Picture of Crown And Sceptre, SW2 4AH

Historical version 22 of Crown And Sceptre, SW2 4AH (view current version)

Pub on Streatham Hill.

It was previously owned and run by Wetherspoons, but was sold to a private investor in Spring 2019. The pub remains open, but we haven't visited since the change of management so some of the details below may be out of date.

It's a large space, but broken up with pillars and etched-glass dividers to give plenty of hideaway corners. The ceiling is low and painted a deep burgundy, but windows all around the exterior wall provide enough natural light to avoid any hint of gloominess. Decor is traditional, with a patterned carpet, varnished dark wood tables and chairs, and padded banquettes. Fruit machines flash silently here and there.

Kake visited on a Friday morning in September 2018. There were quite a few people in when I arrived around 11am, but still plenty of spare tables. No music was playing, as is usual for Wetherspoons.

The handpumps were clipped for Upham Autumn Leaves, Dorset Brewing Company Durdle Door, Woodforde's Red Admiral, Sharp's Doom Bar, Marston's Old Empire IPA, Greene King Abbot Ale, and Ruddles Best (all priced between £1.99 and £2.49/pint), as well as two real ciders: Gwynt Y Ddraig Black Dragon and Westons Old Rosie (£3.15 and £3.19/pint, respectively). A pint of lime and soda was 80p.

Post-Wetherspoons update by Rowley Birkin QC:

I visited about 10 p.m. on the 2019 May Day bank holiday. The pub still looked Wetherspoons-ish, and though not knowing what it looked like before, there appeared not to have been any alterations to date. Indeed, they still seem to be charging Wetherspoons prices for beer.

When I arrived, there were about 15 other customers. One change is there was music playing (standard pop). However, this was from some sort of device behind the bar – there are no speakers rigged up around the pub. There was no WiFi.

The staff (three of them) were very pleasant, clearly wanting the place to work. I overheard a customer asking (I assume) whether they’d still be doing meal deals as Wetherspoons used to, and the barperson replied “some things are the same, some are different, I don’t know really”. However, I am not optimistic – the whole place felt a bit depressing.

Of the ten handpulls, only five were in use (four ales and a cider). I had Mister Chubb’s Session Bitter (£3.40 a pint, good condition), and Adnam’s Lighthouse (£2.40 a pint, was okay).

Accessibility: A large step to get in. Some of the seating is on a dais, up three steps. No further steps to the ladies', but three steps to the gents'.

See also:

Last visited by Kake, September 2018.
OS X co-ord: 530423 OS Y co-ord: 173451 (Latitude: 51.444522 Longitude: -0.123074)
This is version 22 (as of 2019-05-06 22:19:19). View current version. List all versions.