Palmerston, East Dulwich

Built in 1862 and still retaining two rooms and a number of Victorian fittings such as an attractive bar-back and mosaic flooring.

The front room was originally two rooms and retains a late Victorian three-bay bar-back with a frieze at the top. It has pilasters – single ones on the left and right, and double ones each side of the central bay, which also has a clock at the top. The vestibule at the front is modern although the fireplace looks old. The walls throughout have fielded wood panelling up to picture rail height; most appears to be inter-war, but the square design panelling on the rear bar side of the dividing wall looks more modern.

Two doorways with pointed arches lead through a dividing wall to the rear bar. This bar has a colourful mosaic floor, which shows how the bar counter has been shortened and moved back a few feet so as to increase the space for customers, at the expense of the size of the servery. The bar counter with ornate brackets looks original, but the top is new. Note the cupboard in the bar counter front for access to beer engines in times past. The two-bay bar-back is late Victorian, as is the frieze along the top, but ‘The Lord Palmerston’ wording with Watney's red barrels is an addition from the 1960s. The fireplace looks old and there is a modest octagonal skylight.