The Prince Of Wales, Maida Hill, W9

Edited extract from the Ham & High 2014-10-23: A Maida Vale pub has been forced to shut its doors after allegations surfaced of a “prolonged and serious” sexual assault there earlier this month [on a male]. The pub has already been subject to a licence review earlier this year after police raised concerns following a fight outside the premises on St Patrick’s Day, which resulted in a victim suffering grievous bodily harm. It was also noted that police had been called out to another incident in May 2012 when the landlord was hit in the face with a beer glass and required 15 stitches. [Since closing, this pub has now been boarded up].

I popped in here last Friday afternoon and found myself in a stereotypical Irish pub complete with Ladbrokes atmosphere and Guinness aplenty (I counted five Guinness pumps). The ubiquitous Irish pub draught selection was also available and obviously no real ale was to be seen. I found the staff to be friendly enough and all the other punters seemed to be engrossed in the horse racing that was being shown on the plethora of plasma screens. Thankfully I love these sorts of pubs and I would recommend a visit if, like me, you like darts (two boards), sports on the TV (Sky and Setanta) and the black stuff.