The Stonemasons Arms, Hammersmith, W6

Visited 06/01/25 No cask. Two hand pumps, one with a LPride clip turned around, the other unclipped. Keg offering of Orchard pig cider, Asahi, Cruz, Moretti, Chouffe Session, Deya Magazine Cover, Neck Oil, Guinness, Hofmeister, Jubel peach lager, Lucky Saint, Easy Livin and the Wild Beer Co Bibble Pale Ale. Largely an L shaped venue with a bar counter on the inside of the L shape with tall stools at the bar counter. Other than that, lots of comfy sofas and chairs around the remainder of the ground floor space. Bizarrely there was a very illuminated but unused dart board at one end of the extension of the L shape. Lots of pictures on the walls and the place had a nice vibe on my late evening visit. There was a first-floor bar area but that seemed to be turned over to a private function on my visit. Venue has a pizza oven and that was popular on my visit.

This is a mid-19th century pub, which until 1997 was known as the Cambridge Arms. So gloomy is the lighting in here, that on arrival I thought it was closed. The interior has obviously been mucked about quite a lot, with the bar to the slightly raised right-hand half. There’s dark grey wainscoting then walls are magnolia, with a white ceiling; to the rear is a snug of sorts, with bare brick walls. Décor comprises eclectic framed prints and pot plants, with some tasselled standard lamps, other lighting coming from filaments, the hanging lamps above the bar dimmed down to the level that they may as well have been off. There are no fixed TVs, but there was one on a monopod, wheeled out for selective events, in this case the Six Nations. Customers were hard to evaluate, as there was just one other, an elderly bearded gent who may have been asleep, not that I can say I blame him, the mood music being somewhat soporific. Despite being a Fuller’s pub, there was just an unused clip then one for Pride, me opting for a half of Neck Oil at £3.40, served by an inexplicably enthusiastic barmaid. This place vies with the Grove for the title of Hammersmith’s Most Boring Pub, but I think this just makes it to second place; the Dartmouth Castle down the road knocks this place into a cocked hat though.

Official site of The Stonemasons Arms - www.stonemasons-arms.co.uk

Official site of The Stonemasons Arms - www.stonemasons-arms.co.uk