Thornbury Castle, Marylebone, W1

I too was taken by this small side street pub with its wood panelling throughout and small raised seating area at the rear. Clearly a strong rugby union connection from the memorabilia on the walls which always enamours me to a place. But a decent range of well-kept beers increases that further, especially when the Rugby theme is followed through to the beer choices and for my inaugural visit Vale Brewery Lock Prop and Barrel, Windsor and Eton Last Drop, The Little Beer Company Little Haka, By The Horns Hop Air Balloon Session IPA and two from the Marlow Rebellion Brewery in the form of Gold and Visionary were available. The two I tried were very well kept but as others have said they were not the cheapest pints I’ve experienced in London. The pub was being well patronised with early evening commuters and it emptied out a bit as they disappeared towards the nearby Chiltern line station. I am more than happy with a range of six beers from 3.9% to 4.4% and like the majority of reviewers on this site believe there are a lot of other things that go to make a good pub other than the strength of the beer it serves. And as this pub ticked several of those other boxes I am happy to rate the Thornbury Castle in line with the majority..

One room with bar to the left. Six hand pumps, one reversed. Unfortunately nothing above 4.5% ABV.

Lovely little back street pub with friendly guvnor with a good knowledge about the beers he sells.Restricted to the Enterprise range and accordingly expensive.I tried 4 of the 6 cask beers and was impressed. Vale,Dorking,Rebellion,Little beer co,and 3 Sods beers on.

Just a short walk from Marylebone station, down a relatively quiet side street, this is a very pleasant and smartly presented pub offering a good selection of ales. A pump clip-lined porch leads you into a carpeted room with the servery over on the left hand wall. The bar has a simple wooden counter with a decorative ironwork gantry and a broad mirrored bar back. Banquette seating is available along the front and right hand walls supplemented by some particularly comfortable padded chairs. It's an attractive space thanks in no small part to the fine wood panelling which covers much of the wall space and these have been decorated with old Guinness adverts, a nice etched glass mirror and a whole host of rugby themed items including photos, rugby balls and some signed England and Wasps shirts above the bar. A fridge stands in the middle of the room against a structural pillar and has a large model ship on top plus a couple of Wasps gnomes. To the rear there is a raised seating area that looks like it is well suited to those wanting food although I only saw one group eating throughout my stay. This area is furnished with standard tables and chairs, a nice grandfather clock and a collection of beer bottles. The day's papers were available from a rack near the front door and it was refreshing to have no music playing in the background, although there were a few TV screens dotted around the room, all showing a muted BBC news channel. I didn't see any evidence of a beer garden, but a few picnic benches have been arranged outside on the pavement to the front of the pub. There are six handpulls on the bar, two of which were off on my midweek visit, but I was still left with a very good selection comprising Dorking Pilcrow Pale, Rebellion Zebedee, Purity Gold and Vale Just Like That. I opted for a pint of the Pilcrow Pale which was in superb condition and must be an early contender for best kept beer of the year, but I had to pay £4.65 for the privilege. The bar staff were all very friendly and welcoming and I made a point of complimenting the landlord on his beer as I left. I've always struggled to find a reliable pub in the Marylebone area but I have a feeling I may have hit upon a winner in this place. I found this to be a very welcoming pub with a good atmosphere and excellent beer - so much so that I really didn't feel like I was drinking in Central London, which is a great compliment in my book. My only real gripe would be the price of the beer, but I guess that is Enterprise and Central London for you. A cracking pub and one I look forward to returning to.

Well described by RR below and by far the best beer option this close to Marylebone and Baker St. It's a very nice pub, untouched by corporate branding, enthusiastically run with an ever changing range of beers, carefully selected to cover various styles and strengths. Tasty looking Thai menu. There's a very keen rugby following here, so if that's your sport you will find easy conversation. Well worth seeking out.