Duke of Cornwall, Hammersmith, W6

Visited 02/12/24 London Pride was the single cask offering, with other handpumps unclipped or clips turned around. Keg offerings were Fosters, K1664, Amstel, Heineken, Moretti, regular SB, Guinness, Neck Oil and Gamma Ray. Venue is well described below. Indeed, the interior feels about as messed up as you can be from what is otherwise a plain long, rectangle stretching from the attractively lighted front area with a small outside sitting area (there is an equally small rear external beer garden in the loosest use of the term). Inside the music was too loud and the lighting too bright to mutilate the concept of positive ambience. The bar counter is along the right-hand wall mid venue, up a couple of steps from the marginally lower entrance area with some regular tables and chairs in the windows either side of the entrance. Elsewhere the seating arrangements are a mix of tall and regular tables with a total mish mash of chairs and tall stools. A dartboard occupies the area to the right of the balustrade but requires tables being moved to utilise. A few head height small TV's were showing cricked with no commentary. You would go a long way to find a traditional pub with as little atmosphere as this one.

Dating from 1855, this place was rebuilt in 1933. The exterior is quite plain, but inside it seems that nothing from the ‘30s remains. It’s essentially a long room, with a modern boarded floor and a universal ‘wasabi’ colour scheme. Furniture is quite conventional, some painted. The bar front is clad with textured metallic tiles, with a similarly ‘wasabi’ plywood back with mirrors. Lighting was filament in origin, but varied in style. Décor comprises prints for household products, probably on sale from the ‘30s to ‘50s; examples can be seen on the pub’s website gallery. There’s an ugly Clear Channel illuminated advertising board, thereafter quite a few TVs showing at least two matches at volume, with at least one games machine. Customers were undiscerning locals and some who were actually interested in watching the football for once. The barman was courteous, serving me with a half of Neck Oil at £3.40 due to a solitary pump, devoid of a clip. This is a very basic pub, fulfilling a basic purpose: sport and lager. I don’t have any inclination to return to this benighted road, let alone pub, but if you do find yourself here, the Distillers is marginally better.

Official site of Duke of Cornwall - www.dukeofcornwallhammersmith.co.uk

Official site of Duke of Cornwall - www.dukeofcornwallhammersmith.co.uk

Probably in here within a few days of Rex.Thought it was a bit dull and also noted the national flags gave it a down market feel.Ouside seating to the rear.Pride and a decent Tribute.

They had London Pride and St Austell Tribute on when I visited. Food seems to be exclusively Thai and, unusually for a pub doing Thai food, you ordered your food from the lone barman on duty when I visited. Chicken dishes were £6.95 and beef dishes £8. There were a fair number of people in noshing their Thai grub during my midweek lunchtime visit, so I guess it's a successful food model in here. It was a gloomy overcast day when I visited, with the interior made even gloomier by the six nations flags hung over, and thus obscuring the windows. The bar counter had what looked like an embossed stainless steel frontage, and all the walls, pillars and ceiling were painted a light or dark grey. But furnishings were mostly normal, with standard tables, all kinds of mismatched chairs, plus some small upholstered stools. I've seen much worse. I could have done without the thumping pop music, which didn't really seem appropriate for lunchtime. But that's just me I guess. The food looked good, and the Tribute was just under £4 a pint as I recall. I think the pub has probably improved a bit since the previous reviewers' visits around a decade ago, but I still think it just about falls into the "OK" category.