The Magpie & Crown, Brentford

This mock Tudor fronted pub sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the charity shops and fried chicken take-aways of Brentford's drab High Street. Inside we find a traditional interior with plenty of dark wood, exposed beams and a nice carpet, which give the place a homely and welcoming feel. The layout is fairly open, but there are enough little nooks to make it feel fairly intimate depending on where you choose to sit. Banquettes line the front wall to the right of the front door and a sofa can be found in one of the rear corners, but otherwise the seating is of the standard pub variety. The area at the back of the pub houses a pool table and I noticed a couple of games machines as well. There is a nice looking fireplace, sadly not lit on my visit, and perhaps the centrepiece of the pub is a rowing boat which is suspended from the ceiling (a paddle can also be spotted on a ledge nearby). Four beers and one cider were on offer when I popped in prior to the football on a recent Tuesday night. Oakham JHB (£3.10), Twickenham Grandstand, Ascot Stout and Marble Manchester made up the choice before me, but sadly the Marble went before I had the chance to sample it, so I tried the JHB and Grandstand, the latter of which appears to be a regular fixture, and found both to be well kept. The barman was sympathetic when the Marble went and turned the clip straight away. A blackboard on the right hand wall listed the beer choice as well as those that would be on next. I expected to the pub to be packed before the match, but it was fairly quiet and we managed to get a seat without any problems. There was a real sense of community in the place which made me feel like this would be a pub I'd happily spend a good long time in.

Randomness Guide to London - Magpie And Crown entry

Randomness Guide to London - Magpie And Crown entry

A large single room with a central curved island bar, clearly once seperate areas. Wood panelled walls, banquette seating and bar stools. Amongst other maritime artifacts an upturned rowing boat hangs from the timber beamed ceiling. Two fireplaces, once likely to have been one in each bar, now contain rather ancient looking gas fires, opening these up again would make a significant improvement. There is a bar billiards table to the rear of the left side. The TV on the wall was off but I imagine sporting events may be shown. Beers were, Twickenham Grandstand Ale, Hogs Back Utopia, Salopian Darwins Origin, Moorhouses Black Witch plus Orchard Wye cider (6.6%). Some unusual continental beers too, Salzburger Steigl is one I've not seen previously. The blackboard shows that 2183 real ales have been sold here since 04/01/96. Clearly a good rotation policy then. The interior is a bit tired, and there is a musty smell but the beer is good and this is a decent pub to include in a crawl of the area.

This looks to me to be very much a high street locals' pub – at least it was when I was in there at lunchtime last week. But they had three interesting real ales on – Twickenham Pale Beauty, (4.7%); Loddon Forbury Lion (5.5%); and Daleside Ripon Jewel (5.8%!). I wimped out and went for the Pale Beauty, which was really rather excellent. They also had a range of unusual lagers – e.g. Stiegl, Steenbrugge, and Kriekbier. There's nothing special about this pub in terms of appearance – basic furnishings etc – but it's definitely worth stopping off in for a pint or two of the excellent ales on offer. Perhaps its ordinariness is a big plus – there are too many pubs that have been sanitised to the extent that their character has been totally removed. I would be happy to drop in for another pint when I'm next in Brentford.