The Queens Head, Uxbridge

Nice little traditional pub close to the tube station. 4 beers on when I called including Hardy & Hansons Olde Trip and Rebellion ales Marlow Amber. I went for the local Amber and it was fine. Camra discount too! All in all a decent pub.

The Queen's Head is a pretty, traditional pub in the heart of Uxbridge. Inside the traditional - low wood beams and a familiar bar - clash with the modern - furnishings and two large, wall mounted, televisions one showing BBC News on mute and the other Radio 2, not on mute regrettably. Why? The governor's a cheery and welcoming fellow and there's a decent bank of handpumps all of which bodes well until close enough to identify the clips. Available on our visit were Greene King IPA, Doombar, Brains Rev. James and Theakstons Old Peculier in addition to a Wells Directors clip reversed and one unused handpump. Not inspiring but the Old Peculier was in top nick and a reminder of what a decent pint this can be. Worth dropping in for an Old Peculier.

Low beamed olde worlde style pub with 6 handpumps but a Twickenham beer was as exciting as it got.But it was the only one of 6 pubs I tried that had a Locale on.

Official site of The Queens Head - www.johnbarras.com

Official site of The Queens Head - www.johnbarras.com

This is a very low ceilinged (the “mind your head” sign on a beam is really necessary) old town centre pub which is full of pub character. It has a “pub rustic” look, but I suspect that in here it’s the real thing. It’s mainly furnished with normal tables and chairs, but unfortunately I did spot a tall table with a tall bench and tall stools that looked a little out of place. There’s not a lot in the way of decor – a few small mirrors on the wall on the right, and stags painted on bits of wood in a small area on the left. Newspapers were in a small rack on one of the pillars. Being a Spirit pub there are also chalkboards around the place advertising meal deals and the like. A typical pubco illustrated menu is on all the tables including the usual pubco pub grub favourites, and offering a “two meals for £9” deal. Real ale most certainly deserves a big mention. When I was in they had on Courage Directors; XT4; Cotleigh Nutcracker; Old Growler; Tring Tea Kettle Stout; Vale Red Kite; M Malt Golden Ale, plus Rosie’s Pig cloudy cider. They give a 10% discount on real ale to CAMRA members, bringing my half of Old Growler down to £1.41. That’s an excellent ale selection at good prices. This pub is nowhere near perfect, but the usual pubco features haven’t been allowed to destroy the “olde worlde” feel to the place. This is almost certainly the best pub in Uxbridge. I shall probably be back as it’s due to feature on a forthcoming London Pubs Group crawl.

It's quite surprising to find such an old-fashioned sort of pub in Uxbridge town centre. It doesn't look much from the street, but inside it is full of traditional wooden furniture under a low ceiling. The original layout has been opened out for form various seating areas, some a bit raucous, others quieter. Five of six handpumps were working, offering Broadside, Doom Bar, 6X, Youngs Ordinary and Winter Warmer (curiously-priced at £3.01, but in good form).

Randomness Guide to London - Queens Head entry

Randomness Guide to London - Queens Head entry

This is one of the quieter pubs in the town centre that is mostly frequented by the older drinker. There was some very low music on during my visit and I didn’t spot any TVs in the main bar area although there was a flat screen monitor in the back room which was showing Harry Potter, which I found a bit odd given the nature of the pub. Obviously having no screens means that there is no Sky Sports and there is a sign in the door warning that no service will be given to anyone wearing football colours – not that anyone wearing football colours would want to drink in here anyway. Two of the six hand pumps were off, but Ordinary, 6X and Landlord were all available and the Guinness that I had from the standard draught range was on good form. I didn’t see anyone eating, but there were some menus lying around and I spotted an advertisement for a curry club every Thursday from 17:00. I like a pub with low beams and a slightly olde world feel, but I struggled to get comfortable in here and I would walk past if in the area again.