This pub is not only a grade II listed building, it is also a Three Star pub on the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) National Inventory with an interior of outstanding national historic importance, and the description is as follows: "Built in 1864 and altered in 1894 (architect unknown), the latter date accounting, no doubt, for a pretty spectacular assemblage of glass and woodwork. A three-storey building of stucco with moulded key stones. Single storey extension to left. There are etched windows at ground floor level, one reading 'BRANDIES', the other reading 'WINES AND SPIRITS'. Listed description states the projecting porch has mosaic floor reading' THE DUKES HEAD'; the floor of the porch now has modern brown tiling thus the mosaic may have been lost.

The impressive entrance on Thames Place has a recessed two-bay arcade entrance with a coloured mosaic floor, a dado of blue and brown glazed wall tiles and a short staircase to the saloon bar. The door has the wording ‘saloon lounge’ in etched glass panel and oddly, also has the word ‘billiards’ incised into the woodwork at the bottom.

Entering the pub via the impressive entrance there is a full height screen on the inside where the wood has been painted a green-grey colour. There is also another entrance with a vestibule having more of the decorative etched glass panels and the woodwork painted a green-grey colour. The front parts of the Duke’s Head have a large central servery with an island bar-back.

There are still three distinct spaces created by full height glazed screens of panelled and carved timber. The public bar is at the front (on the disused corner doors are the wording ‘public’ and ‘bar’); the saloon bar in the middle; and overlooking the River Thames the lounge. Originally there were two further screens in the public bar now removed, but joinery on bar counter shows where these would have been attached. Also, a blocked-up corner door, a large entrance on the left on the Lower Richmond Road, and a door to the single storey extension confirms there were three rooms originally.

The most impressive surviving full-height screen slices through the back part of the servery and has a reduced height service door between the public and saloon bars. On the other side there is a wide arch from the servery to the screen around the impressive entrance. The screens are filled with etched and cut glass with flowers and swirling decoration which are to be found in other glasswork here. The full height screen between the lounge and the public bar was subject to the cutting of an unnecessarily wide opening in 2006.

The third splendid full-height glazed screen at the rear separates the front parts of the pub from a large room with impressive views over the Thames, formerly the lounge. Now called the Coxswain Restaurant, it has a widish archway on the right hand side and two large fireplaces with marble surrounds. The room has lost a small quarter circle bar counter to be replaced by a larger modern servery unit.

The bar counter has broad panels, each with the characteristic London feature of opening (in this case drop-down) lockable doors which allowed servicing of the beer engines. In the lounge there is a small mirrored dumb-waiter rising from bar counter. The central stillion has a modern base with Victorian upper parts with pretty coving ornamented by floral swags. In the middle is the glazed-in head to the cellar steps.

Etched and cut glazing carried through in internal and external doors and passageways. The lounge and some areas in public and saloon bars retain their cornice and decorated frieze. In the public bar there is a short part glazed screen by the left hand door. There is a small fireplace with wooden surround in the saloon bar.

At the rear of the saloon bar there is a staircase and around it more glazed screenwork with high up two etched ‘Club Room’ panels indicating the previous use of first floor rooms. One has riverside views and is called the Wolsey Room with a large marble fireplace, the other is called the Meeting Room.

In the basement with an entrance facing the River Thames with tidal flood gates there was for many years a disused skittles alley, and used by the Putney Rowing Club to store its boats between 1929 and 1986 – there is a plaque on the exterior. The pub sits at the start of the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race. The former skittles alley is now called The Rowing Club and used for live music events etc. with very modern fittings."

The listing description is as follows: "Public house. 1864, with c1894 extension and refurbishment. Architect unknown. Stucco, with channelled rustication at ground floor level. Building occupies a large corner site.

EXTERIOR: Principal façade, three storeys with three-bay street frontage and seven-bay return. Single storey extension to street façade abutting grade II listed Winchester House. Street façade, 3/3 sash windows at first and second floor levels, with moulded key stones, and continuous sill string course. Two fixed etched windows at ground floor level, one reading 'BRANDIES', the other reading 'WINES AND SPIRITS'. Offset projecting porch, with mosaic floor reading 'THE DUKES HEAD'. Blocked-in corner entrance to public bar. Return façade, casement windows at second floor level and dentilled eaves cornice. Large transom first floor windows with segmental fanlights, stylised drip mould with moulded key stones, recessed panels beneath windows. One fixed etched window and two large transom windows with segmental fan lights at ground floor level. Narrow entrance, and recessed two-bay arcade entrance to saloon bar with coloured mosaic floor and blue and brown glazed wall tiles. Same sequence of fenestration on river frontage, with windows set on curved corner. Basement entrance with tidal flood gates, plaque to Putney Rowing club above. Four pronounced chimney stacks.

INTERIOR: Ground Floor is divided into three areas, public and saloon bars, and large lounge area. Large central servery with island bar-back and modern gantry, situated between public and saloon bars, with small mirrored dumb-waiter rising from bar counter and glazed-in head to cellar steps. Panels on servery frontage retain locks which allowed servicing of the beer engines. The three areas are divided by three screens of panelled and carved timber, and etched and cut glass, with a reduced height service door between public and saloon bars, and huge etched window between saloon bar and lounge. Two screens from public bar previously removed, but joinery on bar counter shows where these would have been attached. Etched and cut glazing carried through in internal and external doors and passageways, the door at the bottom of the stairs reading 'CLUB ROOM', indicating the previous use of first floor rooms. Small fireplace with wooden surround in saloon bar and two large fireplaces with marble surrounds in lounge. Lounge and some areas in public and saloon bars retain their cornice and decorated frieze. Lounge has large modern servery unit.

FIRST floor, now staff accommodation and WCs, previously used as club room. Large marble fireplace in room over lounge. Cellar contains now disused skittles alley, and storage space used by the Putney Rowing Club to store its boats between 1929 and 1986.

HISTORY: A public house is thought to have stood on this site since 1774, but the current building dates from an 1864 rebuild, with a c1894 extension and interior remodelling.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: Listed as a handsome mid-C19 building with a good quality and relatively intact late Victorian pub interior. It retains the screens which divide its public and saloon bars and lounge, and has an extensive survival of cut and etched glasswork, in particular, a large window between the saloon bar and the lounge. It also has historical connections with the local rowing community and the public spectacle of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race.

Sources: 'Licensed to Sell: The History and Heritage of the Public House', Brandwood, G., Davison, A. and Slaughter, M. (English Heritage, 2004) 'The CAMRA Regional Inventory for London: Pub Interiors of Special Historic Interest', ed. Brandwood, G. and Jephcote, J. (CAMRA, 2004)"

The WhatPub link is here: WhatPub/Duke's Head

The Pub Heritage Group link is here: PHG/Duke's Head

The Duke's Head featured on the Daytime Crawl of Hammersmith, Barnes and Putney on 18 October 2003.