The Roebuck, Hampton

Randomness Guide to London - Roebuck entry

A striking reddish exterior marks the pub out from a distance, once inside, the single space is partially divided by small screens and half height partitions. Carpeted and comfortable, there was a real fire going giving a homely welcome. As stated below the main talking point here is the huge collection of weird and wonderful artifacts that cover every surface. I don't intend to list everything, and even if I tried I'd miss stuff. My highlights included the fascinating old newspapers on the table tops protected by glass, especially those relating to the loss of the Titanic. Another table has old 1d coins on the top, with table feet made from a ship's propeller. Additionally, the old street signs, railway signal, parking meter, bus stop, 50's fruit machines. The fishing rods on the ceiling are really quite bizarre. There appears to be a dartboard in a case but certainly unusable behind tables and chairs. Food from "Terry's Kitchen" looks to be very good value, but I didn't sample. Five handpumps, Sharps Doom Bar and Special, Hammerpot Red Hunter, Twickenham Sundancer and Young's Ordinary. The fonts included more unusually Budvar Light and Dark and Paulener Weissbier. A destination pub in my view on several counts, not least the good beer. Oh, and hidden among the artifacts is a small postcard, featuring a small dog with a steak in it's mouth running away from a thrown boot. It is entitled "Running Dog". One of our correspondents might like to put an offer in!

What a rather good pub this is. I’ve been meaning to get here for some while, and it was worth the effort. The decor is what you might call “busy”. Every available space is occupied by some form of bric-a-brac – there are fishing rods on the ceilings; ships’ wheels; even a cigar store Indian; and the tables are glass topped in order to display old newspapers, coins and banknotes. The seating is very comfortable, with banquette seating and normal tables and chairs. There is a fireplace that had a fire on the go on Monday lunchtime, which must be a great feature on a cold day, but unfortunately not really needed on a warm day in late October. Still, it looked good. There were five ales on – Twickenham Autumn Blaze; Young’s Bitter; Sharp’s Doom Bar; Courage Director’s; and Brain’s SA. I had the local ale - Autumn Blaze, which was superb. Most of the ales were just under £3 a pint, but the Autumn Blaze came in at exactly £3 – a reasonable price nonetheless. I found the service to be friendly enough. The lady who served me did so efficiently and with a smile – that’ll do for me. This struck me as a homely and welcoming pub. Just the sort of place I like. Highly recommended.