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Detail Pages
Thornbury Castle, Marylebone, W1
W1
W1H 1DN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Thornbury Castle
Lovely little back street pub with friendly guvnor with a good knowledge about the beers he sells.Restricted to the Enterprise range and accordingly expensive.I tried 4 of the 6 cask beers and was impressed. Vale,Dorking,Rebellion,Little beer co,and 3 Sods beers on.
On 3rd June 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Thornbury Castle
Just a short walk from Marylebone station, down a relatively quiet side street, this is a very pleasant and smartly presented pub offering a good selection of ales. A pump clip-lined porch leads you into a carpeted room with the servery over on the left hand wall. The bar has a simple wooden counter with a decorative ironwork gantry and a broad mirrored bar back. Banquette seating is available along the front and right hand walls supplemented by some particularly comfortable padded chairs. It's an attractive space thanks in no small part to the fine wood panelling which covers much of the wall space and these have been decorated with old Guinness adverts, a nice etched glass mirror and a whole host of rugby themed items including photos, rugby balls and some signed England and Wasps shirts above the bar. A fridge stands in the middle of the room against a structural pillar and has a large model ship on top plus a couple of Wasps gnomes. To the rear there is a raised seating area that looks like it is well suited to those wanting food although I only saw one group eating throughout my stay. This area is furnished with standard tables and chairs, a nice grandfather clock and a collection of beer bottles. The day's papers were available from a rack near the front door and it was refreshing to have no music playing in the background, although there were a few TV screens dotted around the room, all showing a muted BBC news channel. I didn't see any evidence of a beer garden, but a few picnic benches have been arranged outside on the pavement to the front of the pub.
There are six handpulls on the bar, two of which were off on my midweek visit, but I was still left with a very good selection comprising Dorking Pilcrow Pale, Rebellion Zebedee, Purity Gold and Vale Just Like That. I opted for a pint of the Pilcrow Pale which was in superb condition and must be an early contender for best kept beer of the year, but I had to pay £4.65 for the privilege. The bar staff were all very friendly and welcoming and I made a point of complimenting the landlord on his beer as I left.
I've always struggled to find a reliable pub in the Marylebone area but I have a feeling I may have hit upon a winner in this place. I found this to be a very welcoming pub with a good atmosphere and excellent beer - so much so that I really didn't feel like I was drinking in Central London, which is a great compliment in my book. My only real gripe would be the price of the beer, but I guess that is Enterprise and Central London for you. A cracking pub and one I look forward to returning to.
On 3rd June 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Davies left this review about Thornbury Castle
Well described by RR below and by far the best beer option this close to Marylebone and Baker St. It's a very nice pub, untouched by corporate branding, enthusiastically run with an ever changing range of beers, carefully selected to cover various styles and strengths. Tasty looking Thai menu.
There's a very keen rugby following here, so if that's your sport you will find easy conversation.
Well worth seeking out.
On 1st May 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 567 recommendations about 559 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Thornbury Castle
There were six ales on handpump here, none from the ranks of the usual suspects, and including a mild. Top marks for this category then, even if my half of mild was £2. Each of the handpumps had brief tasting notes propped up on the bar in front of them, which is a nice touch. This works well when the bar is quiet – as it was when I was in here on Friday afternoon – but would be less useful when it’s busy. There were menus on the bar counter, and even though I didn’t get to examine one, the nosh a couple on the next table were tucking into looked OK.
There is wood panelling on all the walls, and although it looks a more recent fit (although I could be wrong of course) it is very nicely done. I spotted a model ship on a ledge above a pillar; a nice mirror on a back wall; and a grandfather clock, as well as numerous prints on the walls. The pub itself is a fairly unusual design, with the bar counter on the left but with a small drinking area between it and the front of the pub, and with a raised area at the back stretching round behind the servery. My guess is that this was originally a small pub, but having been opened up into one or more back rooms. The majority of furnishings are traditional banquettes and standard tables and chairs, but with one tall table/stools filling a bit of empty space in the middle of the room.
I liked this pub a lot. The presence of six less regularly seen ales is a massive plus for me. This is one that I would definitely like to return to when I’ve got a bit more time to spare. I reckon it’s a real find and which discerning Pubs Galore members should have on their “to do” list.
On 21st October 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Thornbury Castle
Nicely unpretencious local in side street, just across Euston Road from Marylebone station. Just walking in you can tell it's a proper pub and a welcome relief from trendy gastro conversions. All one large room, running three sides round a square bar, but quite well divided into different areas. Some reasonable ales which seemed ok; food on offer but not tried.
On 14th January 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]