipur, £2.60 a half and very nice, served by an even nicer barmaid.
This was easily the best of my seven-pub mini crawl. Miles better than the Long Room down the road, this is a must-visit if in Wandsworth and certainly an asset for the residents of Tooting; power to the people!

On 6^th April 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1519 recommendations about 1497 pubs]