The Ealing Oak, South Ealing, W5

Facebook page of The Ealing Oak - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Ealing Oak - www.facebook.com

Dating from 1933 and built in the brewers’ Tudor style, this was originally the Gunnersbury Tavern, a remaining Watney’s roundel still straddling the pole sign. On approach, it’s not obvious that the place is open; even the entrance isn’t clear. On entering, it’s obvious that this is an LGBTQ+ venue due to all the sexual orientation flags hanging from walls, like tapestries in a mediaeval castle. The floor is modern bare boarded, walls are bare brick or swirly patterned wallpaper above black field panelling to about half height; there’s an attractive corniced ceiling, painted white or royal blue. With tall, modern furniture pushed to the perimeter, the place is very opened out, perhaps for vertical drinking or maybe dancing, but either way, there was only one other customer and as he didn’t look up for it and I certainly wasn’t, I supped my lager in silent contemplation. Unsurprisingly there’s no cask here, a half of Stella costing a very stiff £3.50, served by a friendly landlady. I don’t really know what purpose this place serves, with just one other customer at gone 9.00pm on a Friday night and no live entertainment that one might expect; with the 3.00am licence, perhaps things get hotter later? With the lack of cask, whatever people want from a pub of this nature, there seems little chance of finding sexual Ealing.