15th Apr 2012 - This pub is a higgledy piggledy mess of nooks and crannies stuffed with eclectic paraphernalia from its former life as the club house of a local bowling team. The walls are adorned with badges, medals and old score cards and the furniture is 'vintage' to put it politely. I bet you could run a fantastic murder mystery here. There is a TV in one room, showing the Grand National at the time of my visit.

The pub itself is large and the actual bar area quite small in relation. Would be interesting to see what the service is like on a busy day. It was ok on a Saturday afternoon. There's a large dining area on the ground floor and of course the garden, and upstairs is a large room for hire but I didn't venture up there to see it.

If I lived in Balham, this is where I'd be most often.

15th Apr 2012 - The Balham Bowls Club is a great hidden gem in the heart of South London and Balham.
It brings a great escape to the norm pubs around and offers a variety of exciting new events, nights and culture.
They also have the normal pub activites to offer those that prefer a more traditonal approach to a pub, such as the pub quiz every Tuesday, the big sports events/games or anything you ask for (if someone hasn't beaten you already to the tv), chess and book clubs on Mondays's, the fab knitting group on Wednesday's or the occasional live music nights.
My fav events they host are Musical Bingo every month, The Vintage fair, craft fairs and Balham Soul Night.
They also serve food everyday which is pretty good and I hear they are making some great changes to the menu.
The draft beer/larger selection could be slightly more exciting but they do have a good selection of bottle beers too.
All drinks and food are reasonably priced for where you are, the clientelle is a great mixture of people which I also like, the building is old and exciting and full of interesting items but could do with a lick of paint and a makeover in places.
All in all I liked being here and will come back for more and more.