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The Princess of Wales, Clapton, E5
E5
E5 9RB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Princess of Wales
Dating from the mid-19th century as the Prince of Wales, the only original interior feature is a couple of leaded stained-glass panes with the Prince of Wales ostrich feathers; the pub underwent gender reassignment in 1997.
There’s still the substantial outdoor seating overlooking the Lea Navigation with canal boats, along with what looks like a giant sewage pipe to the left, running parallel to the bridge.
The interior is fairly airy with a lot of window space and modern field panelled bar to the centre with its tubular steel drinks’ rack and similar suspended modern pot shelves. The floor is modern bare boarded and the interior is zoned with substantial pillars, one of which houses a log burning stove with tiled surround. They too are field panelled with wood painted a smoky blue colour with white walls on up to a white Anaglypta ceiling. Furniture is traditional with some pews to the periphery. There are small glass bottles to tables, containing dried flowers along with salt and pepper grinders, supporting single sheet A4 menus, displaying a pan-global eating experience, which includes a Ploughman’s featuring glazed ham hock, triple-cooked chips, spiced lamb scotch egg, pork and chorizo sausage roll, piccalilli, Dorset Blue cheese and onion marmalade with sourdough for the bargain price of just 22.5 units. Décor amounts to framed prints to walls, lighting coming from copper shaded hanging lamps and similar sconces with hanging fluted glass shades above the bar. There’s a retracted projector screen, so unless it’s going to be used for PowerPoint presentations, sport must be shown at some time.
Music played at an acceptable level: Jamie T and Verve’s predictable Bittersweet Symphony. Customers seemed to by under-40s, incomers to this gentrified enclave and a family of four having a meal.
Ales were from the standard Young’s range and its new inseparable sidekick, Proper Job, at a reasonable – for now – £5.20, served on good form by a friendly barman.
This is really more of a restaurant than real boozer, but it seems to fulfil its aims well and would be worth using if living locally, or perambulating the towpath, in need of feeding and watering.
On 3rd September 2021
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Princess of Wales
Decent waterside pub that is now part of the Geronimo Division of Youngs which means it’s been gentrified in recent years to a fairly smart modern pub interior with a focus on food and a beer range that includes some guests as well as Young’s own beers.
Well described below a key selling feature of the Price of Wales is definitely the sizeable outside seating area by the River Lee Navigation which on the recent bank holiday Monday had a shack cooking burgers to complement the main food menu. This does indeed make the pub a comfortable stop when cycling or walking the Lee path.
The bar has two sets of three real ale pumps and the set on the bar closest to the garden entrance had Youngs Ordinary and Special and Redemption Big Chief. There may have been another Young’s brew on the other set, but on seeing the Big Chief I didn’t have to explore further, and very fine it was too..
Now that this whole area of the Lee Navigation from the Edmonton reservoirs, through the Walthamstow Marshes down to the Stratford Olympic park has been turned into a pleasant wildlife space I can see myself returning to this one.
On 29th August 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Princess of Wales
This is Young’s pub set right beside the River Lea Navigation. The most unusual thing about this Young’s pub is that it didn’t have any Young’s ales on, at least when I visited on Wednesday afternoon. That’s a first for me. But they did have on Sambrook’s Wandle, Truman’s Swift, and Redemption Big Chief (£2.05 a half) – a stonking 5.5% hoppy IPA. Food is available at normal dining times, and there are single sheet menus on all the tables, with top of the list being “flat iron steak, tripled dipped chips, tomato and mushroom”. Probably steak & chips with added adjectives.
This pub makes the best of its major asset, its location. There is some bench seating outside along the towpath as well as to the rear of the pub away from the road. Being a Young’s pub it’s been modernised to a large extent, with the walls painted a light grey pastel shade, the floor being modern replacement boarding apart from a bit of carpeting along one side. The bar counter looks an original bit of kit though.
As you move along the bar counter to the left you go through an archway into an area where all tables are laid for diners. There’s some of the library bookshelf style of wallpaper back here which I guess is intended to add a degree of gentrification. This pub’s a bit corporate (staff in black shirts) but it clearly serves a valuable function in providing thirsty walkers, cyclists and narrow boat enthusiasts travelling the waterway with somewhere to slake their thirst. It doesn’t look like the sort of place that many would choose as their local. I remember this pub from the 70s, and I’m really glad it’s still here, although it’s much more “gentrified” than the pub I remember.
On 17th March 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Princess of Wales
The Princess is situated on the busy Lea Bridge Rd but at the junction with the Lea Navigation which allows for pleasant views from the outdoor seating area and conservatory style extension to the lounge bar. The pub still has the original two bar format, with a traditional lino floored public bar which has a pool table and dartboard.
The larger lounge bar is comfortable, carpeted with some wood panelling and red coloured walls, there is plenty of seating in here including some tables set for eating along the windows overlooking the canal.
There are a further two dartboards in this room, one at the far end having a number of trophies displayed adjacent, suggesting that the pub hosts a successful team. There are a couple of TVs with surround sound speakers which were showing horse racing.
The decor includes a large array of sporting paraphernalia, covering football, cricket, motor racing and an impressive assortments of Olympic souvenirs including framed collections from various Olympiads. I also noticed a framed Leyton Orient shirt and a signed photograph of the infamous Maradona "Hand of God" goal.
The beers are from Youngs standard range, Bitter, Special, Waggledance and Bombardier being on. I had a pint of the Ordinary Bitter which was as fine a pint of that beer as I've had (£2.90).
I didn't spot any food menus and no one was eating, although it was around 4pm when I dropped in.
I liked this pub a great deal, it has a traditional feel, a genuine welcome and the beer was first rate.
On 10th July 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
James Cherkoff left this review about The Princess of Wales
I've just been to this pub with my 3 yr old daughter because I understood it to be a friendly family pub. However, after less than a minute of entering a man who told me he was a staff member, despite the fact that he was standing at the bar drinking, told me my daughter should not have been near the bar. He was very aggressive and my young one was quite upset. I certainly won't be returning.
On 31st July 2009
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Princess of Wales
Large 2 bar Youngs/Wells pub along side the canal. with a nice drinking area next to the canal which could get busy in the summer!
On 17th July 2007
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]