The Hero, W9

Tris C left this review about The Hero

The original Hero of Maida was a pub a quarter of a mile away on Maida Vale which closed in 1992, named after General Sir John Stuart, ennobled Count of Maida by King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily after the victory at the Battle of Maida in 1806; it opened in 1809 and today, all that remains is a pole and sign frame to what is now a skin clinic; this ‘Hero’ was originally the Shirland Hotel, built 1878 and situated in a not very nice area, but on the border of the rather smart enclave of Little Venice, which I remember as being very down-at-heel in the ‘70s; how things have changed.
The exterior now features a dog to the sign and gas Windsor lanterns. The oh-so-contrived website paints a tableau of what to expect: as if in a painting by Vermeer, a girl dreamily lights a candle; a fish’s unblinking glazed eye looks up as if in a scene from Alien; a barman descends from the upstairs dining area carrying a tray of drinks, despite the bar being on the ground floor; an aerial view shows a quartet of diners toasting a fish pie, all to an abundance of knotty unpainted wood, shades of ochre and umber to rag washed walls and ceiling. With a quarry tiled bar apron, the floor’s dark bare boarded, furniture traditional. There’s a very substantial natural oak bar back, with jars containing eggs, fruit, vegetables and alliums pickling away, framing another picture of that mystery dog. Customers were mixed locals and abundant for a Monday, many eating, all making for uncomfortable acoustics.
Above the zinc bar top, the bronze-effect pumps and taps are too cool to have either clips or fisheyes, all wares advertised to a beer board, the cask options amounting to DEYA Creek Life, Allsopp’s Pale and IPA at £3.30 a half, but on very good form, served by a smiley barmaid.
I preferred this pub’s previous incarnation(s), finding the place now a bit pretentious, not to mention expensive. It does though add to the area’s limited drinking arsenal, making for a decent crawl with the Prince Alfred, Warrington, Warwick Castle and even the Carlton.

On 3^rd June 2024 - rating: 5
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