The Black Lion, Kilburn, NW6

Worthy of the CAMRA 3* rating as a pub of national importance,the exterior is fine Victorian with four doors,two marked a saloons then a public bar and private bar,but only a single saloon remains to the left side,the rest has been opened out at some stage.The ornate,plastered ceiling is noteworthy,the rich wood panelling terrific with some great inlaid morrors and an ornate bar and back. Furniture is traditional wooden but nothing unusual,and the pub is very clean and tidy almost antiseptic with an upmarket feel in this downmarket area.For some reason no pub sign on my visit. A real cider and three ales on my trip in Mondo Rider Pale,Track Sanoma and Once Forgotten along with a mix of 9 kegs. Most certainly worth a visit for the heritage and a decent ale line up,best pub in the area by a long chalk.

This is a beautiful heritage pub close to both Kilburn and Brondesbury stations. The place has a remarkable ornate interior, despite having been opened out into single, staple shaped room with a snug behind one remaining partioning wall. The main room has scuffed floorboards and a row of beer stained sofas and armchairs under the large plain front windows with smarter Chesterfields down either side of the room. One ancient looking high backed chair stands front centre, looking rather important, although there is no explanation as to its significance. The servery stands in the middle of the rear wall and has an original curved end counter and smartly worked matching bar back. A corner entrance to the left boasts an etched glass door under a TV screen and that side of room is notable for the large etched glass mirrors covering the entire end wall. An impressive gold frieze runs around the entire pub and the highlight of the whole pub has to be the copper relief images of folk drinking, smoking, playing bowls and painting, all over to the right of the room. The ceiling is also rather spectacular thanks to a gold rose and leaf motif. A fireplace to the right has a modest tiled surround and large wooden frame above bearing a "Gold Room" etched pane, hinting at the aforementioned decorative features. Both the snug to the rear left, behind fabulous etched glass panes, and a side room to the right have modern tree-themed wallpaper with the latter also having an open kitchen, bookcase wallpaper and rows of formal seating in a less traditional environment. There is a small outdoor seating area down the side of the pub, near the entrance to a nice park and food was available with most mains around 10-12 quid. There are two handpulls on the bar, both of which were off so I ended up with a pint of Meantime Pale Ale from the limited keg selection at £5.05. The bar staff seemed pleasant enough and acted as reception staff for the guests checking into the rooms above. This is a stunning pub which I thought was most definitely worth breaking my journey for in order to visit. It's a shame that they don't seem able to support any ales on the bar, especially as the area is underrepresented in that respect, but anyone interested in historic pub interiors should brave it regardless, as it's one of the capital's finest.