The Prince Blucher, Twickenham

With its oxblood glazed tiling and thick white painted vermicular ‘mud hut’ daub, I don’t know if this pub is original, but it supposedly dates from 1815, the last to retain a name paying homage to Wellington’s Number Two. The interior is something of an old meets new affair, probably once quite atmospheric: modern boarded, pale grey walls with a low, white ceiling with flush downlighters, bottle green divider screens, a modern bar array with shiny white tiles and bare brick piers, conventional furniture with ‘codgers corner’, games machine, silent football – not so in the packed beer garden – décor by way of books on shelves and pot plants; as mentioned, most customers were younger and watching the footie in the garden, a few older customers indoors, alongside an unwelcome baby at gone 9.30pm. A surprising cask choice, with Hophead ‘Coming Soon’ alongside Pride, then Naked Ladies at £2.95 a half, in good nick, served by a decent barman. This place isn’t bad, but there’s another place just across the road, whose name eludes me.

Named in honour of a hero of the battle of Waterloo,this Fullere's tied house sites close to Twickenham Green.It's modest in size with a single opened out tap room with low ceilings and with good fireplaces.The furniture is a mix of dining style tables and butcher block high tables but at some stage room dividers were taken out,the unusable front door hints at the original layout. There is a rear dining area with a lecturn guarding the entrance,while the beer garden is quite substantial. Although food is served from a small and rather expensive menu (median main £17,sandwiches and chips £11) the three flatscreen will play any sport available,there are multiple bar stools so there is a drinking atmosphere.The overloud muzak was a negative but there is a charming small side snug with just room for one table with shelves full of board games if you want to be diverted. There are 7 handpumps but only two ales on my Thursday afternoon visit in Fullers London Pride (treble clipped) and Twickenham Naked Ladies (double clipped). However the condition of my Naked Ladies was spot on ,NBSS 4.5 ,which cushioned the blow of £5.65. Decent enough place and without the earthy feel of the nearby Sussex Arms but not a destination pub as such.

Decent Fullers pub on the edge of Twickenham Green. Modern open interior but with enough separate areas to avoid it being a noisy barm.and a very decent outside garden space. Four ales on for my visit with three Fullers usuals and a Dark Star APA which was a well kept pint.

A nice Fullers pub and very busy considering its opposite the Sussex Arms.Good pint of Fullers -bohemian way and in better condition than any of the four I drank in the Sussex tonight.Nice big beer garden.Afew other regular beers from Fullers oncask.

Official site of The Prince Blucher - www.princeblucher.co.uk

Official site of The Prince Blucher - www.princeblucher.co.uk

A short way out of town, on the North-Western corner of Twickenham Green, this is a large, rambling Fullers pub dating back to the 19th Century. The pub underwent a large makeover in late 2016 and feels a little polished and corporate as a result. The entrance takes you into the front bar area, with a large L-shaped servery to the rear left and lots of comfy seating options in the extended area around. The room is bare boarded and has lots of dark wood and muted paintwork to create quite a cosy feel, whilst seating options are plush and include some smart booths that looked well worth bagging. Once past the bar, the pub splits into two further seating areas, again with well upholstered, comfy banquettes and chairs, in a space that looked better suited to diners and was pretty much empty on our visit. The walls are decorated with various rugby themed bits (obviously!) including framed photos and vintage boots, but there are also a few cricket themed items (presumably as a nod to the Twickenham Cricket Club who play on the Green outside) and Beatles pictures to reflect the fact that the band recorded the A Hard Day's Night and Help! movies in Twickenham Studios. TV screens were also dotted around the room and live sports seems to be a regular feature. To the side of the pub there is a large patio garden with its own bar and BBQ area, ample seating, a children's playground and a barrel dispensing beer for dogs! Human beers were drawn from the Fullers stable with one guest ale also available, but I plumped for the Fullers Oliver's Island, which was perhaps a little past its best. The BBQ was on the go, but we ordered lunch from the main menu and had some reasonably decent food for a fairly premium price. There were kids and dogs everywhere, making the garden quite a chaotic space, but that was partly due to a fair taking place on the Green outside and is perhaps not representative of a normal weekend afternoon. I thought this was a pretty good pub with lots of comfy seating in which to settle down over a pint or two of Fullers. The place seems to have lost a bit of its charm through various refurbishments over the years, but remains and smart, clean venue that will appeal to a broad range of customers. Not a bad option as a double header for anyone heading to or from the nearby Sussex Arms.

Popped in after drunkenly missing the bus from the Sussex Arms over the way. Named after the (in)famous Prussian general who turned up late to the Battle of Waterloo, though I’m not sure what association he has with Twickenham. Anyway, it’s a Fuller’s house with four of their ales. My ESB was so-so but my companion’s Brithop was better. Interior is an elongated L-shape with separate ‘areas’, opening up at the rear with a large and decently laid-out garden beyond. Fairly homely décor and a well-maintained fell. A mixed punter range in situ on a Saturday night. Not a bad little stop, if my ESB had been better I would have given it a 7.

The Blucher has an attractive and inviting appearance with the external walls festooned with brightly coloured planted baskets. Internally the bar is central, and although the pub is effectively one space, as the decor style and furnishings change from area to area, it still has the feel of separate rooms. The changes in style result in a choice of probably the full range of seating types I've yet encountered, so probably something for everyone. As this is Twickenham, there is the almost inevitable element of a rugby theme, with a couple of framed shirts, one carrying the pub name and listing all the RU clubs in the country, plus a few photos including the famous one of Fran Cotton with muddied face, plus one I spotted of the Twickenham ground in the 50's. There are a few TVs dotted about, showing SSN at the time muted while background music played, but I expect they are put to good use when there is rugby on. A bookshelf to the side of the bar has a selection of Readers Digest condensed novels, which I thought a bit naff, but it's probably just for decoration. The area/room at the rear is up one step, there is a retro sit down table video game in here. Well kept Fullers beers, two banks of pumps had Chiswick, Pride, ESB, Discovery and Gale's Seafarers (£3.30) shared across them. Not a bad pub at all, and I'm sure it will appeal to diners and sports fans but it has some serious competition now from the revamped Sussex Arms across the road. The side/rear garden is huge and has a kids play area at the back as well as jumberellas and cover for the smokers.

Part-modernised but otherwise fairly traditional Fullers pub with several extensions of varying ages. Comfortable lounge to one side, but the main bar area is more suited to dining. Large and busy patio beer garden (with a childrens' play area beyond). Eight handpumps in total, but with some duplicates the range on offer was Pride, Chiswick, ESB, Discovery and the seasonal Gales Spring Sprinter (£3.35). Strangely, it doesn't make as much of its location on a corner of Twickenham Green as one might expect, but it's a reasonable place for a pint.