The Lord Nelson, Brentford

Just a couple of ales on in this Fuller's pub - their Boardwalk California Pale, as well as London Pride of course. There was no sign of food mid-afternoon on a Wednesday although there was a dining area at the back on the left. Although this is effectively a backstreet pub, some of the internal alterations don't resonate with a backstreet boozer. There is however a dartboard on the right, with a brass oche attached to the floor, in front of the fireplace containing decorative logs in place of a fire, and next to the old piano. There some normal tables and chairs in here, but also some sofas including one on the left with an old chest doing duty as a low table. There's still some odd memorabilia around the place, including what a chum expertly informed me was a sporting cap hammer gun on one of the walls and some copper sheathing from HMS Victory. But for me there was a little too much dark blue/turquoise pain around the place, including on the walls up to dado level and the bar counter front. But that's only a small thing, and this remains an OK pub.

Official site of The Lord Nelson - www.thelordnelsonbrentford.co.uk

Official site of The Lord Nelson - www.thelordnelsonbrentford.co.uk

About a ten minute walk from Brentford station, on the other side of the M4, the Lord Nelson is a likable backstreet Fuller’s pub. You enter into a wide bar area with bare floorboards and the servery opposite with its smart bar back. There are seating areas to either side and the bar counter bends round to the left where there is a good range of seating in a fairly open space. There is a lot of etched glass, most, if not all, of which is fairly modern but it remains an attractive feature in the doors and windows as well as in some internal paneling where they depict an image of Nelson based on the pub sign. The right hand side of the room has some comfy tub chairs and low stools around a limited number of tables. A large screen showing Premiership football dominated this space which also has a small recess with slot machines, a pinball table, board games and kid’s toys. The walls have been decorated with a mix of Brentford FC memorabilia and naval items such as nautical paintings and a ship’s wheel. There are five hand pumps on the bar, but three of these were dispensing London Pride whilst the remaining two had the seasonal Jack Frost. A barrel of Pride was also mounted on the bar for some reason. The Jack Frost was a bit of a disappointment, but the Pride was spot on. The staff were a friendly bunch and were very helpful when the quiz machine packed up shortly after my mate had put a few quid in it. We came here specifically to watch the football on their big screen and had no real expectations for the place, but I was pleased to find a tidy little, well run pub with much to commend. A few different ales wouldn’t have gone amiss but you can’t have it all and overall, I left with a very favourable impression of this place.

This Fuller's pub has the usual lagers available along with Chiswick, Discovery and Pride, which are served by a very friendly barmaid. There is a big screen and projector and a few television sets dotted about the pub, but this is a traditional boozer and not a sports bar of any description. There is also a dart board and a signed Brentford FC shirt takes pride of place in a display case up on the wall, UP THE BEES!!! The pub has a few cosy areas and a more open plan space where the big screen is, which would be great for watching any football. The beer garden is very nice with potted plants everywhere and a fenced of children's area at the rear with a few climbing apparatus inside it. There is also a couple of tables near the rear entrance to the pub that have been designated no smoking. This is a very nice back street boozer and probably my favourite of all the Brentford pubs I have frequented.