The Albion, East Molesey

The Albion is an attractive looking pub with a large bay front and balcony and is situated a few minutes walk from Hampton Court station. It was originally liceneced in the 1830’s following the introduction of the Beer Act, a move that would have soon paid huge dividends when the Palace was first opened to the public in 1838 and crowds would have started arriving from far and wide to visit this new attraction and would have certainly popped in the Albion for suitable refreshment during their visit. The Palace today is of course still the tourist magnet it has always been and the pub makes no attempt to disassociate itself from its illustrious Royal neighbour with several pictures, snippets and even carpets that are Palace influenced. The interior is an extended U-shape and divided into 2 distinct areas. The main bar and area to the left of the main entrance has bare floors and a more basic Public Bar approach with a brace of flat screen TVs. The opposite side is carpeted and has a more homely lounge bar feel with some quite modern décor but not so much that it detracts from the general pubby ambience. There is some seating out the front and it should also be noted that the pub is wheelchair friendy. There were 4 ales on my visit, Abbott, London Pride, Youngs Ordinary and Timothy Taylor Golden Best. Prices are surprisingly cheap and the food is also good value with main courses around £5-8 and the now de rigour Grill/Cuury and a pint nights being advertised as well as a good wine deal on Sundays. Given that the place has the potential to be a rip off tourist trap, the Albion has seemingly managed to balance both sides of the coin and whilst there isn’t anything to make it worth going out of the way for, it is one of the better options in the area and certainly less pretentious than some of its neighbours.

This is a small-ish low-ceilinged pub down Bridge Rd, a couple of minutes’ walk from Hampton Court Station. The main bar as you walk in is bare-boarded and has banquette seating, a half dozen or so tables, and two or three high tables/stools. On the left is a carpeted area with a couple of sofas and some tables and chairs. To the right of the bar counter is another carpeted area with another couple of sofas, leading round to an area with hotel lounge style armchairs and tables. In fact the menu on the table at which I sat did refer to the establishment as the Albion Hotel, so if they do provide accommodation then this area is indeed well placed here. The three real ales on were Bombardier, Young’s Bitter, and GKIPA. There was a fourth pump with a London Pride clip reversed, completing the line up of the classic London common quartet. This is a basic pub with nothing wrong with it as far as I could tell. There’s nothing special about the ale selection, but they presumably do usually have the four ales on, and it is a far better pub (in my opinion) than the Prince of Wales opposite. I would have no objection to dropping in for another pint sometime.