Jolly Woodman
📍 2.9 miles from Selhurst Park
Recent Fan Reviews
The local of the locals. If you are looking for a ‘local’ look no further! This is the most local pub in Beckenham. Full of the regulars! You are welcomed in with inviting faces and friendly locations that will chat all evening to you! The landlord is great and the beer selection is great 🍻
tldr: extremely rude member of staff. My friend and I just had an unbelievably embarrassing experience at this pub. We had finished our drinks and were just finishing our conversation when an older man came up to our table and loudly told us we needed to leave. We had no idea who he was or what he was talking about, (and as he hadn’t introduced himself we didn’t even realise he worked there) but we told him we were going to leave in a couple of minutes. He then told us we needed to leave now because people who were drinking at the bar might like to sit down and that we were costing him money. Again, we explained that we had bought drinks and snacks earlier - he interrupted to tell us that we had finished them now and that we wouldn’t like it if he came and sat in our offices at work. At this point other customers were looking around and it was extremely embarrassing so we got up and left, feeling like scolded schoolchildren rather than paying customers. If he had approached us in virtually any other manner the request itself wouldn’t have bothered either of us, but his unpleasant attitude and loud voice made what could have been a simple interaction into a completely unnecessary situation which has left us both feeling mortified. We have both worked in (and drank in) pubs, possess basic manners and had no intention of being there much longer and thanks to his unwelcoming attitude I doubt we’ll ever be there again.
Lovely little pub with a back yard for seating. Traditional. Been coming here infrequently for over 40 years (I only drink on rare occasions).
Great pub, fantastic atmosphere PS they don't do food, but their sister pub The Chancery (next door) does an excellent menu!
This pub used to be my local many years ago and back then it was very much a "locals" pub. It had it's regulars and it's personalities and even had the tankards of regular customers hanging up behind the bar. It was a little dingy but it was cosy and always had a great atmosphere. I imagine it may have been a bit daunting to people who had never been before though. Then I moved away and and didn't return for 30 years. Things have changed a bit since I was last there but the core qualities that made this pub great have remained. The cosiness and friendly atmosphere has remained but the decor has been smartened up and it is now bright and welcoming. Though I haven't been for a long time, and it was hard for me to tell, it looked like there was still quite a few local residents frequenting the place but they were less insular than we used to be and were friendly and welcoming. The staff were pleasant and efficient, joking and chatting with the customers and contributing to the overall happy ambiance. The only problem with the place is the same problem it's always had, The Jolly Woodman is small. It's very difficult to maneuver around inside and getting your drinks from the bar to your table can be an adventure as customers have to dance around each other to avoid disaster. Not so bad on a quiet night, but a problem when it gets busy. Still, it can't be helped so, to mitigate this, the beer garden has loads of seating, heaters and a big waterproof awning. I like this place as I have many happy memories associated with it. Now, having returned, I'm hoping to make many more. Cheers.