The couple who turned the Nightingale in Balham into an award-winning community pub are giving this landmark roadside pub on the edge of Wandsworth a new lease of life.

The Venue
Friendly South Africans Lee and Keris were managers for Young’s at the Nightingale: they’re now leaseholders at the Old Sergeant with more freedom to do things their way. The moderately sized pub on the main road along the Wandle Valley between Wandsworth and Earlsfield is a former coaching inn dating back at least to the 1780s, and has been tied to Young’s since 1857.

One of the most dramatic changes is outdoors: a comfortable sheltered beer garden newly created from a neglected yard. There are chalet-style booths and murals commemorating Young’s brewery presence in Wandsworth town centre, before it merged with Wells and moved to Bedford in 2006. This theme continues upstairs in the elegant John Young room, named after the brewery’s long serving last boss, a well-known industry figure who died soon after the plant closed. This boasts an extensive collection of fascinating brewery memorabilia and is available for functions. Downstairs there's a single big space, now reupholstered in contemporary style. King George Park, the Wandle Trail and the South Side shopping mall are nearby.

The Atmosphere
“Local” and “community” are key words at the Old Sergeant. Visit on a busy Saturday night and you may well find a friendly but boisterous crowd singing along to pop favourites performed live, while trendy young couples hold quieter conversations in more intimate corners. There’s a real fire, a quiz every other Monday, poker on Tuesdays, and board games; big screen sport is shown but doesn’t dominate.

The Food
The well-priced pub grub menu features steaks (from £8.50), Cajun chicken burgers (£8.25), mushroom and three cheese pie (£7.95), sharing plates and sandwiches with chips (from £5.50). It’s enlivened by South African-inspired options like homemade bobotie (a meatloaf of sorts, £8.50), hot chicken wing roulette (£6) and droewors. Sunday daytime roasts might extend to springbok or python, and on Sunday evening pizzas take over. Food events like British Sausage Week are eagerly celebrated.

The Drink
The new management has increased the handpump count from two to six, dispensing Young’s Bitter and Special, Bombardier and Sambrook’s Wandle, with two guests that might come from Adnams, Black Sheep, Otter and the like, all served to Cask Marque standards. Half a dozen bottled beers of interest include Young’s Special London Ale and Wells Banana Bread, and they’re planning to stock some international craft beers like Little Creatures. There’s a reasonable choice of wines.

The Last Word
The reinvented Old Sergeant has rapidly become one of the best showcases for Young’s beers in the town where they were originally brewed, and should develop into a thoroughly decent local that’s a credit to its community.

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