London Pub Tour 19 - Wandsworth: Cat's Back and The Ship

Heading south of the river again and this time to Young's Territory, I arrived at Wandsworth Town station. My first stop though was not a Young's pub, and wasn't near the station either, but was one I wished to visit again as part of my London Pub Tour. I made my way about 15 minutes following part of the Thames path to the Cat's Back (SW18 1NN) which is halfway between Wandsworth and Putney, and situated right near one of those new Thames developments.

Sadly I never made it to the Cat's back under the previous owners when there were interesting tit-bits all over the pub, but since 2012 this pub has been owned by Harveys, and is one of only three in London. When I arrived outside the pub, I could see one of the workers outside cropping up wood for the fire. Upon entering the pub the bar is directly in front, to the right and left are tables with seating. On the right at the end of the bar is the open fire, which the worker was tending to. To the left in the corner facing towards the road is a piano, which had a sweet machine atop. The pub has vinyl wall paper on the bottom half of the wall, whilst the top half is either a plain colour or pattern paper. The flooring is wooden block flooring.

There were about as many customers as staff when I walked in and it remained that way for my visit. On tap at the bar there was Guinness, Peroni, Thatchers, Blue Moon and Staropramen. But I wasn't here for the keg stuff, I was here for the cask. There were 5 taps, though one was separate from the other bank of 4, and may have just been a prop. Only the bank of 4 had ales on offering up Sussex Best Bitter, Old Ale, IPA and Wild Hop. I of course started with a pint of the excellent Sussex Best Bitter and it did not disappoint. The body, mouth feel and flavour were all on spot, and made even better sitting opposite a nice crackling open fire.

Harveys is a brewery whose beer I always enjoy, but sadly don't have often enough. My last pint of Harveys was at the GBBF in summer last year, and it was their monsterous Imperial Stout, which likewise is an amazing beer. I was hoping they might have sold bottles at this pub, so I could take a few away, but alas no. After finishing up my lovely pint of Best I thought I'd give Wild Hop a try. Unfortunately this was just out, and so I selected Old Ale instead. The ABV on this is slightly higher at 4.3% and the price was 20p more at £4.20, though still a great price for London. This was a dark beer that was still light and smooth to drink. Not as good as the best, but certainly a well made beer. As I sat down and supped my pint I noticed an extra bit of furniture, the large old suitcase on top of the bar, which I thought a strange addition to the pub, and wonder if it was a nod to the Cat of old.

After finishing up my pint I made my way back along the Thames path towards Wandsworth to The Ship (SW18 1TB). This is a Young's riverside pub, that was at one stage the closest pub to where I lived. Unlike some of the other Young's along the river here, this one is an old pub that has stood here for over 200 years. The outside has a raised decking area with seating, providing a wonderful river spot in the good weather. To accompany this there is an outside bar at busy times, and a burger shake. But as we know this is January, and the outside was empty and everyone was inside.

There are two parts to the pub. I entered via the smaller part of the pub where you see the final tip of the large horse shoe bar. There was one person on this side, and though I normally enjoy sitting here I opted to walk through to the main bar area. Walking through to the main bar, you actually leave the old original pub building and enter a large conservatory. It has all been tastefully built and when the rain is pouring down outside, its a good place to wile away the time. There are a number of function rooms in the pub, in the original building. Connected to the extension is a private dinning area serving up a different menu to the rest of the pub. There was a very nice fire light in the middle of the extension, that added a bit more to the feel of the pub.

On tap there was the usual Young's selection of Estrella, London IPA and Camden Pale, but there was also the addition of London Lager Brewery Fresh and Camden Hells Unfiltered. On Cask they were serving up Pure Gold, Special, Bitter, Winter Warmer, Pump House and Broadside. But I had already been taken by the Camden Hells Unfiltered. To be honest, the pint came out looking very clear and couldn't tell much difference between this and the filtered Hells. Also following on from the two lovely Harveys pints, I don't think this drink stood a chance. I took a seat, though it was had to find one what with the pub being practically empty, yet every table having a reserved sign for people who were due (and even overdue) within the next 30mins.

I think the Ship is a nice pub, and it just depends on the day and the crowd you get. Similarly with the Alma nearby, which I hope to cover in a London Pub Tour, along with some of the other Wandsworth pubs in the next month. So for today it was just the two pubs, but it was all for the Harveys anyways.