Lord Southampton, NW5

The Lord Southampton is a corner pub that is a short walk from the busy Malden Road. Once inside there is an L shaped room with the bar facing on entry,there is a a wood laminate floor,the seating is scruffy bench seating and small stools,there is a pool table to the rear and darts board on the left side. I was surprised to see one real ale on the bar,which was Doom Bar,this was a decent drink. The pub was packed on my Friday afternoon visit with what some might say a rough looking crowd,but this did not bother me. Background music was playing. The pub is also used as an hostel and locals in the Gipsy Queen said it could be a bit rough inside. Another London pub done so i was well pleased. Pub visited 2/6/2017

If someone with some imagination could reinvent this pub it could be really quite good. As it happens, it's a bit of a dive and is clearly aimed at the local estate crowd. My main complaints are that there's a fruit machine (with accompanying noise), a TV belching junk (Deal Or No Deal on my visit) and the stench wafting over the pub from the loos was too much to bear; I didn't care much for the blue vinyl seats either. I can't really see this pub surviving without a serious makeover.

This old school boozer is a little off the main drag and overlooked by the Maitland Park council flats so is mainly used by local residents as there is little passing trade. Even though this is a small pub I suspect that it once had separate bars due to the central positioning of the entrance where there would have been a door on the left and another on the right. The right hand side door is now blocked off and a dartboard has been squeezed in to back onto it. There was no one playing during my visit early last Saturday evening as a projector screen was pulled down by the oche and the few regulars in attendance were watching England play in the 20/20 cricket on Sky Sports. The pub is U-shaped and in the far left hand corner there is a small secluded seating section which has a portable TV up on the wall and a serving hatch that backs onto the bar. The rest of the pub is decorated with pictures of locals during and after long sessions at the bar, fishing paraphernalia including a large fish in a display case above the bar and there is also a trophy cabinet up on the wall full of football awards. To be honest, if the projector screen and internet jukebox were to be removed this pub could easily sit back in the 1970s without looking out of place. I found the lady behind the bar to be very friendly and my Guinness was well served coming in at a reasonable price. There are a couple of hand pumps in amongst the usual lager suspects and these were both pouring Courage Best on this visit. I also spotted Scrumpy Jack on draught which I cannot recall seeing in any other pubs in this neck of the woods. There’s not really anything special about this pub, but it makes a reasonable local and I would use it if I lived nearby.