| Pub |
Recommended
Beer
|
Last Visit |
Comments |
Score |
| Kelly's Arms |
Everards Tiger |
28th December 2001 |
Forget French sports bars. This place
has got everything. Pool, table football, darts and a decent
pint. You can almost forget the sun isn't shining outside. The
electric score board still presents problems but hey who said
life was supposed to be easy. |
9 |
| Coconut |
Fullers |
21st December 2001 |
From what I can remember a little too
much Xmas cheer for our miserable crew saw an early exit to
visit the Swan. Once we had come to grips with the wizardry of
the electronic scoring system raucous behaviour was only
prompted by a most unlightly 180 albeit on two separate throws. |
6 |
| Bricklayers |
Morlands |
14th December 2001 |
If you fancy a quiet beer this is the
place for you. Major on the quiet mine as the old clientele have
left for pastures new. At these prices the walk into Kingston
must be quiet attractive. |
6 |
| Woodies |
Fullers London Pride, Young's
Ordinary |
7th December 2001 |
How do you turn a quiet Friday night
drink into a DIY exercise? Miss the dart board so badly that
your dart gets lost behind the board of course. The bar staff
are not amused particularly as closing time approaches. Mind you
they had probably spent the day putting up the Xmas decorations
amongst the memorabilia. A bit OTT for my conservative taste I'm
afraid. |
7 |
| Wych Elm |
Fullers London Pride |
30th November 2001 |
As usual the public bar was the place
to be as all other seats were occupied except those beneath the
dartboard. No matter. A darts demonstration seemed to wake
and inspire some late on but not the left hander among us. Was
his mind on a letter to British Rail following the cancellation
of the 8.15 from Gomshall? |
8 |
| Lamb |
Pedigree, Tanglefoot |
23rd November 2001 |
This is a such a good location it was
even proposed as the pre Xmas meal hostelry. It may be a bit
small for that, but with good beer, good music and somewhere to
park the bikes it looks like remaining a favorite for some time.
A week off darts was a welcome relief but idle conversation
resulted in a small wager. Will they find Bin Larden before Xmas
or will he escape wrapped in Bed Linen in a Bin Liner? We should
visit more often and consider playing darts to avoid such
senseless conundrums. |
9 |
| Willoughby |
IPA, Forgotten guest |
16th November 2001 |
Pool, darts and good beer are always
on the agenda at this revived location. The beer is so good that
the locals are named after car manufacturers and foreigners can
win at darts playing left handed. Always plan for a long night
however as things only get going around closing time. |
8 |
| Waggon & Horses |
Young's Ordinary/Special, Guinness |
9th November 2001 |
The public bar is always the best bet
but with the footie and the wind chill this was briefly brought
into question. A slow start built to a frenetic finish with the
darts failing to hit the target it was anyone's game. Relief was
at hand for some but it was "a curry too far" and an
early night for the sub aqua brigade. More like a holiday too
far as I see it. |
7 |
| Kelly's
Arms |
Courage Best
Dr Harvest
Golden Arrow
Some Mild??
|
2nd November 2001 |
The interesting variety of beer
coupled with the electronic scoring system confused the early
arrivals so much so that in a game of 401 it was reported that
there was only 898 remaining. That's double 449 I believe. Gosh
that mild was strong. Enter a Manchester City supporter who also
struggled to hit the target for some late entertainment. What
was he doing in the Kelly's? I never did understand his
explanation. |
8 |
| Spring Grove |
Young's Ordinary/Special, Guinness |
26th October 2001 |
The venue is solid but the punters
are lacking stamina. Too many excuses from the regulars meant
the darts were fast and furious with little time between
throwing and chalking to take the odd sip of Guinness. Wayward
darts can only be put down to a lack of concentration perhaps
brought on by dreams of leading the Premiership. Dreams however
have a habit of coming true! see
table |
7 |
| New Prince |
Gales Butser |
19th October 2001 |
Things are looking up! This
previously smoky pub is transforming into a real gem. The
introduction of a dartboard makes a return visit all the more
likely. The 1p pint offer however cannot be sustained as it
confuses the punters who find it necessary to use up their beer
tokens by buying the entire bar staff a drink. |
8 |
| Coconut |
London Pride |
12th October 2001 |
A transformation has brought in the
student drinkers so the supply of beer is limited. Tight leather
trousers now replace old baggy jeans and a disco has displaced
the pool table so there's plenty to catch the eye but not much
to encourage a early return. I guess it's back to a pipe and
slippers pub for the over 40's next week. |
6 |
| Park
Tavern
|
Side
Pocket,
Town Boyd’s Lincolnshire Woolpack, Harvester,
Brakspears |
5th October 2001 |
An absolutely solid middle-aged
drinkers pub – beards and big woolly jumpers welcome.
An excellent selection of real ales and plenty of noisy
rabbit. The major
downside is the lack of arrows and a late burst of insipid
irritating juke-box music. (KS) |
7 |
| Swan |
Brakspears |
28th September 2001 |
A pleasant enough local. Darts was
the name of the game after the kinder garden had disbanded. The
beer flowed and the form of previous weeks continued but why was
there always a spare pint? Absent friends or just confusion
exasperated by the darts and excess drink I guess. Did I get
lost on the way home or was it a late finish. My memory must be
playing up! |
7 |
| Grey Horse, Lamb, Wych Elm |
Youngs, Shepherd's Neeme, London
Pride |
21st September 2001 |
This mini tour of the pubs in North
Kingston highlighted the contrasting ways the locals spend their
Friday nights. From vinegar to nectar the question is why? Who
wants to sit in an overcrowded Young's pub where the beer is
less then drinkable or sit and listen to youthful over
exuberance around the pool table of a deserted pub when the
alternatives are so much better. Good beer, an empty dart board
and a friendly greeting are a few of life pleasures which await
the more adventurous of these poor souls. |
5,4,9 |
| Woodies |
Fullers London Pride, Young's
Ordinary |
14th September 2001 |
Now a regular on the circuit the main
danger to its removal must come from the risk of fire
provided the punters don't get lost.. A good variety of beer
caters for all tastes and how a game of darts changes an evening
when numbers are down and spirits are low. A 6-1 victory is what
we expect from England these days. |
8 |
| Willoughby |
IPA |
7th September 2001 |
The traditional pub still remains but
the punters seem to have departed. Einstein put this down to a
noisy group of lumberjacks in the corner. Still all aspects of
the pub needed to be explored so a few beers in the street
outside estimating the coefficient of friction of motorbike
tyres was followed by some beers inside discussing the leakage
of Shere swimming pool. All was rounded off well into the night
at the dart board to the accompaniment of the local butchers
sweep stake. |
7 |
| New
Prince |
Gales |
31st August 2001 |
The surprise of a new Gales pub in
the area was well received and the beer, although strangely
varied, was none the less very acceptable. The waitress service
confused some of the punters but I am sure they will get used to
it. I guess this now constitutes a solid pub for some noisy
conversation particularly before a curry across the road. |
7 |
| Spring Grove |
Young's Ordinary/Special, Guinness |
24th August 2001 |
Questions were raised about a hat-trick of
Young's pubs (Vic/Wagon/Spring) when other welcoming hostelries
are still genuinely available on the list.
However, the Grove is a solid drinking pub with reliable
beer and the complaints did not last long.
Due to exceedingly balmy conditions the garden proved too
magnetic and the possibility of arrows was not even mentioned.
I reckon the Spring Grove is better in winter when other
‘garden’ pubs become less attractive. (KS) |
7 |
| Waggon & Horses |
Young's |
17th August 2001 |
With the restaurant temporarily out
of action the number of punters was reduced accordingly and the
old values of a Young's pub returned. An improvement in some
ways. All that was missing was the saw dust on the floor. Maybe
that comes next week. |
8 |
| Victoria |
Young's |
10th August 2001 |
Excellent venue allowed recent holiday
exploits to be discussed whilst downing some traditional English
beer. Good riddance to San Migal and 1664 for another year. |
8 |
| The Oak (Grove etc.) |
Greene King IPA, Ruddles County |
3rd August 2001 |
After its third makeover since the much
lamented end of JA’s tenure, The Oak is now a large and
reasonable pub with a huge walled garden including some newly
developed decking outside the back door.
A good summer pub if you bring sufficient clothing to
remain al fresco. Whether
it’s a good winter pub is yet to be investigated. (KS) |
8 |
| Lamb
|
forgotten guest |
27th July 2001 |
The
Lamb welcomed the return of some punters and some very pleasant
hot weather allowing a full evening in the garden.
The guest beer was excellent, so excellent in fact that
its name has been erased from the memory banks.
Good traditional pub, friendly landlord, pleasant garden,
excellent beer and some great garden weather – only an outdoor
dartboard is missing. (KS)
|
9 |
| Wych
Elm |
London
Pride |
20 July 2001 |
Where
do you go when you realise finally at 9pm that you are the sole
punter? To the Wych,
of course, with pipe, slippers and a good book.
(KS)
|
N/A |
| Kelly's Arms |
Abby Ale |
13 July 2001 |
What a pub has to do to survive is
beyond me but converting to a betting shop and rerunning the 3
o'clock from Utoxeter doesn't get my vote. It just drives the
punters away. Let hope they lost enough money to return to
normal for the next visit. |
3 |
| Waggon & Horses |
Young's & Guinness |
6 July 2001 |
Another evening of topical discussion
in the fresh air. This pub really does have everything to suite
the occasion. The only problems is the smell of the food can
make you feel hungry when you haven't eaten. Luckily we were
seated well away from the kitchen. |
9 |
| Black Lion |
Young's & Guinness |
29 June 2001 |
Thank goodness its summer. What could
have been a night of moaning and groaning about the state of the
pub and some of the punters turned into a pleasant evening under
the stars. Since I can't remember much about it I can only
assume we made plenty of noise and agreed on next weeks outing. |
7 |
| Newt & Ferret |
Breakspears Best Bitter |
22 June2001 |
The low turn out can only be
explained by inside information regarding the demise of this
previously popular pub. Surely evictions from the big brother
household have not caught the attention of all the Friday night
drinkers in Kingston. There must be some other exciting event
that can explain the lack of drinking on this pleasant summers
evening. A bonding session perhaps. |
5 |
| Spring Grove |
Young's & Guinness |
13 July 2001 *
15 June 2001 |
A lone punter seated below the
dartboard prevented some real action. This meant those attending
had to converse for a change. A evening in the garden maybe but
the kindergarten in the back garden proved less attractive than
the seats at the front until the rain came. |
6 |
| Fox & Hounds |
Courage Best |
8 June 2001 |
A brief visit before the arduous
Gomshall Curry highlighted one of the well know deficiencies of
this pub. If only the pub was on the other side of the
Portsmouth road the traffic noise would be all be it to provide
a very pleasant evening beside the river. |
7 |
| Richmond Park |
Fullers London Pride |
1 June 2001 |
Oh dear! The beer is OK but the
garden needs attention particularly since the Irish music makes
this only sensible place to sit. I'm not sure what the
attraction is of lights which only come on when somebody moves
but someone somewhere must think its a good idea. A brief visit
to the Wych Elm may help the landlord see the benefits of a nice
garden as that's where the punters end up. |
5 |
| Wych Elm |
Fullers London Pride |
1 June 2001*
25 May 2001 |
The garden season is now well upon us
and what a pleasant change it is to sit in the fresh air away
from the smoky bar. |
8 |
| Waggon an Horses |
Young's Ordinary, Special or
Guinness |
18 May 2001 |
A comfortable seat and plenty of
Guinness helped jog the memory of many cycle trips past. |
8 |
| Lamb (Surbiton) |
Halcyon Days |
11 May 2001 |
When the darts start to go down hill
its time to think of something new. So what better than to
arrange for the sun to appear and celebrate the long summer
evening in the garden of a friendly pub. Add to the experience
by reminiscing about cycling trips past whilst drinking some
decent beer. Oh yes! More of the same next week please. |
8 |
| Kelly's Arms |
Priory |
4 May 2001 |
This excellent local has all the
right ingredients for a good evening's entertainment. The state
of the darts however can only be explained by the choice of
beer. It's definitely a case of practice doesn't make perfect.
The excuse that the board is a little high can only accelerate a
visit to a local physiotherapist. |
8 |
| Coronation Hall |
Spitfire
Fools Fortune
Victory Ale
Guinness |
27 April 2001 |
This popular Wetherspoon pub provides
a good variety of beer at rock bottom prices. So if you're happy
to trade the traditional intimate pub atmosphere and the
possibility of a seat and friendly bar service for the
opportunity to stand, cheap beer in hand in an overcrowded old
cinema, then this is the pub for you. Evidence seems to suggest
this is preferred by the younger drinker on a Friday night at
least. If this is the future it's no wonder the internet is so
popular. A return is only expected when the memory has faded I'm
afraid. |
5 |
| Spring Grove |
Young's Ordinary, Special or
Guinness |
20 April 2001 |
Another visit so soon! Flowing beer
improving darts followed by a curry and one hell of a hang over.
I must be getting old! |
9 |
| Kelly's Arms |
Woodthornes
Godfather
Shrimpers
Courage Best |
13 April 2001 |
Ah, Relief. At last a real public bar
with darts, pool and even table football. Throw in decent beer
and a friendly atmosphere. What more can a man want? |
8 |
| New Prince |
Wadsworths 6X |
6 April 2001 |
This pub lacks atmosphere.
Unfortunately the attempt to sway the score with cheap beer did
not work. It would have helped if the beer was in tip top
condition however. The lack of a dart board or decent music is
not balanced by pink flowers in a no smoking extension. I'm sure
we'll be back in the summer to sit in the garden or when a curry
is on the agenda but I'm in no rush. |
6 |
| Spring Grove |
Young's Ordinary, Special or
Guinness |
30 March 2001 |
Following the Young's formula this
excellent pub never disappoints. On this visit the landlord had
even arranged for Fulham's game with Tranmere to be televised
for their faithful supporters. What's more he had somehow
ensured a impressive Fulham victory to keep the punters happy.
Those not so keen on the football enjoyed a game of darts and
brushed up on their take aways. No fancy electronic scoring
system here thank goodness. |
9 |
| Antelope |
Fullers London Pride |
23 March 2001 |
How did we end up here? It can only
be nostalgia for this once popular traditional English pub has
been extended to enable half a dozen extra drinkers while away
their time playing pool. So why can't you get a seat? The beer
is lousy so the lager must be extra special or many others also
have memories of the past. Summer return visits only from now on
I guess but only if the beer improves. |
4 |
| Wych Elm |
Fullers London Pride |
16 March 2001 |
One of the few remaining traditional
public bars on the list presents the ideal opportunity to wind
down with a game of darts after a hard week work. With excellent
beer in hand what more can you ask for? The darts to hit the
target I suppose. |
8 |
| Maypole |
Wadsworths 6X, Fullers London Pride,
Flowers, Boddingtons |
9 March 2001 |
The electric atmosphere has
definitely suffered a power cut probably caused by overloading
the heating. If you are retired and want to talk to the dog over
a pleasant pint however this is the pub for you. You'll have no
problem finding a seat and don't worry about bring cash as you
can even get cash back using your debt card. |
6 |
| Waggon & Horses |
Young's Ordinary, Special or
Guinness |
23 Mar 2001*
2 March 2001 |
Cold Guinness and a Tai restaurant
are worrying signs for this traditional Young's pub but
providing you get a table and a seat to rest those weary legs it
still provides an excellent venue for discussing the week
events. |
7 |
| Fox & Hounds |
Courage Best |
23 February 2001 |
The
pipe-and-slippers brigade has been enlivened by a cacophony
caused by ‘sad’ big-screen charity horse-racing, televised
football, a new pool table and a glut of video games machines;
darts potential is snuffed out by the TV.
Those souls desiring stimulating conversation are forced
to adopt a stand-up blocking role in the main thoroughfare.
Frankly any future votes for this nondescript hostelry
must indicate chronic amnesia or early-onset senile dementia.
Objective verdict…rather sad. (KS) |
4 |
| Lamb (Surbiton) |
Heartbreaker or Top Totty |
16 February 2001 |
Always a friendly welcome but a bit
too cramped to spread your legs out. Beer selection is a real
plus and darts is always a possibility if the locals aren't
playing. Oh for the summer when you can sit in garden and enjoy
the barbecue. |
7 |
| Cricketers |
Courage Best |
9 February 2001 |
Oh dear! What has happened to this
previously traditional cosy pub? A Chinese restaurant has taken
over attaching too many young women for the comfort of some. The
live music and lack of seats makes a game of pool in the sports
bar seem attractive for a while but a hyperspace is the
predicable result. |
4 |
| Grove |
IPA, Ruddles County or Guinness |
2 February 2001 |
It can only be nostalgia that takes
us back to this pub struggling to find an identity after a
series of disastrous renovations. I suggest they return to the
old layout and style when it was difficult to find a seat and
rename to the "Oak". What happened to drinking up time
never mine after hours which is definitely off limits. Watch you
glass when it gets low, be prepared for a tour of the pub to get
to the toilets and don't forget your bike lights. |
5 |
| Spring Grove |
Young's Ordinary, Special or
Guinness |
26 Jan 2001 |
Always a solid pub with the Young's
look and feel. Darts are a bonus particularly when the random
throws work in your favor. |
8 |
| Park Tavern |
Fiddlers Elbow or Coniston Bluebird |
19 Jan 2001 |
Grey hair and a taste for good beer
are essential for a visit to this small lively free house. Get
there early to ensure you get a seat away from the music so you
can enjoy listening to the chink of dominos above the background
rabbit. |
8 |
| Brave New World |
IPA |
12 Jan 2001 |
Appears to be ideal for the
consumption of designer bottled drinks by those who don't mind
standing after a hard days work. Insipid beer and lack of seats
resulted in an early exit and guarantees a long wait until the
next visit. |
4 |
| Richmond Park |
Fullers London Pride |
5 Jan 2001 |
Even though the beer and atmosphere
are a little cold and the background music a little radio 2 the
large tables make serious discussion a real possibility. If you
run out of things to say why not try the dominos or even venture
into the public bar for a game of pool. |
6 |
| Waggon & Horses |
Young's Ordinary, Special or
Guinness |
12 Jan 2001*
29 Dec 2000 |
Spacious middle aged drinkers pub in
the traditional Young's style. No background music makes it
ideal to have a lively conversation with friends or simply sit
and read the paper. |
8 |
| Coconut |
Fullers London Pride |
22 Dec 2000 |
Solid, spacious middle aged drinkers
pub with excellent beer, darts pool & background music. |
8 |
| Swan |
Courage Best |
15 Dec 2000 |
Busy student pub with good beer,
darts, pool & music. Small tables make it a
little cramped. No sign of closing early! |
7 |
| Bricklayers |
Morland's |
8 Dec 2000 |
Middle aged regular drinkers pub.
Nothing to write home about but ideal for a quiet drink after a
hard days work. |
6 |
| Victoria |
Young's Special |
1 Dec 2000 |
Solid spacious drinkers pub with good
beer to encourage lively conversation. A favorite over many
years, Long may it continue. |
8 |
| Willoughby |
|
24 Nov 2000 |
Excellent revival of a traditional
pub. Lively atmosphere and no sign of leaving for a early night
in front of the tele. |
8 |
| Newt & Ferret |
|
10 February 2001*
15 Nov 2000 |
A little cramped but good beer and
music make this a regular. Pop videos a little distracting but
pool available when conversation wanes. |
7 |
