Princess of Wales, Blackheath, SE3

The ale selection in here was pretty good with London Pride, Doom Bar, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Truman's Swift, Reunion Session IPA, and Sadler's Peaky Blinders Black IPA all available. Even with some of the usual suspects present, it's still pretty good. It's not cheap in here though - the average price of our pints was £4.90. The food prices were consistent with the beer prices - the fish & chips is £15. But the pub itself is something of a winner. The room at the front as you enter has handpumps on the counter, and a magnificent really old (Edwardian says the previous reviewer) bar back on display. But this part of the servery was not being serviced on our Wednesday afternoon visit, and to get served we had to move to the counter in the room on the right that stretches way back to a conservatory area right at the back. It's also worth noting that the Sadler's Peaky Blinders wasn't clipped in the front bar, so even if the front counter is in use it might be worth checking whether there is a different beer around to the right. As well as the long room on the right, there's also a smaller room on the left as you enter.The pub's got an upmarket chintzy drawing room feel to it, with it's fair share of armchairs and sofas, and loads of vases of flowers on the counter. There were also massive (3' high?) wine and champagne style glasses at the end of the bar counter, containg champagne corks and bottle tops for some reason. All very strange, but harmless enough I guess. There was also enough standard bench seating and normal tables to satisfy me. Although the pub isn't statutorily Listed, the old red Gilbert Scott telephone box outside it is Grade II Listed. This pub has a delightful location looking out over the heath, with a bit of outside seating at the front. I would be very happy to pay this pub a return visit.

Overlooking the heath, this is a deceptively large pub with two bar areas. Unfortunately, I didn't realise this on entering, I approached the rather narrow front bar where there were three handpumps offering Pride, Doom Bar and Hop Back Summer Lightning. It wasn't until I had ordered my Summer Lightning that I discovered that the pub extended back considerably to the right beyond the front bar where another area offered additional choices. Not the worst event ever but a chalkboard or some double clips would have been helpful. The second set of pumps had in addition Sambrook's Junction, Liberation IPA from the Channel Islands and Stonehenge Eye Opener. The front bar has an attractive bar back with the slogans "Champagne, Brandies", "Old Tom", "Cigars", Liqueurs" and such displayed across the top in gold leaf, both bars are in carved dark wood with mirrors. The side bar had a selection of cacti on top in metal pots. Wooden boarded flooring, mixed seating, the TV on a bulkhead was off while music played. Beyond the side bar is a conservatory, open to the pub, occupied at the time by a substantial and rather screechy hen party which had also spread outside to the rear garden; I kept well clear. The pub was generally busy and lively not just with the hen party, food is served and seemed popular. Well worth a visit, just remember to wander round and check out all the pumps before choosing if you want a cask ale.

Official site of the Princess of Wales - www.princessofwalespub.co.uk

The Princess of Wales has been standing on the edge of Blackheath since at least the 1830’s when it was also the home of a voluntary Fire Service. The pub’s main claim to fame was in the field of rugby, being the pub where Blackheath Rugby Club, the oldest open rugby club in the world, was founded. It was also used as a dressing room for the first ever England v Wales international played on the adjacent heath in 1881. Sadly much of the rugby memorabilia that was on display was “lost” during a refurbishment a couple of years ago (I have heard unproven rumours that the builders walked off with it all after a misunderstanding) and the pub’s connections with the sport are now barely noticeable. The interior consists of a front bar area to the left of which is the small cosy paneled room where the rugby displays were. A cabinet in one corner still houses some hockey memorabilia. This section was probably the most appealing bit of drinking in Blackheath but now seems rather bare and plain with an unused open fireplace and much of the gentlemans club furnishings replaced by more ordinary furniture. The bar area has some ornate column heads and golden leaf trimmings. Beyond a corner section lies a surprisingly large rear bar that looks quite stylish with large mirrors and chandeliers. A conservatory area has been tacked on at the rear and this leads to an attractive and spacious beer garden with BBQ. If the beer selection is similar to the nearby Railway, it is because they are owned by the same people). The PoW generally has 4 ales available although the capacity is there for more. London Pride and Doom Bar seem to be the constants with 2 guest beers (Acorn Sorachi Ace IPA and Stonehenge Eye Opener on my latest visit). Quality is usually decent enough but prices are a bit unnerving at £3.50+ for the guest ales. There is a good range of top end lagers and craft beers also available. The ambience is reasonably civilized although the intrusive piped music can be intrusive can be annoying. The pub seems to meander from being surprisingly good or desperately disappointing and each visit seems to be one or the other. It’s not really clear what group of people it is aimed at and there are aspects that quite appealing and equally offputting though more often the former than the latter.