The Askew, Shepherds Bush, W12

This place dates from at least the 1860s but was rebuilt around 1900. In the late ‘90s I used to go past this place quite often on the bus and always thought it looked a little rough. Until recently, it had been one of those awful Flynn’s chain pubs, but the original name has been reinstated, although disarmed. The current colour scheme is one of those repetitive smoky blue jobs and the interior is modern contemporary, with boarded floor, bare wood panelling, some bare brick and some painted smoky blue with much eclectic prints and bored games. The main draw here is the seven TVs (plus at least one in the garden) showing the football, to an almost exclusively male audience (one woman spotted), whose vocabulary revolved around using industrial language at every opportunity. There aren’t even pumps here anymore, so I opted for a very quick half of Kronenbourg (£2.20) and not great. This is now seemingly a bit of a characterless sports bar and still a bit rough, so I wouldn’t come back; the Princess Victoria down the road is so much better. Marked 2.5.

Official site of The Askew - www.askewshepherdsbush.co.uk

Official site of The Askew - www.askewshepherdsbush.co.uk

Nice conversion with a warm feel to this pub.Smart modern interior.3 handpumps with Doombar and Flynns house beer (brewed by Tetley).