Once upon a time, the old Tulse Hill Tavern was a decrepit spot, barely frequented, paint peeling and marred by its location right on one of south London’s busiest roads, the South Circular. Today, though the location hasn’t changed (making it a somewhat unlikely place for a peaceful night’s sleep), the hotel has had one of those revamps that makes you forget how bad it once was. The Victorian architecture has been zhushed up in smart monochrome colours, with wooden plant pots on the outside and dark heritage paints, warm rugs and battered old furniture inside.
Cheery new manager Jemma Kiddle has trawled markets and scrapyards for salvaged items that include wooden panelling and a beautiful old glass bar back. The new website has pretty illustrations of forks and keys and mentions things like biodynamic wine and gardens. It doesn’t mention traffic.
When I arrive on a gloomy October evening, the bar is flickering with candlelight. There are couples sunk into the sofas by the fire and groups of friends at the high tables by a bar piled with plates of freshly made sausage rolls. There’s Redwell and Hot Stuff beer on tap but also a cocktail menu created by friendly bar manager Georgios Symillidis, whose gin and homemade rosemary-infused tonic is a warming seasonal touch (there’s a chocolate bourbon infusion, too).
You can eat anywhere, so diners (including kids) making an occasion of it spill into a slightly more formal dining area lit by chandelier and with a view into the open kitchen. The food is properly good, though it needs to be at these prices (mains from £12-£15) and with south London favourites such as the Lido Café (in nearby Brockwell Park) and Brixton Village a short bus ride away. Standouts such as beetroot tortellini with rainbow chard, pecorino and beetroot crisps show that new chef Diego Sandoval (who recently took over from ex-River Cottager Daniel Stevens) is striving for something higher than pub grub.
Gourmet ambition extends to the wine list too, which has been created in collaboration with Les Caves de Pyrène (the crew behind lauded London wine bars Soif and Terroirs) to focus on natural wines and small-scale producers – the presence of a Lebanese red shows a willingness to break with convention.
It’s all very convivial and inviting – I’d go so far as to say it’s worth a detour for the food, service and twinkly atmosphere. You don’t feel like you’re sitting on the edge of the roundabout, but I’m still apprehensive about staying the night. What kind of airless sealed room would they have had to create to protect guests from the roar of buses and sirens outside? The answer is, they haven’t.
The nine bedrooms are configured around the outside of the building (each one gets a parking space and Tulse Hill train station is a two-minute walk). Big comfy beds are jazzed up by patterned cushions and chevron wool blankets, there are antique wardrobes, modern black wire-framed light shades and lamps and pretty 19th-century botanical prints sourced by Jemma from Spitalfields. But these rooms have been created more for comfort and function, with a coffee machine, radios and spacious bathrooms. Huge windows are covered with suave black and white blinds and double glazing does muffle the hum outside. But there’s really no way of hiding it. You just need to bring earplugs.
Aside from the noise, everything is exemplary – things work, I can make a cup of tea first thing (though herbal teabags and some milk would have been nice) and I’m pummelled awake by an excellent shower accompanied by Orla Kiely bath things. After a great breakfast of avocado on toast I’m convinced that this place serves its guests as more than a functional bed for the night. Perhaps, even, a spot to linger, one that manages to overcome the challenges of its location by getting pretty much everything else right.
• Accommodation was provided by the Tulse Hill Hotel, 150 Norwood Road, London SE24 (doubles from £90, 020-8671 7499, tulsehillhotel.com)
Ask a local
Eamonn Sweeney, managing director/founder of south London’s Blackbird Bakery
• See
You can take a tour of the West Norwood cemetery. It’s historically important, and has some interesting catacombs.
• Eat
I like the food at the Great North Wood pub in West Norwood. It’s straightforward and cheap but good quality.
• Do
The South London Theatre, also in West Norwood, is worth a visit. It’s in an old fire station, with locals producing and acting in all the shows. You’re also very near Brockwell park, Herne Hill and Dulwich Village.
