A historic Young’s pub facing Wimbledon Common, in an early-18th-century building that became the Crooked Billet in the 1750s, quite possibly giving the district its name
The Crooked Billet holds fourteen hundred and eighty-seven reviews and a 4.4 – a strong score on a very large sample – and it is a genuine historic gem: a historic Young’s pub facing Wimbledon Common, in an early-18th-century building that became the Crooked Billet in the 1750s, quite possibly giving the whole district its name.
The historic common-side pub
The Crooked Billet has genuinely deep roots. It stands at 14-15 Crooked Billet, facing onto Wimbledon Common, in a building that dates from the early 18th century – and it became the Crooked Billet during the 1750s. There is genuine history here – the early-18th-century building, the 1750s naming, the historic common-side setting. Remarkably, the whole district of Wimbledon called Crooked Billet may well have taken its name from the pub itself – a genuine and rare distinction, the pub giving its name to the very neighbourhood around it. There is real and remarkable history to it – the early-Georgian building, the 1750s naming, the district named after the pub. A “crooked billet” is an old term for a bent branch or stick (once a common inn sign), giving the pub a genuinely characterful, traditional old-English name. The Prat’s history desk salutes it – the historic common-side pub that quite possibly named its own district. There is genuine history and character to it – the early-18th-century pub, the 1750s naming, the district-naming distinction.
The Young’s heritage and the drays
The Crooked Billet has genuine Young’s heritage. Young’s Brewery leased the Crooked Billet in 1888, and bought the freehold in 1928 (and later, in 1974, purchased the nearby Hand in Hand too). There is genuine history here – the 1888 Young’s lease, the 1928 freehold purchase, the long Young’s heritage. There is a wonderful historic detail too: in Wright’s Alley, ale was historically delivered to customers by Shire horses pulling brewer’s drays – a genuine and charming piece of old brewing history. There is real history and character to it – the Young’s heritage, the Shire-horse drays, the historic ale-delivery. Along with the Hand in Hand, the Crooked Billet faces onto a small triangular green, in a genuinely lovely and historic common-side setting (near King’s College School). There is genuine history and charm to it – the Young’s heritage, the Shire-horse drays, the triangular green, the common-side setting. It is a genuinely historic, characterful Young’s pub – the deep Young’s heritage, the Shire-horse history, the lovely common-side setting.
The pub today
The Crooked Billet is a genuinely superb pub today – a lovely, historic, characterful Young’s pub, facing the green and the Common, with good Young’s beer, good food, and a warm welcome. There is genuine quality and character to it – the good Young’s beer, the good food, the historic common-side setting, the warm welcome. Its position facing Wimbledon Common is a genuine glory – a lovely spot for a pint after a walk across the Common, in a historic pub full of character. There is real quality and charm to it – the good Young’s beer, the good food, the Common-facing setting, the warm welcome. Combined with its early-18th-century history and its Young’s heritage, it makes the Crooked Billet a genuine Wimbledon treasure. Its strong 4.4 across a very large sample confirms it – a genuinely superb, much-loved pub. There is real history, quality and charm in the whole thing – the historic common-side pub, the Young’s heritage, the good beer and food, the warm welcome.
Between its early-18th-century origins and 1750s naming, its Young’s heritage and Shire-horse-dray history, and its lovely Common-facing setting, the Crooked Billet is a genuine historic gem of Wimbledon. Its strong score across a very large sample marks it as a genuinely superb and much-loved pub. The Prat’s desk enjoys a Young’s ale facing Wimbledon Common at the historic pub that may have named its own district, and raises an appreciative glass to the Crooked Billet.
The pub
A strong, hugely popular pub doing a good 4.4 across a very large sample – the Crooked Billet, a historic Young’s pub facing Wimbledon Common, in an early-18th-century building named in the 1750s.
Verdict
Strong, hugely popular, and a genuine historic gem – the Crooked Billet, a historic Young’s pub facing Wimbledon Common that may have given its district its name.
Enjoy a Young’s ale facing Wimbledon Common at the Crooked Billet – a historic Young’s pub in an early-18th-century building named in the 1750s, quite possibly the origin of the district’s name.
Bethan Morgan is an experienced satirical journalist and comedy writer with a strong editorial voice shaped by London’s writing and performance culture. Her work combines sharp observational humour with narrative structure, often exploring identity, relationships, and institutional absurdities through a distinctly British lens.
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Read this on the Northern Line and the Circle Line’s response to everything made perfect sense for the first time.
Affection underneath critique essential. Only write well about something love.