The Pembroke, Earls Court, SW5

Dating from 1866 as the Coleherne Arms, the current name applied in 2008. This may have been an attempt to escape from the pub’s days as a legendary gay and ‘leather bar’, with former customers including Kenny Everett, Ian McKellen, Freddie Mercury, Derek Jarman and Dennis Nielsen; the pub is referenced by Armistead Maupin. A first in here the other night, into a sparsely populated pub. In many respects, it’s quite a bland made over place, but with an interesting peripheral first floor gallery. Furniture includes tables made with scaffold poles (the same as the bar back), along with banquettes with scatter cushions, serviced by Britannia tables with traditional low stools. Lighting comes along from a large crystal chandelier, along with filament sconces. Customers were mixed and seemingly heterosexual, the only TVs to be found in here now were showing the football. Ales amounted to one unused pump, then GK IPA and Brompton House Bitter at a very reasonable £2.35 a half; I don’t know who brewed it, but as it was quite nice, I’m guessing not Greene King. This is quite a joyless pub, easily the dullest of the four with frontages onto Old Brompton Road, matching the experience of the previous reviewer from 2015; I don’t envisage a return visit to a pub with no original features.

The Pembroke is a corner pub that is now painted in the trendy battleship grey colour. Once inside there is a decent sized U shaped room with the bar facing,the room is bare boarded,the seating is comfy bench type to the front right,there was a TV to the rear left showing tennis,the right side extends further to the rear,this had normal tables and chairs which were set aside for diners,none in om my Wednesday Afternoon visit. I did'nt see any GK beers on the bar,but was probably not looking properly,i had a drink of Hogs Back TEA which went down well. Decent background music was playing. The pub was empty which was a shame,all other pubs in the area had been fairly busy. Pub visited 1/7/2015