Duke of Wellington, Notting Hill, W11

A Youngs street corner pub with a classic island bar at it's centre.Around the windows is a mix of traditional furniture and some high tables to the side.There is a charming mid pub snug behind two wooden dividers with etched glass and this is a calm spot with own bar access.At the rear is a dining area,although you can eat from the standard chain menu anywhere you choose,all tables are numbered. The muzak was a terrible R&B dirge,played too loud and the ale selection was Youngs Special and Original (A hop lite brew ,NBSS 2.) At some stage this pub has been modernised by Youngs and it has lost a lot of character apart from the layout.No need to revisit,leave it to the tourists.

Indeed once an H. H. Finch pub as evinced by the attractive interior clock, acquired by Young's in 1991. This pub has undoubtedly been renovated since the earliest reviews and my last visit around 2011. The interior seems to retain some original features in the form of some partitions with etched glass but marred by the presence of some bare brick to the rear; the paint is a less than appealing green/blue colour to the woodwork which was probably once brown lacquered and all the better for it. The floor is bare boarded and the ceiling may be Lincrusta and there's also a rather tedious tubular steel gantry above the bar. Ales: the usual Young's line-up with my half of Special being typically anything but. Not a pub to avoid though certainly nothing that warrants a special visit, but the awful Portobello Road location acts as a disincentive.