The London Inn, Penzance

By the end of our week in town we were running out of pubs to visit. The good ones had all been ticked off and just the questionable ones remained. We had passed the London Inn on a few occasions but been put of by the loud music and the general morons that populate the town centre at the weekends. From the outside it does look quite appealing so we decided it was one of the better options left that we had not previously been in. The main bar is actually very rough and ready with a tatty and battered look that can sometimes give the place a certain appeal but here it just doesn't feel right. The ornate old fireplace with its stove catches the eye but the claim of having gas lighting as a major feature is not so obvious. Whilst the temptation to ram the place with stereotypical London memorabilia has mercifully been avoided (no model routemasters or plastic copper's helmets spotted on my visit), the place could do without the Sherlock Holmes / Dr Watson mirror! To the rear is a smaller bar with lots of paneling, a dart board and an out of place TV. At the rear is a courtyard where a group were singing rowdy football songs which hardly enhanced the ambience. On the beer front just the one ale available; a rather poor Courage Best which is even more disappointing given the prominence of certficate from Courage championing their supposedly good quality. It is certainly not the worst pub in town and was still the best of a bad bunch of pubs we had outstanding but if you do feel the need to visit, it is best outside of peak times.