The Wheatsheaf, Ealing Broadway, W5

As said almost next door to the Haven but different in character, still a local’s pub but a less lively and vibrant feel to it, a different demographic to be sure. Yes a woody sort of place, it’s L shaped with a bit of a bulge at one end. A corner location and entering brings you face up to four pulls, sadly it had three badged with Pride and HSB on the last. Further along the counter the same is repeated. I can’t comment too much on the HSB as I drank the original in Hampshire more years ago than I care to remember but this was a sweet, thick liquid of decent gravity but no discernible hop flavour unlike the original. I counted at least three screens and the music was constant, fortunately mostly to my taste. The decor above the counter is odd being random sports shirts on distressed white painted tongue and groove.

This is a mid-19th century backstreet pub, almost piggybacking the Haven Arms; the two are very different though. The interior is quite woody with a modern pale boarded floor, a rear room of bare brick with very impressive fireplace. The front, left-hand section and bar exhibits much distressed wood and patchy white painted match boarded upper walls to a white ceiling. The right-hand room is more traditional, with some sporting memorabilia. Furniture is a bit mixed in that the low stuff is traditional, taller seating being more modern. Customers are locals and older than average, the locality’s youth faction leaving their parents here to lord it up in the Haven. A predictable Fuller’s ale front, Pride, their new Griffin IPA, then Moor Illumination at a pricey £2.90 a half. This is a decent pub, the lack of TV giving it a certain edge over the Haven, but it lacks the atmosphere and ale choice.

A Fullers pub that retains a good pubby feel even though its's evident it has had a smarten up at some stage. Set in a residential street it has an L shaped main bar leading to a large room to the rear. Two sets of four pumps offered three beers , Pride, Anspatch And Hobday Session Pale and Dark Star Revelation the later being in great shape, there was also a reasonable mix of craft beer , premium lager and cider on the keg taps. The pub was busy with food as well as beer alone. Very good.

The Wheatsheaf is a short walk from Ealing Broadway station in the residential streets to the north of the railway. I hadn't been into this Fuller's pub for 9 years when I returned one midweek lunchtime recently. It was quiet inside, with just a couple of other punters and the barmaid present. Fuller's London Pride is the regular beer. Guests were Dark Star Hophead & Seville. Another handpull was clipped with Harry's Dirty Harry Raspberry & Blackcurrant Cider which grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, the barmaid suspected it had finished and sure enough she returned with only a small amount in a glass, which she gave me on the house. So, I opted for the Seville, which wasn't a bad replacement. High tables and stools were in the bar area and as I recall, some kind of sport was showing on TV's. I normally steer clear of Fuller's pubs. But this one is above average in my opinion.

Down a quiet backstreet, just a short walk from Ealing Broadway station, this is a pleasant local’s pub run by the local Fullers brewery. The pub has a simple two room set-up with the bar to the front and a seating area to the rear. The front bar area is bare boarded with the servery over to the right. The bar has a dark wood counter and basic tongue and groove bar back with a nice Fullers, Smith & Turner branded beam running across the canopy. Seating in this area is limited to a few high tables and stools opposite the bar and to the left, including a rather unusual oval-shaped table, plus some standard tables and chairs to the front. Plenty of old black and white photos have been hung on the walls, adding to the traditional feel of the room – a feeling let down by the addition of a huge pull-down screen which was showing live rugby with the commentary just about audible. Steps lead you up from here to the rear room which is also bare boarded and has exposed brick walls and pillars, chair and bench seating and a nice, if somewhat unusual raised brick fireplace to the rear. The room has a striking beamed ceiling, some of which have ‘witty’ quotes painted onto them, and there’s plenty of breweriana, more black and white photos and a coffee station to distract you. Some more TV screens here were showing both rugby and cricket, this time with quiet music as the accompaniment. A door to the left takes you out to a decidedly unappealing garden, squished into an alleyway down the side of the pub. Just the three Fullers beers to choose from on the bar – London Pride, ESB and Oliver’s Island – although a final hand pump promised a fourth beer would be ‘Coming Soon’. The Oliver’s Island was in decent condition and I found the back room was quite a peaceful, typical pub room in which to settle down. This pub felt like a fairly typical Fullers pub from this part of West London, with the traditional feeling, two room interior reminiscent of a number of their pubs hereabouts. It struck me as a good local’s pub and seemed to be well frequented on my Saturday afternoon visit. Worth the short walk from the station to check this one out.

Official site of The Wheatsheaf - www.wheatsheaf-ealing.co.uk

Official site of The Wheatsheaf - www.wheatsheaf-ealing.co.uk