Pubs in London 2

Phil Taylor

If you're ever in Hyde Park or maybe going to Paddington station for a trip West or to Heathrow airport, then you're in a good place to see some very typical West London architecture and visit some unique pubs.

One, slightly hard to find pub, is the Archery Tavern, 4 Bathurst Street W2. It's just north of Bayswater Road near the Victoria Gate and famous Italian Fountains of Hyde Park (nearest tube station is Lancaster Gate). The archway next to the pub leads to a "mews" - an old, narrow cobbled street behind the main street. Mews used to be house stables and living quarters for stable workers from the large houses in many parts of London. Most mews are now very trendy and expensive places to live or work, but the one by the Tavern is still used as a working stable for a riding school. This gives the pub a very nice country atmosphere, especially in summer when you can sit outside. Badger ales are served here, which are brewed in Dorset and add to the countryside feeling.

It's a short walk from here to the Victoria, 10a Strathearn Place W2, a triangular pub on the corner of a terrace. Most of the inside is genuine Victorian and beautifully decorated with a low bar, working fireplaces, mirrors, etched glass and painted tiles. It's almost a gin palace! The manager and his wife are very friendly, traditional Fullers ales are served, the food is great and the customers are a very interesting mix of businessmen, diplomats and local residents. A local street-skating group seems to meet here occasionally, which can get very interesting!