ReviewThere has been an Inn on this site since the time when Winchmore Hill was a small village centred round its village green, set amongst green fields and hedge rows and shadowed by the nearby wood.
What is left of the Wood is now part of the nearby Grovelands Park, and the village green still survives as the grass area opposite the pub, but is much smaller now and the duck pond has long gone.
The small village Inn was rebuilt in 1899 to support the earlier arrival of the train line from London, into the large commanding Victorian hotel that stands today.
It’s gone through several guises over the years but is now a bit of a modern décor gastro pub owned by Geronimo Inns who run about 20 pubs dotted about the London suburbs.
Internally it is one area around a central serving area but segmented into a bar area and a dining area. The bar area is wood floored with wooden tables and chairs complemented by leather sofas around the fireplace area and the eating area is carpeted and laid to dining tables and padded chairs. There is a small snug area hidden away at the end of the bar and there is also a very nice outside courtyard area which is particularly pleasant in the summer months.
The bar usually supports two handpumps ,one of which tends to be London Pride and the other was Sharps Doombar on my last visit.
I tend to only come here when dragged along by colleagues as this place is an enigma to me. Probably the most expensive place to drink for miles with expensive, average beer and well pricey food which gives you the 'How much!' factor when reading the menu.
But , of the three pubs close to the green it is always the busiest and the restaurant area is usually full. So I guess whilst people are prepared to pay EC4 price levels in N21 , then there's no reason to stop charging them.
Amended to:Charismatic, friendly and quaint are words that I would use to describe this two-hundred year old pub (or at least one half of the building is that old) in Birmingham’s Gun Quarter. It reminded me of some of the old places you still find dotted around the Black Country rather than on the edge of the city centre. Despite being just off the main ring road, the side road in which it is situated is fairly quiet and there is enough on-street parking available.
The bar was reasonably busy, but not crowded, when I popped in for a drink at lunchtime. The clientele all appeared to be respectable and it is seemingly popular with staff from the nearby Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Despite being kept very busy serving drinks and taking food orders the landlady, Rose, seemed very pleasant and kept a genuine smile.
Inside, the table by the traditional fireplace or the comfortable seated area (separated from the compact bar by a curtain) meant that the place resembled your gran’s house - but in a way that makes you feel welcome. The other main room was set out mainly for diners who come to indulge in the typical (but nevertheless aesthetically appealing) pub grub on offer. The ceilings are adorned with many hanging jugs (no, I didn’t compliment the barmaid on them) and there are old servants’ bells on the wall. It has a friendly pub cat, not as mad though as the one which roams the table tops in the Wellington.
The pub is included in the 2010 GBG. Besides the usual Carling and Guinness, there was Ansell's mild and on handpull they had Adnam’s Broadside, Martson’s Pedigree and the one we tried, Abbeydale Brimstone, which was OK.
It’s been a few years since I went in last and the relatively short walk under the subway from my usual weekday stamping ground should be a reason for me to go more often.
