Pubs Galore - the UK pub guide

It's not often that one gets to be the first person to review a 19th century pub, but that's because this one closed in 2001, was converted to restaurant use, only to reopen as a pub again in 2020.
The original pub was built in 1818 but I suspect that the current incarnation was rebuilt at a later date in the Victorian era. It's a very commanding pub, located right on Dalston junction. The façade features a ceramic depiction of both the eponymous castle and crown with the name applied to the parapet atop the corner splay. However, this ensemble is really rather tatty. There's also a good example of a green Watney Combe Reid roundel with stag motif to the left side - it's good to see these increasingly rare items of brewery regalia being retained. What is also of note is that the name of the pub has been applied to the fascia in the original Watney's typeface.
Once inside and it's clear that not one molecule of the original interior remains. There are large clear picture windows, beneath which there's a peripheral wooden banquette which wraps around the wall below the windows and features double electrical sockets. Walls seem to be clad with planking, the lower half slate grey, white above leading up to a white patterned tiled ceiling (and ugly aircon units) from which hang lights with multiple circular cells. Wall lights are white translucent spheres with exposed metal trunking. To the rear is a little bare brick but sadly a very ugly piece of industrial ductwork, presumably for the downstairs kitchen's air handling; to the left of this is a large rococo gold wall mirror. The bar features an attractive field panelled front with a little bare brick to the rear along with some exposed structural ironwork which is probably original. The floor is bare boarded, painted with an appealing checkerboard pattern of light and dark brown. Furniture is a mix of traditional old school chairs with restrained and quite attractive modern tables, each sporting a bottle of disinfectant gloop - necessary or not, a lot more attractive than bottles of sauce. Music played at an agreeable level and no TVs were in evidence. Lavs are good and modern with two cubicles, no less!
There seems to be a push towards cocktails here, no doubt favoured by the young trendy crowd, but there were also two banks of chrome founts dispensing craft ales, but sadly nothing real, my pint of Camden Pale being brought to my table by a very friendly barmaid, though at a very unfriendly £5.30; it wasn't too bad once it had warmed up and dispersed much of its CO2.
This is a decent modern take on a traditional pub and it's good to see that it hasn't fallen back on awful electronic entertainments or ugly thuggish interior features like huge metal lampshades.
I'd be interested to come here again if in the immediate vicinity, but it would really have to provide a couple of quality real ales - Hackney has no shortage of breweries and this should go down well with the local community, especially in these uncertain times as the borough is the spiritual home to hipsters and 'locally sourced' is always a winner.

This pub re-opened on 1st August. Unfortunately, I couldn't go in as it had closed for the evening on Sunday.

Hidden away down an almost imperceptible narrow alleyway off of the main road through the centre of West Malling, this is a smart micropub with a pleasant patio garden. The pub’s interior suggests that the venture is still in its early days, having something of a pristine feel to it that makes it look very presentable and yet also cosy and appealing. New floorboards, grey tongue and groove panelled walls and benches and walls painted in pastel shades hardly sound like a recipe for an inviting interior, yet combine well in the front room to create a traditional lounge bar feel. Seating is of course fairly limited but sturdy benches arranged into booths, high tables and stools and some regular tables and chairs in the centre. Beer boards on the side wall detail the full draught range, whilst elsewhere, the walls have been decorated with pump clips and various other bits of breweriana. The bar is accessed down a passageway of sorts which takes you through to a rear room with limited high stool seating in a split-level space which felt a bit like a public bar thanks to the more spartan furnishings and décor. Most customers had opted to sit outside in the compact but well-appointed beer garden where hard benches have been arranged down either side, most of them under one form of cover or another, supplemented by casks with wooden tops fitted to them to make them into decent low stools. A nice raised flower bed runs along the rear wall adding some welcome colour, whilst a trellis above showed the first shoots of climbing plants starting to make their way across it. There was a good crowd in on our Saturday afternoon visit and the friendly landlady was everywhere at once, taking orders at tables, thoroughly cleaning tables after customers left, sorting out track and trace and greeting newcomers at the front door.
Paper beer lists were handed out on arrival, detailing the pub’s extensive cask ale range which on this visit comprised Kent Session, Black Gold and Prohibition, St Austell Cornish Best, Thornbridge Sequoia, Goachers Fine Light, Saltaire Citra and Marble Pint. I enjoyed a very nice pint of the latter whilst my other half opted for an excellent cider from Turner’s.
I thought this was a great little micropub that benefits from a well put-together interior, a two-bar set-up, a varied and well-kept ale selection and perhaps most notably of all, excellent customer service. We were very happy here and had I not been driving I would have most certainly stayed longer to sample a few more of their beers.

Now open. Nice pub with 6 handpulls with 2 for real cider. Single room, which is very blue. The bar is centrally located and the beers were from Hophurst, Fyne, Neptune and Dark Star today. A variety of fizz-u-likes are also available. Bare brick and industrial pipes can be found. Very good. Run by same people who have/had Hard Times And Misery.

A fairly-average large Greene King town pub, with a nice old interior rather spoilt by all panelling and woodwork being painted grey. Overwhelmed by the usual dead corporate feel, but at least they were serving a drinkable Fuggle-de-dum alongside the usual IPA and Abbot. Outdoor area at rear.