The Old Ship, Richmond

This is a Young’s house, although they did have a guest ale in Hooky Bitter. It still has two separate rooms, although they are interconnected behind the serving area. I would expect it to get a fair amount of passing trade due to its prominent position on one of the main pedestrian thoroughfares in Richmond, although it wasn’t particularly crowded when I was in there on Wednesday lunchtime. You enter the pub through a vestibule, whose glass panelling suggests that it leads to the Saloon Bar, but the glass front in the unused doors to the right hand bar claims that it is (or was) the Lounge and Snack Bar, whereas the glass frontage in the also unused door to the left hand bar claims it is the Lounge. Anyway, the right hand bar is bare-boarded and a bit more down to earth than the other bar, although it does have a nice model ship on the wall. The other bar is carpeted and seems more comfortable to me, and is a bit more like what I would expect a saloon bar to be, with comfortable banquette seating and normal tables and chairs. There’s plenty of dark wood around the place, as well as the inevitable, but appropriate, nautical paraphernalia. All in all this struck me as an attractive pub with its leaded light windows featuring sailing ships, and traditional low-ceilinged interior. I would be very happy to visit again.