Bayswater pubs

Closed for refurbishment until the end of November This pub, located near London’s Greek Orthodox cathedral, is named after King Charles I, the king who met an untimely end outside Whitehall Palace in 1649. It is a traditional style establishment, but what marks it are the bar staff and the impressive ales which included, on this visit, Theakston’s Old Peculier. Perhaps unwisely given the hour of the day, I duly ordered a pint. After the first mouthfuls of the dark brown liquid had reached my stomach, a familiar feeling of warmth arose. This was followed by a numbness that drifted into my brain like an autumn mist. The pub hummed with the discourse of its clientele whilst the juke box emitted a full-mulletted fuzz of eighties rock ballads. A fug of nicotine fumes drifted in through the front door closely followed by a collection of men dressed like Jeremy Clarkson (sporting the obligatory blue jeans and suit-jacket uniform). I imagined that in the eighties their balding heads were probably covered in a mane of hair that would have made Pat Sharpe envious. Realizing that I had begun to enter the hallucinogenic world of Old Peculier, I decided that some fresh air was in order and decided to leave this fine pub behind. Now boarded up and facing an uncertain future A large pub that exudes wealth, positioned several hundred metres back from the rich rat-run of Queensway. A high-ceilinged, boxy sort of place, very traditional, with a large upstairs reached by a spiral staircase. The view from the generous windows is both boring and hypnotic. Very popular on summer afternoons, it was worryingly empty when we visited (Saturday night). If this continues, it will soon become an Elusive Camel or another Australian bar. Friendly staff and quiet punters made for a relaxing place to drink The pub’s sign shows Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Edward, who later went on to become King Edward VII. Inside, a large square bar surrounded by the rest of the pub has great beer: a selection of Badger ales plus HB. The TV is on silent, instead auditory pleasure is provided by music which drifts across at a pleasant volume. The leather and wooden interior has been cured by decades of tobacco smoke and beer fumes, yet big windows framed by plants allow light to penetrate and give the pub a vaguely colonial ambiance. There are seats outside if the weather is nice, but we would recommend staying indoors. More pubs should be like this.

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