Rose & Crown, Rickmansworth

Small front or ‘upper' room with equally small bar with 4 handpumps, down some steps to the larger room at the rear which looked full of diners at 14:00 Sat. All seating upstairs was also taken and, since the space was not really conducive to drinking at the bar we were soon out by the chilly picnic sets out front. Youngs, Pride, Rebellion Double Agent, Gales Swing Low, tried the latter 2 which were both somewhat iffy. The guv was friendly enough and spotted my suspicious viewing of the hazy Rebellion, immediately offering to change it if not right – it was claimed the barrel had gone & up came an alternative of Old Hooky from the cellar in a jug, but that was even cloudier. Possibly unlucky, and pub seems popular for food, but this wasn't the best start to a crawl.

This is a compact little pub on the fringe of Chorleywood Common just a few minutes walk from the train station. The pub has a two room layout with a small bar at the front and a restaurant in a larger room to the rear. There’s not a great deal of space in the bar area which can make it a little cramped when it’s crowded like it was on my recent visit. The room is carpeted with banquette and standard chair seating. There are some nice etched windows that show the former positions of the Tap Room and Saloon Bar and the presence of a fireplace at either end of the room further highlights the previous partitioning. A couple of old clocks are hung on the walls and there are plain mirrors above each fireplace. A TV screen had been placed on a low table in the right hand corner of the room but it was switched off during my visit. There is a shelf near the front door with pub games such as dominos and cribbage alongside various bits of CAMRA literature. A corridor runs to the rear of the pub where the restaurant is located. This has bare brick walls and tables arranged formally for dining and as such there were no customers sat here despite the front bar being packed. The corridor was partially blocked by a sleepy pub dog and I noticed several other dogs were brought inside by owners who had presumably been out walking with them over the Common. There are also a few benches outside the front of the pub for a nice view over the surrounding area. The short bar counter in the main bar only has space for four hand pumps, so all of the keg products are sited on the bar in the restaurant. The ales available on my visit were Fullers London Pride, Hook Norton Hooky Bitter, Young’s Ordinary and Church End Low Rider (£3.00). I tried a pint of the Low Rider which was well kept, although at just 2.8% it failed to deliver much in the way of flavour. The landlord seemed like a really friendly bloke and coped well with the crowded room. I enjoyed my brief visit to this pub and had I been able to bag a seat I would have probably stayed a bit longer than I did. I didn’t get to see a menu, but I’m told that the food is excellent, so there is much to recommend and I’d be more than happy to pop in again the next time I’m passing.

A nice little pub overlooking the common. Four ales on my visit – Pride, Youngs Ordinary, Church End Hop Gun and one I completely failed to note but it was an unusual ale. My companion and I managed to slurp our way through the lot and they were all in good shape. The pub is set just back from the main road over two levels – a small upper bar for drinking with a much larger lower room down a few steps for the diners. The landlord seemed like a good egg. Busy for an early Friday afternoon, so they must be doing something right. The old coin-op scales in the gents was a nice touch and sitting outside the front overlooking the common made for pleasant hour and I’d be happy to drop by here again.

Official site of the Rose & Crown, contains menu - www.roseandcrownchorleywood.co.uk

Small country pub at the end of terraced housing opposite one of the commons car parks. Near to the tube station and buses 336 and R4 stop nearby. Small front bar with rear area laid out for diners. A few tables out front overlooking the common. Looks to be a free house, 4 handpumps and I had a good pint of Buntingford Alaska at £3.30. Closes between 2:30 and 5:30 on weekdays.

Official site of the Rose & Crown, contains menu - www.roseandcrownchorleywood.co.uk