Princess of Wales, WC2

I vaguely recall visiting a pub in Villiers Street years and years ago. It could have been this one. But I returned on a Monday afternoon to visit pubs that had appeared in the last 2 editions of the Good Beer Guide. If I did visit, it's not how I recall it! The single ground floor bar is quite small. However, there is an upper floor, roped off on our visit. TVs were showing Sky Sports News, which nobody appeared particularly interested in. Doom Bar is the regular beer, whilst there was also a guest beer in Ghost Ship. Nicholson's pubs have really gone downhill in recent years, in terms of their beer range. This one is no exception. So there would be no reason for me to return here.

This is a Nicholson’s outlet, right next to Charing Cross railway station, so gets a great deal of passing trade, less so on a Sunday. It’s pretty predictable inside, though less ornate than most of their outlets, with dark grey paint to the dado, mid-grey above, continuing to the ceiling. Lighting is Victorian-style and furniture is conventional, tall or normal; décor comes in the form of portraits of famous former local residents. What was wholly unnecessary, was American football playing on the TV, which added nothing but ugly light; naturally, no one was watching. Ales were an improvement on my previous visit, a GK pub, which just goes to show how much better are Nicholson’s compared to their more numerous competitor, with Ghost Ship, Pride, Doom and Oakham’s Citra at £2.80 a half and good, though too cold. Better than a GK pub, but still average and not bad if wanting a swift one before getting the train.

2 floor Nicholson's pub(didn't visit upstairs). 6 real ale taps 5 on during my visit. Quite a plain interior by Nicholson's standards.

A rather compact Nicholson's pub adjacent to the side entrance to Charing Cross station, inside is a rather narrow boarded room with the bar running along a side wall. Seating opposite the bar is at leather banquettes, small round tables and stools, there are the usual high seated options by the front windows. The interior is a bit more modern feeling than most of the chain, there is a bit of dark wood here and there, notably the bar back with a central clock however the upper walls and ceiling are a 70s style coffee brown. The décor includes various potted histories of persons connected with the area and street, Benjamin Franklin gets a mention as does George Villiers, eponymous to Villiers Street, apparently the Duke of Buckingham 1592-1628, fictionalised in Alexander Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" and allegedly up to all sorts with the Royal King. Upstairs is the Rudyard Kipling room, I didn't look, less interestingly he claims the honour by living up the road for a bit. There is however more scandal involved, there are claims that the pub may have been named due to a secret wife of George IV, who's marriage was later annulled as it would have threatened the ascendency to the throne. It all happens down here then. Anyway, back to a more sedate and liberal 2014, beers were St Austell Proper Job, Pride, Oakham Citra (£3.95), Nicholson's PA, Woodforde's Flagondry and one unclipped. Service was decent if typically central London from Eastern Europe, a nice brim-full pint of well kept beer. The pub was very busy given the location and tourist heavy but I quite liked my 25 mins or so in here, my only gripe being the over loud bass heavy music. Worth a punt if you're in the Charing Cross area and although not in the same shoes as The Ship and Shovel, for me, a better beer range. There is of course The Harp.