Radnor Arms, Kensington, W14

Visited yesterday afternoon; marvelous little locals pub with friendly feel and great beers. An Everards house; they had Tiger, Goldfinch Midnight Sun (Dorchester), and Wessex Brewery Merrie Mink. After 2 Tigers and 3 Goldfinch I was feeling quite emotional about the imminent demise of this oasis, especially as the coup-de-grace meeting seemed to be taking place out back while I was there. I wasn't privy to the details but the man from the Pru (who own the lease which expires in 2 weeks)seemed to dash off pdq which couldn't bode well. It would be fantastic if the pub, the crib corner, the fishtank, the great beers, the 6 excellent malt whiskies could find a reprieve but, if not, go there and enjoy it before the shutters come down, and good luck to the Guv & Guvness & local punters in finding somewhere even half as good to move to. The petition has over 2000 signatures - I hope they include some who will be cancelling accounts with Prudential.

The Radnor Arms is a narrow looking stand alone pub that is situated in a down at heel area of west kensington. Once inside i went into a long narrow room which was carpeted and the bar was on the right,there were comfortable bench seats and normal tables and chairs i also noticed a large fish tank in this room. The pub had Everards signs outside and there were three Everards beers on the bar i had a drink of Everards Tiger bitter and this was a very nice drink the other beers were Everards Beacon bitter and original. I found this pub to be nice and relaxing with a very friendly atmosphere. Pub visited 5/3/2005

Despite being well away from my usual stamping grounds, I did manage to squeeze in a visit to the Radnor the week before its closure. The place was rammed although whether this was a usual Friday evening thing or everyone was paying their last respects I don't know. The pub was quite small and was not really laid out particularly well to cater for crowds and as a result it was a constant shuffle to get out of peoples way. The interior was fairly basic and a little on the eccentric side with a veritable collection of pots pans, brasses, bottles, jugs, glasses, baseball caps, inflatables, ceramics reproduction posters, stuffed animals, plants and anything else that will fit into the available space. The rear had more of a lounge feel with the large aquarium being the focal point. Despite its imminent demise, the quality of beers did not lapse although not all were available on my visit – Midnight Sun and the topically renamed Rad No More Ale managed to satisfy my requirements. On the downside the music was crap, too loud and a bit out of place and the tiny TV in the front was hardly of much practical use (I didn't notice any other screens). I certainly did not get the impression that this was a pub in its final days and it is a crying shame that such a popular pub showing some genuine originality has been forced to call time through no fault of its own. Glad I got there before the end.

CLOSED AND BOARDED (08/08/08)