Love it when Tweedy is in a right foul mood and lambastes these modern makeovers of what were once delightful and proper pubs...the ghastly light color paint jobs, the undrinkable selection of beer on offer and the general cock up of British pub culture. Well done Tweedy.
Such a contrast between the exteriors - which all had a solid and traditional appeal - and the ruthlessly de-souled interiors. In the main, the street scenes looked good too - I wonder if the same fate has befallen the interiors of those houses. I bet it has. I would agree that the Hand in Hand had the most going for it. Plus some proper beer. And whilst despoiled inside, there were some great stories attached to each establishment. What would Oliver Reed make of these pubs today, I wonder? I loved the story about him buying that house for his horse. Stars in the 1960s and 1970s were so wonderfully excessive. Can I just say, your Wombles were absolutely superb. Classic Doctor Who once did a story with leprosy at its core, oh and by the way, there is a classic Who connection to Wimbledon Common, but I won't spoil this comments thread by recounting it!
Thank you Mr WC21! I too wondered what Oliver Reed would make of the current state of the pubs on his infamous Wimbledon Run. I suspect he'd just frown a bit but head straight to the bar regardless. Glad you enjoyed the Wombles, as mentioned in another comment just now I think I was channelling your good self with some of those flourishes! Not to make light of the very real dangers of Womble attacks on Wimbledon Common though. I hope that segment has helped to raise awareness of an issue people seem surprisingly unwilling to discuss.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Welllll it's a highly localised problem to Wimbledon - I feel like I did my bit, and after my comments on the interior design of their pubs I suspect I'll be banned from ever visiting again. Someone else's problem now! Side note: I am currently sat on Hampstead Heath drinking wine (obviously) and I wonder if there is an equivalent species here? Hombles?
I am not completely unsympathetic, and I understand your comments regarding the updated interiors and loss of some of the original fixtures and fittings of the pubs you feature. I was a member of CAMRA many years ago. As a Brit, who regrettably nowadays is more used to American small town bars and 'pubs'. The pubs you show look incredibly appealing to my eyes these days. Keep up the good work. Love your channel.
Thank you! I too spent some time living abroad (Japan in my case) and pubs were always one of the biggest things I became homesick about. It's a surprisingly difficult thing to recreate artificially - it takes at the absolute least a century to make a good pub, in my opinion. That's part of the reason why I get a bit wound up when some pub owners don't seem to appreciate how precious the thing they have is.... and do these horrible refurbs!
Hi John, Whilst there may not be too many remanents of the interior of these historic pubs some wonderful stories still illuminate them!! I did like the fact that you could borrow a deckchair in Crooked Billet and set on the green opposite, I think all you needed to do was go to the Hand in Hand to buy your beer!! As always superb research backed up with special effects that looks like they might have come from the WC21 library, well done. You even managed to get in an ice cream. Have a great weekend!!
Two years ago I visited the palace of Quelez in Lisbon. In the large gardens is an early tennis court. It's a long and narrow stretch of grass. Twice the length of a modern court but half the width.
Having been a resident of the village during the mid 70s almost opposite the Rose & Crown (that seems to have mainly survived except for its public bar), I find it appalling what’s happened to the Dog. How on earth could they adorn the pub with that hideous pink neon sign? I don’t think Mr Reid would have approved! As a former Youngs Special drinker I think Youngs beer suffered terribly after the Charles Wells takeover and the Wandsworth brewery closed. A fantastic video and great to see some of my old locals again, even if they’ve changed for the worst in my view, thanks.
Bingo again, done all six. My 'visited pubs' list for SW19 has 25 pubs on it (in fairness, the postcode area is larger than just Wimbledon itself). Sadly lost is the Brewery Tap, High Street - I went in there for a quick half or a pint and ended up in a conversation that went on for several hours! I agree that these days there is far too much pale grey and identikit wood panelling.
Good afternoon 🍺Excellent trip to Wimbledon 👍 it’s shame they have decided to strip the original features from the pubs 😮the wombles are the best residents 😁😁have a nice weekend 🥂😎👍
Thank you! Yes unfortunately most of the interiors were in a sorry state but I still just about managed to enjoy myself - particularly the Hand in Hand, thanks in part to having Harvey's on tap!
Thank you! It was an attempt to stop people losing interest in the first few seconds of the video but viewing stats for this video are below the norm so I'm not sure it's working!
Thank you for the explanation. That is such a shame because, while I can understand people not wanting to wade through a contents list, your intros have been witty and informative in their own right.
All of the comments below capture the moment. All I can add is Tweedy Pubs is far beyong the expected and always inspires me to reach for yet another glass. Time well spent in past and real time which in general makes for a very excellent offering. Cheers Tweedy!
I only first knew a couple of these pubs perhaps 10 or 15 years ago but the interiors have deteriorated even in that timespan. The sad thing is the people stripping them of all their character actually believe they're making an improvement.
just got home from work after a horrid day, got a few cans of chilled tribute and ready to watch tweedy do his thing!! cheers mate maybe brompton/west brompton soon?
Very watchable once more Tweedy - thanks. I happened upon the Crooked Billet last week and had a crafty half whilst out running. On a sunny day that green at the front does come in handy!
Were the 2 closed pubs on Oliver Reeds pub crawl the Brewery Tap and King of Denmark? Not Tweedy pubs but the (reopened) Trafalgar and Sultan in South Wimbledon are worth a visit. Shame a handful of pubs have also closed in that part of Wimbledon too. Keep up the good work though.
Yes I think those were the two closed pubs. I did consider the Sultan - it is still on CAMRA's historic pub interior list... but it was a bit far from the other five and for once it was nice just letting somebody else (Oliver Reed!) choose the list of pubs!
@@TweedyPubsYes it was those 2 pubs, looked it up as forgot Google is our friend! Shame about the Brewery Tap as it was a lovely pub. Merton Council allowed it to be turned into a Nero Coffee shop. The Sultan was a favourite of mine for many years + enjoyed playing darts in there!
Good afternoon, Tweedy Another interesting video. Visited the Wimbledon area from time to time but as yet never had opportunity to visit any pubs there. I would concur with you that the Hand in Hand would be my choice of establishment to visit if I am that way again and have time for a beer. 😀👍 I was pleased you found Harvey's Best at least once !!😁. There is indeed a beacon of light in the sea of "citrusy ales" that seemed to be awash in many of the pubs nowadays, like we have said before 😒🤔 Also on a hot day - always time for a "Mr Whippy 99" if I spy an ice cream van enroute 🤣🍦 Sad about the Fox and Grapes interior (despite the nice staff). Given the choice, I think I might choose to drink a beer in my dentist's waiting room (but not sure how the dentist would react ?? - Well, yes, I do !! 🤣🤔 Enjoy your weekend 😀
The Londonist says that Crooked Billet refers to a bent stick that has fallen from a tree. My late uncle repeated the perhaps apocryphal story that before pubs had signs, they would be known as the place with the barrel outside or the place with the boot over the door or the place with the oak tree.
Very good. I'm familiar with the Wimbledon Village pubs & your reviews are spot on ! Can I suggest that a Kingston to Surbiton visit would make sure that you have more chance of finding a decent beer or two as well as some interesting old pub buildings (The Albion, The Ram, The Antelope & The Lamb to name a few) so might prove that SW London can offer something to the visitor !
Thank you for the kind words, and thanks for the tips! Yes I think there is a bit more interest in that broader South West London area and it needs further exploration!
Love these videos. Good judgement from my point of view, combined with good research makes for very enjoyable viewing. Also, speaking from the pov of a foreigner you're doing twice the job of the British Tourist board on what is likely the budget associated with a senior executive's lunch appointment.
South West London falling into a pattern..Wandsworth and now Wimbledon. I'm in Barnes and go to Putney, Richmond and Chiswick a lot. Similar reviews to be had! Great content, as always.
Idle hour, listening to George Melley in the dog and fox live in France now miss good English beer and a decent pub. Unfortunately a lot of them have been ruined by Farrow and ball blandness and pretentious gastro pub elections.😢
Sunday night for me isn't complete without a tweedy pub review absolutely fabulous and a bit nostalgic as I did some recording work in RG Jones studios, Wimbledon in the early 90's but can't remember the pubs I frequented (I was a fair bit younger and wilder). A big thank you and I look forward to the next one
Thank you! I'm sure the pubs you went to back in the 90s must have included at least some of these - they seem to be some of Wimbledon's old stalwarts.
Thank you - I hope I did it justice, and I hope it wasn't too much of a shock to the system to see the current state of those interiors if you haven't been for a while! I thought the Hand in Hand was still a thoroughly decent boozer and somewhere I would happily go back to.
Hi John. The peeling vinyl sign at the Fox and Grapes sums up the wanton desecration of many traditional pubs. Historical interiors gutted by interior designers with no understanding of historical pub interiors, as evidenced by using cheap vinyl signage that peels, rather than upholding the tradition of hand painted signs. Lamentable. The pubs of Wimbledon have changed beyond recognition of those I remember in the late 1970’s. Now, as for the bizarre array of beers ……. where do I start??? 🤢🥲 As always, an excellent review. 👏👏👍😀🍺
I really enjoy your videos thanks for all the historical / architectural information. When you’ve time make a pilgrimage up to Liverpool the pubs there are amazing
Interesting; if you want some to try some good old interiors, included recreated ones, have a couple of days in Shropshire and try out the Ludlow parlour pubs. There is technically 3 of the parlour pubs, but of course there are other pubs too including that rare thing, a proper coaching inn, the Feathers, that still is doing its job, hotel, pub, cafe, restaurant, social meeting point and landmark. Some of the pubs are food led but IMHO Ludlow is the nicest small town in England and the three parlour pubs are the icing on the cake.
Sounds great - thanks for the tip! I love Herefordshire and would love to explore that wider Welsh borders area more. I don't mind pubs being a bit more food led when they're country pubs. It makes sense when you're in a village which has one pub and no other businesses that it has to function as a place to eat too, and often if people are driving to it from the surrounding countryside they're less likely (these days) to prop up the bar and sink five pints... Country pubs would always have provided food as well as drinks going back to at least the era of the coaching inn. As long as they haven't laid out all of the tables for dining and/or put little "reserved" signs on them all! ...and hopefully the food would be traditional, unpretentious English fare. Not a goat's cheese and butternut squash soufflé with a micro herb salad in a balsamic glaze dressing!
Great review. When i go to Wimbledon (every couple of months) i tend to frequent the pubs around the station - doubt they have much history but they are good. Thanks so much for your vlog - as always loving the history etc. Cheers Tweedy
This is such a great channel. Realising there are so many pubs to choose from. Would love for you to do the borough of Bromley if you ever fancy it - cannot promise it is good of course!
@@TweedyPubs it was really good pacing for this video… but clearly I would love to see lots more but I know you want to keep it around the 20 minute mark for each video. Just keep doing what you’re doing as it’s getting better and better every video.
Great video, lovely exteriors but awfully disappointing interiors. I think that photo is The Hand In Hand. The upper windows are not right and there does not seem enough area in the front for that garden area without blocking the road. The chimney on the present day hand in hand, the bit set back behind the present garden area, seems similar to the one in the photo.
If you could go on a pub crawl with 3 famous people (dead or alive), who would it be? For me it would be Oliver Reed, Jimmy White, and Scarlett Johanson.
Well at least the ice cream van didnt have a Farrow and Ball colour scheme! Some really nice pubs but treated very poorly by interior designers. I would think a very pre F&B Rose and Crown would be a very historic experience. The Hand in Hand looks a decent pub and has a decent beer selection, including Directors. Crooked Billet with the two pubs, away from the town centre would be my preference. Thanks for the video!
I've never understood why the England rugby motif is only the red rose of the House of Lancaster. Why not the Tudor red and white rose combining the Houses of Lancaster and York ?
Great work Tweedy, but a billet: having drunk copiously in the hare and billet on Blackheath. A fine landlord and ex boxer Dan. I give the Miriam & Webster Definition:: 2 a : an official order directing that a member of a military force be provided with board and lodging (as in a private home) b : quarters assigned by or as if by a billet
Yes was thinking this too, and the only thing that comes to mind is an inspector Clouseau get up... Either the Hunchback with helium or the Salty Sea Dog. Good luck Tweedy and watch your back.
There is a rumor going around that someone saw Tweedy climbing out of the ponds with his shirt off and they spotted a massive Harvey's Brewery tattoo across his chest. Is this true?
😂I feel I should make it clear I have no affiliation with Harvey's Brewery, I just really like their beer! I'm fairly sure they don't even know I exist.
It really pains me when you have a brilliant historic building but the interior gets ruined to fit in with a modern trend. Why destroy the character? Interesting vid though fella, look forward to more
