The Thatched House, W6

Visited 02/03/26. Visited previously 02/08/23. Cask here was Youngs Original and London Price with two unused handpumps. Keg was Aspall, Moretti, Carling, Alpacalypse, Pravha, Guinness, Madri, Neck Oil. Corner venue, a small L shape with a larger dining room off the rear right-hand corner with regular tables and chairs closed on my visit. Bare boarded with the bar counter following the internal shape of the venue. To the right of the entrance are regular tables and chairs along the perimeter, the area to the left of the entrance similar with tall tables with high benches plus a couple of facing sofas in front of a fire grate with a roaring fire - not needed today weather and temperature wise but lovely, nevertheless. There was a small library like area beyond the end of the bar counter with a large communal table and floor to ceiling bookcases on one wall with attractive colourful wallpaper on the facing wall. Screens were showing Sky Sports News absent sound, that provided by a medium volume pop soundtrack. The leaded windows on the two street facing sides were attractive and this felt like a decent community pub.

A prominent local landmark pub but dominated by dining, with tables wedged in the main bar area as well as the dining room to the back leaving little room for drinkers. Despite that, they were quite very and happy to serve, it just didn't feel like somewhere to stay if you were not eating (probably my fault for choosing a Sunday lunchtime to visit). The cask ales, which seemed in good order, were Youngs Original, London Pride, Bradfield Farmers Belgian Blue and Rockin' Rudolph.

Official site of The Thatched House - thatchedhousepub.com

This dates from the end of the 18th century, though was presumably rebuilt in the 19th, situated on busy Dalling Road, final destiny on the approach to King Street. Bare boarded, this has clearly been opened out in recent years and slightly gastrofied, with some bare brick walls, then a white and smoky blue colour scheme, best appreciated on the pub’s website gallery. One item of note is the leaded lights with yellow stained-glass bands indicating a former brewery’s ownership. Décor comes along in the form of cupboards of books, framed prints, some with filament sconce lights and an upright piano. Customers were thin on the ground mid-Saturday evening, except to the rear dining room, with its freestanding fire; there’s a real log fire in the main bar. A TV was showing the football with the sound at moderate volume, with no one watching, competing with a soundtrack provided by Level 42. Despite being a Ram pub, the only Young’s beer was London Original, then SlyBeast Beam Engine, Thatched House Pale Ale and Thatched House Amber Ale, brewer unknown, £2.45 a half and dull, served by an inattentive barman, chatting to his mates who told him that I was ‘…probably only going to have one drink’; how right they were. This isn’t a bad place, but if I had to pop in for a drink locally, I’d choose the Anglesea over the road.

Official site of The Thatched House - thatchedhousepub.com