KINGSTON UPON THAMES.

I forgot this is London and that no one goes out for a drink during the week. It meant a good pub that normally serves five to six beers at the weekend only had two on, both standard ones Gales HSB and London Pride. Pity really as this looked like it could have been a good pub to settle in for the evening. There is a huge wolfhound in residence at the moment which insists on coming to snif all new customers. You enter this corner pub through a dark doorway and the bar faces you slightly on the left. There is seating in this entrance area, but the draught would not be welcome by most. A fruit machine is also here as are some books and leaflets. You move on into the pub and the bar of dark wood has an overhang so if you are tall you need to bend to see the staff. The handpumps are all in the centre of the 'L' shape bar, but there is a chalkboard above to help. Bar stools also limit access on busy nights. For those who like foreign beers there is a selection here. The area directly by the bar is small but there is a raised seating area opposite the bar with a piano/guitar and other bric-a-brac on the walls. A sports TV resides here and it is large and always on for sport. As you move round the pub you get to the toilets and the pool table. Note the red/green man pedestrian crossing sign which is always lit on the confusing both motions stop and go. Seating is at round and square tables with chairs and/or stools. There is a friendly atmosphere in here and the clientele banter between themselves. Beer pricing is about what you'd expect from London - £2.50 a pint, but it is well served. No food here. Outside there is a beer garden and some picnic benches out front and side.

This is a nice corner pub in a quiet residential area of Kingston, so be considerate to residents. You can enter this pub from a number of entrances, but all lead to the central bar that serves both rooms. With an overhang, the dark wood bar has up to 5 ales on, but during the week this goes down to two. The guest ale on this time was Archers Farmers Boy. This pub has collected a lot of bric-a-brac over the years and most of it is on the walls and shelves in every room. It makes the pub a cosy friendly place where you can retreat from the harsh world - note the chess board and pieces stuck on the wall by the disabled toilets. Access is good for the disabled and movement around the bar is possible. Seating is at a number of different table types, both round and square, with benches and stools. There is traditional pub dark carpet on the lounge floor and a yellow smoke coloured ceiling. The public bar has sports TV and a pool table close by. The gents toilets are here as is the entrance to the garden from the pub. A good pub and well worth seeking out in if Kingston. No food or accommodation here though.