The Goose, Fulham, SW6

Dating in some form from at least the early 19th century, though most likely rebuilt later in the century, this was originally the Crown, part of the Goose chain since 1996. It’s a large L-shape, with photos on the website’s gallery; sport TV and games machines are big here as is the screaming baby, though thankfully given the size of the pub, I could retreat to a quieter area. What was new to me, was the inflatable Guinness ‘bouncy castle’ rugby goalposts flanking the exit; charming. There are framed prints of the area from yesteryear and Six Nations bunting. Customers were either transient types, old geezers or ladz. An odd ale selection here, with one unused pump, Doom (reversed), then Marlow’s Rebellion IPA (reversed) and Rebellion Smuggler at a very cheap £2.05 a half and quite a nice, traditional tasting beer, served by a taciturn landlady. This is a rather downbeat place, which has seen better days; the TVs, Six Nations bunting and gimmicks along with games machines aren’t something that attracts me; on the plus side, the pub has anti-corruption, anti-slavery and privacy policies, so it’s not all bad.

Official site of The Goose - www.redcatpubcompany.com