The Andover Arms, Hammersmith, W6

This is a smart and well hidden back street Fullers pub. You enter into the main bar area, which is L shaped with bare floorboards, loads of bar stools along the dark wood servery and some standard seating with a mix of nice tables around the perimeter of the room. The servery interestingly has a small section of snob screens, which I would like to think are original, although they do look a bit odd in their isolated state. The whole bar area was lit by fairy lights on my early evening visit, which sounds quite naff, but actually created quite a pleasant effect and this subdued lighting sat nicely with the dark wood surrounds, creating a warm, restful ambiance. The room extends to the right where there is a fairly unmemorable seating area with some rugs on the floor and a lot of small pictures on the walls, whilst to the left the room extends to a rear dining room with skylights and a small lit fireplace. The décor is fairly eclectic with an ancient looking grandfather clock vying for attention with a flat screen TV (which was thankfully turned off), an upright piano and a large wood pile. A music hall style soundtrack played throughout my stay which seemed to fit in very nicely with the overall feel of the pub. Various bar snacks were available on the bar counter including a big jar of pickled eggs, whilst the day’s newspapers were stacked in the front windowsill. Three Fullers beers were on during my stay – London Pride, Chiswick and Jack Frost – plus a guest in the shape of Arkells Wiltshire Gold. I gave the latter a try and was pleased to receive a tasty and well kept pint from the very friendly and welcoming staff. I thought this pub was very classy and had a clear vision of how it should present itself. There are plenty of back street Fullers pubs across the capital, many of which fail to register in the memory, but this place really stood out for me and I would look it up again the next time I’m in Hammersmith.

Randomness Guide to London - Andover Arms entry

Randomness Guide to London - Andover Arms entry

This was my first visit since the much-maligned refurbishment, and although I preferred it as it was, with its more basic backstreet boozer appeal, I have to be honest and admit that I still quite like it as it is now. It’s now bare-boarded in keeping with its new trendy identity, but with some rugs to break up the floor space, and soak up some of the noise. The furnishings are OK, comprising all manner of round, square, and rectangular solid wood tables, with normal chairs. The bar counter is still right in front of you as you enter, with a seating area to the right, with more seating wrapped around the bar on the left, leading to a small room at the back that is well lit by skylights. This room contains a large rough hewn solid wooden table which could seat eight or nine people round it. I wouldn’t have wanted to be one of the poor sods who had to move that thing in here. There’s also a portrait of someone I didn’t recognise in here. Being a Fuller’s house the ales are no surprise, except that I was a bit surprised that the only ales they had on were Festival, Chiswick, and the ubiquitous London Pride. That was a bit of a shame, as I fancied a pint of ESB and was sure that I would get one here. An example of its attempt to move upmarket is the stuff they put on the bar counter – jars containing pickled eggs, olives, various nuts, and a wicker basket containing packets of crisps. A big plus – for me anyway – is the absence of one-armed bandits and games machines, and I quite liked the laid back music they were playing, including some Nina Simone, jazz, and big band classics. I have the feeling that this will remain a real pub despite the upmarket makeover because I believe that is what its customers want it to be. I’d need to visit at some different times to be sure of this, but I sincerely hope that I’m right. Anyway, I still found this to be a decent place to relax and enjoy a pint, and would be happy to visit again.