The Crown, Twickenham

This is a large imposing pub on a busy main road. On the right is a room obviously used as a restaurant as all the tables are set for diners, with wine glasses already in place on the tables. This connects to a room that is something of a lounge area as the main furnishings are sofas. This in turn leads to a large room where the bar counter is located. This has a mix of furnishings – tall tables/chairs, upholstered benches, normal tables and chairs, and some awful looking square plastic covered footstools with low tables. There are some impressive features remaining, including the large domed ceiling in the main bar room, some original cut and etched glass in some of the windows and doors, and a leaded light window with garden birds depicted in the upper panes. But the main room was a bit too cavernous, making it the opposite of the sort of cosy pub that I like. The bare-boarded floor here combined with the domed ceiling made people’s voices echo around the room. There were four handpumps on the bar counter, three with clips reversed and the fourth dispensing London Pride. The food didn’t look to be too expensive – e.g. the steak and Guinness pie was £9, but I didn’t eat here so can’t comment on the quality. For some reason I didn’t feel particularly comfortable in here, and doubt whether I’ll pay a return visit.