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Detail Pages
The Feathers, Redhill
Merstham
Postal town: Redhill
RH1 3EA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Feathers
On the main road through Merstham, and only a couple of minutes from the station, this is a very large roadside pub with wide interior that has been given quite an extensive series of makeovers down the years. The main bar area is to the left and occupies a nice bare boarded space with the servery along the rear wall and a mix of high tables and stools plus a few armchairs to the front. Efforts have been made to retain some degree of traditional pub feel, with tongue and groove wall panelling and bullseye obscured glass panes in the front windows holding their own against some bizzare modern wallpaper with a fountain pen design. The bar has a smart counter with nice carved features and some attractively worked pillars, fronting a mirrored bar back. To the right is a separate room with simple tables and chairs, a nice fireplace and some traditional decorative bits amidst the modern makeover onslaught, although this felt like more of a dining room and was accordingly empty on my mid-afternoon visit. There seemed to be some extra seating behind the bar, and maybe a garden too, but I never made it around to this side. A large TV screen in the front bar was showing live rugby union and the barman turned the sound up at a customer's request. The pub is quite striking on approach, but I cant deny that the thing that first caught my eye was a massive banner promoting an upcoming clairvoyant evening.
There are five or six handpulls on the bar, three of which were in action, dispensing Windsor and Eton Guardsman (£5.50), Sharp's Doom Bar and Taylor's Landlord. Another W&E beer and something from By The Horns were clipped with labels advising that they'd be "Coming Soon". A friendly barmaid poured a sloppy looking pint of the Guardsman, but this settled nicely and turned out to be in decent nick. One of the barmen was having a bit of, what I hoped was good-natured banter, with a couple of locals - his sense of humour was an acquired taste to say the least.
I had no hopes for this pub, which I assumed would just be a ripped out, cavernous, underused local's boozer, but I found it to be doing a decent enough trade, with a modest ale range, some basic retained features and friendly service. It's by no means a destination pub, but with no other pubs for some distance, it's nice to have somewhere to dip into if passing through or waiting for a train.
Date of visit - 16th September 2023
On 1st January 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3126 recommendations about 3126 pubs]
Graham Coombs left this review about The Feathers
The only surviving pub in the village is this large Edwardian affair on the main road. A somewhat rambling place, fairly traditional with some nice historic features but also a bit Stonegate corporate with menus etc. throughout. It seemed to have a fair local following, with various entertainments and events and it looked as though the regular ales are TT Landlord and Doom Bar, with guests (Windsor & Eton Guardsman and Knight of the Garter, By the Horns Hopadelic on this visit). I can't say I'd go out of my way to visit but it is at least a proper pub. The Gents incidentally was unlabelled with just an advert for the quiz night on the door: presumably the first question is "where is the Gents?".
On 8th September 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3353 recommendations about 3290 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Feathers
Dining Pub... lunch time specials (not on weekends), standard pub fayre.
High number of real ales on and I asked for a sample of an Eton and Windsor ale. It wasn't good.
Stuck to peroni.
One of those places where you know exactly what you are going to get.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2JWqtdP
On 17th June 2018
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1352 recommendations about 1338 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Davies left this review about The Feathers
The Feathers is a rather imposing Victorian building on the main London-Brighton road through the village. Before the motorway came it would have been a popular refreshment stop for travellers but now of course has to make do with local trade. It is properly called the "Feathers Hotel," though a fifties guidebook has the "Feathers Inn" and no mention of lodging rooms, suggesting that side of things disappeared long ago.
Clearly once a multi-roomed establishment, long since been knocked through, it manages to retain a lot of interesting corners, and many original Arts and Craft features - stained glass, etched windows, are still there. The central wooden bar looks original but may not be in the original location judging by the way the building has been knocked about.
As a pub it has a rather odd, unwelcoming feel to it. The bare boards in most of it make it noisy and few rather random big leather chairs and chunky tables mean it's difficult to find a seat when even when there's only a few people present. It's friendly enough though, and the mainly Adnam's beers are well kept. It is one of Stonegate's Classic Inns brand, and it'll will be interesting to see what they do with it. Fortunately it's not a obvious location for a Slug and Lettuce. Maybe they'll spend a few bob on it to tidy up the fixtures and fittings.
Not a destination pub, but worth a nose round for its architectural features if you are in these parts.
On 20th November 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 571 recommendations about 563 pubs]