The Plough & Harrow (JD Wetherspoon), Hammersmith, W6

The ground floor of an old hotel now housing the Holiday Inn Express above, consisting of one large echoey room with pillars down one side and slightly tired maroon decor. Only a couple of guest beers on, and the Elgoods Christmoose Carol was even more tired than the paintwork. JDW has offered it for sale but with no takers it is down for imminent closure and will probably end up as part of the hotel again.

Official site of The Plough & Harrow (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Plough & Harrow (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Much quieter than the other Spoons down the road. A couple of tables out front and some outside seating down the side. 5 guests on - Redemption Pale Ale, Peerless red, Jaipur, Otter Amber and Brains SA. I went for the Redemption which was pretty good.

Hammersmith’s ‘other’ branch of Wetherspoons, which is considerably closer to Ravenscourt Park tube station than Hammersmith - a kind of betwixt location that doesn’t feel like the obvious place to find a ‘Spoons. The pub has a very basic, long and narrow layout, carpeted in the main, but with a few ugly carpet tiles here and there as well. The bar runs down the right-hand side of the room and has an enormous pub mirror on the bar back, which is by far the pub’s most interesting feature. There are also unusual recessed areas on either side of the bar back which have been used to display various items and products. Loads of high stools fill the centre of the room, with basic tables and chairs to the left and rear. The walls (and much of the furniture for that matter) are presented in quite warm shades, which combined well with relatively muted lighting on my Winter’s evening visit, making the room feel a lot cosier than you would expect. TV screens and slot machines have been supplied in great quantities, whilst a few old paintings adorn the walls along with a couple of ‘Spoons local history boards. On the bar, the usual three ‘Spoons ales were available along with five guest beers, from which I chose a pint of Purple Moose Dark Side of the Moose, which was in good nick and went down very well after a very cold walk here from the station. The barman who served me was best described as ‘eccentric’ and customers really didn’t seem to know how to interact with him. I found this to be a very middle-of-the-road Wetherspoons pub, with pretty much nothing memorable about it, but some good beer to compensate for the dull interior. It strikes me as a reliable option for this part of town, but not exactly somewhere you’re likely to actively seek out. A few weeks after my visit, Wetherspoons announced they were planning to sell this pub, so perhaps the odd location did for it in the end - we’ll have to see if it can remain in use as a pub.

Pretty much as described below. The staff were not the most welcoming – the barman was rude, the waiting staff less so. There was an annoying clique of locals blocking the bar so it was difficult to see what ales were on, though with a bit of persuasion they made way to reveal pumps dispensing Abbot, Doombar, Trumans Swift and Bow Bells, Bison By The Horns, ELB Mandarina, Old Peculiar and Sambrook’s Junction. Not really worth the walk up from the station.