The Mansion Pub, Kennington, SE11

After an excellent pub visit in the Old Red Lion next door, I thought I would take a look at this one having read the positive reviews of its days owned by Oakham. Sadly, those days are long gone, and Tris’s most recent review is still quite accurate, although that doesn’t convey the full horror of some of the modern artwork on display here. This now proclaims itself a bar and Thai Restaurant and the fact that you have to navigate several large Madri banners separating the pub front seating from the rest of the pavement gives you a very big clue to what type of bar it is, which is basically a very shiny one. I feel I cannot give a rating as after seeing the bank of modern hand pulls unbadged and modern keg taps only with all the usual suspects (and of course Madri featuring heavily) I turned tail and left as I was on a mission to use the Northern line to Clapham Common to look up a new opener.

Facebook page of The Mansion Pub - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Mansion Pub - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Mansion Pub - mansion.pub

Official site of The Mansion Pub - mansion.pub

Thoroughly modernised by the Oakham Brewery, this is now a shiny bar / restaurant (and thus at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Old Red Lion next door). That said, it retains seating areas in front of the counter and on the opposite side of the entrance in addition to the dining areas further back. Also has some wooden benches out front. Two doubled-up banks of five handpumps, offering JHB, Citra, Inferno, Bishop's Farewell and the seasonal Hangar 17 (£3.50).

The Oaka at the Mansion house has had a complete makeover since i last tried to do Mansion House a few years back,the pub is a short walk from Kennington tube. Once inside there is an oblong shaped room to the front with the bar facing,the seating was normal tables and chairs in the middle with a bench seat at either end,there was what looked like a seperate dining area to the rear left. My problems started when i tried to order my half,i asked for a half pint of Oakham JHB,the asion bar lady started to serve me a pint when i asked for a half she said we dont do halfs only third or two thirds of a pint,so i ended up with a third of a pint,i have never in all my pub crawling drank a third of a pint. The pub seems to be an Oakham tied house,i noted Oakham JHB /Inferno /Citra /Apple /Improbable and Bishops Farewell on the bar,my drink was very nice,but with all of the sliding doors open the drinking experience was spoiled by the noise of traffic bombing past on the very busy kennington park road. I found my visit to this pub very dissapointing. Pub visited 2/8/2014